Though it looks pretty beefy at a glance, the newNeed for Speed Unboundcontent update has failed to impress its community. Following a reasonably successful launch where many reviewers agreed that Electronic Arts and Criterion are onto something,Unboundhas gone four months without any subsequent content updates, only for the first one to fall flat immediately.
Need for Speed Unboundreviewsplainly discussed the game’s many shortcomings, but they also highlighted the fact that Criterion has managed to provide a rock-solid gameplay basis for future development. While the game’s aesthetic has certainly had its fair share of naysayers, it also helpedUnboundstand out in a sea of hyperrealistic racing games such asForza Horizon 5andGran Turismo 7.
RELATED:Longtime Criterion Developers Leave Studio Following Need for Speed Unbound Launch
As it was far from a perfect game,Need for Speed Unboundfans have been eagerly awaiting its first major content update. To that end, Criterion announced the March 21 launch of the Vol 2 patch, featuring three new vehicles, dozens of new Challenges, extra events, functionality, and a slew of cosmetics to unlock. The problem, however, is that much of the content touted for Vol 2 had been present in the game all along, like the Nissan Fairlady in its new custom body kit, which is going to stay locked as an EA Play Exclusive. The customized Lotus Emira, on the other hand, was a part of the game’s pre-release hype as Eleonore’s vehicle of choice, only for her to end up using a Porshe in the launch version instead.
Players are also not thrilled with the “Keys to the Map DLC” feature, which doesn’t actually expand uponNFS Unbound’s Lakeshore City mapat all. Instead, it pinpoints all 260 collectibles for players to go after, in much the same way thatForza Horizon’s treasure maps do. The new driving effects and assorted cosmetics don’t appear to be enough for the community, either, especially after months of waiting for new content to drop.
One of the praiseworthy new features coming inUnbound’s Vol 2 update is the fact that the police will now engage players in multiplayer races, which hadn’t been the case up until now. SinceNFS Unbound’s police chasescan actually present a reasonable threat during gameplay, this should liven up the game’s multiplayer by a solid margin.
The one big question mark that’s still in place about the game’s Vol 2 update is the mysterious “Ultimate Luxury” vehicle that will seemingly be unlocked via the new Hot Lap events. A single new potentialA+ car inNeed for Speed Unboundwon’t be enough to turn things around for the update, however, and it remains to be seen whether Criterion will be able to pick up the pace with future patches.
Need for Speed Unboundis available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
