This is a nearly inescapable fate for the Need for Speed franchise, and it is both a blessing and a curse. Being known for a genre-defining game like Most Wanted is an honor most franchises could only dream of. However, as Need for Speed Unbound demonstrates, it also brings with it a couple of hurdles to overcome.
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Need for Speed Most Wanted - the Franchise’s Magnum Opus
The Need for Speed franchise has been around for a while, and it has taken a few forms. Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, as the name suggests, decides to focus on Porsches while Need for Speed ProStreet sets its sights on legal racing. For most long-time fans, the series hit its stride with the Underground series, and it finally reached its zenith with 2005’s Most Wanted. Taking place in the industrial city of Rockport, Most Wanted has players racing their way through the Blacklist, collecting pink slips, and getting on the nerves of local law enforcement.
There are a few reasons why Most Wanted sticks its landing so well with gamers. Its plot isn’t anything to write home about, but it is engaging enough to give players a reason to want to race and eventually seek justice for the double-crossing they’ve been subjected to. Most importantly, the gameplay is just relentlessly fun. Whether it’s racing against rivals, engaging in drifting events, or just roaming around Rockport and knocking down donut signs, there’s always something exciting to do. Since Most Wanted, Need for Speed has never received the same kind of overwhelming reception from fans. Unbound is the closest the series has come, thanks to the fact that it gets so much right. However, it also proves that the Need for Speed franchise still lives in Most Wanted’s large shadow.
Unbound Can’t Escape Most Wanted
Unbound is a great game and a triumphant return for the series, but it cannot be ignored that its success story involves the franchise crafting a game that, in many ways, reverts to the tried and tested mechanics of Most Wanted. With its urban street racing and intense cop chases, it does seem like it learns many of its lessons from the classic arcade racer. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as the game was developed by Criterion Games, the same team responsible for Most Wanted (2012). Criterion is clearly a team that recognizes what a peak the game was for the franchise and has been desperately attempting to replicate it with its following releases. This is not to say that Unbound is a carbon copy of Most Wanted, as it manages to include several innovations that make it feel unique, including character customization, driving effects, and an important day and night cycle. Still, the similarities are clear.
Ultimately, it is inescapable that Need for Speed games will always be compared to Most Wanted. It is the pinnacle of the series, and it holds a special place not just in the franchise but in gaming history as a whole. Thanks to the power of nostalgia, the game only gets better with every passing year. The only way the franchise can hope to escape Most Wanted’s massive shadow would be to release a game that manages to exceed its greatness, but that would be incredibly difficult to do in today’s gaming landscape where arcade racers are far less appreciated.
Need for Speed Unbound is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.
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