Need for Speed Unbound is the first NFS title to arrive after the current-gen console launch in late 2020, with the teams at EA and Criterion deciding to drop last-gen systems with this release. While the development studio initially wanted to go with a cross-gen release for Unbound, it believed the decision to drop Xbox One and PS4 was ultimately justified when players went hands-on with the game.
In an interview with Traxion, Criterion creative director Kieran Crimmins touched on the subject, saying the team wanted to "double down" on the new consoles to let the game shine.
“As we were going through it the stuff we could do on current-gen consoles [is] just so much better than what you can do on previous gen. We wanted to double down on it, we wanted to deliver the best possible experience to players that could play it."
"Playing it all [in] 4K, 60 frames a second, HDR is an absolutely transformative racing game experience. With the new physics system, the new handling, the new effects and new graphics – I feel like anyone that plays it will totally understand."
We can definitely see where Crimmins is coming from - racing games just feel right at 60FPS+, and Need for Speed Unbound is no exception. After a whole generation at mostly 30 frames per-second, it's nice to go hands on with NFS at a higher frame rate on console!
It seems plenty of other players are enjoying the new title as well, with the game impressing folks during its early access period last week.