The grind inside doing “free” races is apparent, but I actually appreciated their availability because they’re a much safer alternative to picking a fight with the cops in Need for Speed Unbound’s open world of Lakeshore (think Chicago). However, there are usually at least two meetups with a no-cash buy-in, even if the payouts will be smaller. The cash buy-in to the core events represents its own risk-versus-reward question (though you’re usually only losing money if you finish last, or close to it). This means progression is going to be much steeper (this is especially true if you’re going to spend money on the game’s new customization options). There’s no “rep” to unlock certain high-value cars and customizations Unbound runs a straight cash economy, and its best-paying races have buy-ins. Nighttime racing pays off in cash only, all of which you can lose after a race if the police chase and catch you. As such, you never lost cash, just rep.īut in Unbound, the climb to the top of a cash pile is going to go much more slowly. The basic gameplay loop of Need for Speed Unbound is much the same as 2019’s Need for Speed Heat, whose day-night cycle had players racing in sanctioned events in daylight, but increasing their “rep” - and drawing cop attention - with activities at night.

Moreover, I feel like I’m actually racing, rather than trying to engineer a cinematic first-place finish in every event just to get to the next one. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.

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