Tips and Tricks For How to “Git Gud” at Need For Speed Unbound

Dad joke aside, first up, make sure your ride has the appropriate parts installed for the type of race you'll be in. If you have a Drifting or Street Racing set-up, they will do you little good in an off-road area. Then, as you start a race and rev up your engine during the countdown, I'm sure you'll be familiar with the RPM meter gameplay mechanic. The sweet spot you need to hit with the needle is making a return, and if you time it just right, you’ll blast off from the starting line like nobody’s business.

Drifting is next, and you can initiate one by tapping the handbrake or e-brake. Just don't hold down the button. However, two more ways have been added, by tapping the Gas or Break triggers. The Break Tap option is on by default, but you can turn it off or switch to something else in the Options menu. No matter how you choose to slide in a corner, remember you'll have to do so to fill up your nitrous gauge meter. Drafting is also an excellent way to do that.

During your playthrough, you’ll encounter Takeover missions or races that can grab you a lovely allotment of cash, or even some new wheels, as the kids would say... back in 2001. When you inevitably embark on such a quest, you must compete against other racers' scores. All the while, you'll be driving alone with no real opponents. It's not exactly a classic Time Trial event because you'll have to go skillfully rather than fast.

You'll be drifting in corners and smashing barrels and barricades to increase your score's multiplier. Be warned, though, after a Takeover is completed, the cops will be on your tail for destroying public property and other mischiefs you've been up to. But, at least it's nice of them to let you finish first.

Other types of missions you’ll come across are Car Delivery Jobs. In a very GTA-like fashion, you’ll be getting a phone call telling you to pick up a ride that “fell off a truck.” The objective can vary depending on the caller. In Low Heat Deliveries, you’ll have to get to the drop-off point really fast, or else the payoff will start to get lower and lower. In High Heat Deliveries, you’ll have to make sure the car doesn’t get so much as a scratch on it while being chased by the “five-o.” The better condition you deliver the car in, the more money you’ll be rewarded.

Taxi services are included in Unbound, apparently, but unlike in GTA, where anyone can hop into your car, in NFS, you'll get calls from fellow drivers asking you to help them out. Apparently, they're never up to any good because as soon as they enter your car, the police are again, following you. Make sure you don't get busted; otherwise no money will make its way toward you.

Other common features present in the game will be drift zones, speed traps, speedruns, and jumps, which are pretty much self-explanatory. Challenges will also be there to reward you for basically everything you do right in the game, from drifting to escaping the police, completing activities, and so on.

Considering everything EA has disclosed about Need for Speed Unbound up until this point, it seems it will be a really well-made iteration of the long-standing series. I have heard nothing off-putting so far, and I hope no undisclosed information about microtransactions will come out at some point to ruin the experience. The game comes out on December 2nd, but if you subscribe to EA Play or EA Play Pro, you will be able to play it starting from November 29.