Style alone can’t make a game good, but it certainly helps. Any game can benefit from a unique art style, and in racing games, a nice coat of paint goes an especially long way. This month on PlayStation Plus, one of the most stylish racing games ever is up for grabs, backing up its distinct looks with some great systems under the hood to sell the drama of its street racing fantasy.
When Need for Speed: Unbound was announced, the most attention-grabbing part of it was its unique art style. Just take one quick look at it and you’ll see why. While its setting of Lakeshore (a fictionalized version of Chicago) is rendered with the standard realism of a blockbuster racer, it’s accentuated with animated effects that evoke racing anime as much as street art. From the very start, it’s clear that Need for Speed: Unbound’s visual flair is a key part of its identity, and it helps make it one of the most fascinating racing games in recent years.
