BERLIN: More thrills, less realism: With this approach, "Need for Speed" has made its mark on the video game scene like hardly any other racing game. With "Need for Speed Unbound" we have our first new edition of the street racing series in three years.

Visually, the differences to past editions are quickly recognisable. Although the tracks and cars have a realistic look, the characters and effects look like they're in a comic-book.

Whenever you drift, for example, the tyres leave behind large coloured clouds of smoke, while cutscenes look like they've come straight from a fantasy game.

In the game's story mode, players join a street gang in the open-world-style town of Lakeshore and take part in an underground street racing league. In order to make it to the top, players have to collect as many victories as possible in races on classic city tracks.

Since you're rarely driving legally, police chases are again part of the game as you try to skilfully dodge patrol cars, roadblocks, and spiked chains.

Although this new edition doesn't reinvent the "Need for Speed" series, it does bring a creative change with the comic-book style.

Even though the story doesn't really go into depth, the races as well as the large game world offer an exciting challenge. The usual arcade-heavy racing fun is therefore guaranteed again in “Unbound.” "Need for Speed Unbound" is available for PCs, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S for between €70/US$70 and €80/US$80 , depending on the platform.

 - dpa