@HeadlesssApe Just made an account here to list some thoughts so long post ahead. Both game specific and also for the series as a whole. I understand these games don’t have very long development cycles so these are things that I think could actually be done
- Vehicle variety is still an issue. Not talking about adding vehicles, instead I want to be able to have fun using any car I want. Having a “best car” is inevitable, and they should all have strengths and weaknesses. But I should be able to pick the cars that I actually like without forfeiting every race. The tier system helps a lot but theres still room for improvement. For example the Polestar was fixed from Heat- Not a Regera in S+ but I can still be competitive. On the other hand, the Mclaren P1 is just useless. Low top speed, slow to get to top speed, hit a bump and fly across the map. It even has weak customization, no body kits or anything unique just a couple vents and big wings. With such a limited roster of cars in the game, still having throwaways or vehicles that just seem forgotten by the devs is really frustrating. Leaves a narrow margin to work in but I think its important.
- Event variety!! If you’re going to increase the grind by so much online at least give us something to have fun with! Working out a way to implement drift events online (maybe like NFS 2015) would help so much by itself. Why are there so many playlists per tier when most of them are the same races in a different order? Other than new races, you could keep it fresh by taking certain races from other tiers- for example I would love to do a couple of the more varied “technical-but-still-fast” S tier races in S+
- Overall the series is in a good place right now to expand and improve. Its been frustrating as a player because since 2015, the series has been changing its identity with every release or getting rebuilt. I saw more positive press for Unbound than any NFS since 2015. So many people I know were talking about it, on and offline, and initial reviews were good. I just want EA and Criterion to take this as a sign to expand on it with the next release instead of trying to reinvent again. Just keep the gameplay, tier system, etc, fix the issues, fix drifting, and give us more. More cars, more customization, more races, more variety. I dream about giving full NFS customization to a wagon, and car enthusiasts love them, so add some! Why even have Volvo without wagons? Mclaren is under-utilized, the 720s is a no brainer, and the Speedtail is one of the most unique new hypercars. Theres a crazy amount of classics you could add with Alfa and Jaguar, also under-utilized. (Personally I’d also love to see the Ferrari F12 back in the series.) And thats without adding new manufacturers.