Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit vs Need for Speed Unbound
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a racing game from EA Vancouver (1998) while Need for Speed Unbound is an open-world racing game from Criterion Games (2022).
Quick answer: Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit has the higher Metacritic, 88 to 73.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
What each one is
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is filed under Racing. In contrast, Need for Speed Unbound under Open-World and Racing.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a 1998 racing video game developed for PlayStation by EA Canada and Microsoft Windows by EA Seattle, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third major installment in the Need for Speed franchise, incorporating police pursuits as a major part of gameplay. Hot Pursuit remains focused on racing using exotic sports cars, but features races that primarily take place in locations within North America, including varied settings and climates. Police AI is improved over the first game, utilizing several tactics to stop both the player and opponent. The PlayStation version was released on March 25, 1998, while the Windows version was released on September 23, the same year. The game received critical success, with praise for its graphics and customization options. It received a direct sequel in 2002 and a reboot in 2010.
Race to the top, definitely don’t flop. Outsmart the cops, and enter weekly qualifiers for The Grand: the ultimate street race. Pack your garage with precision-tuned, custom rides, and light up the streets with your style.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reception The PlayStation version of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit received "favorable" reviews, just two points shy of "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . Next Generation called it "an excellent racer for both novice and expert enthusiasts. Hopefully EA will continue to improve the engine so that NFSIV offers a great two-player experience as well. (Wikipedia)
Plot
In Lakeshore City, the player (female player voiced by Elizabeth Grullon, male player voiced by Ian Nelson ) and their friend and partner Jasmine/Yaz (portrayed by Ashleigh LaThrop) refurbish an old junker car in their mechanic shop owned by their mentor Rydell (Dwayne Barnes). After winning a couple of street races, Yaz has a disagreement with Rydell over a car and grows tired of being stuck in the same job daily, and wishes to do something better. She… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Need for Speed Unbound received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions, while the PC version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . During the 26th Annual D. I. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit | Need for Speed Unbound | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 5.9/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Mixed (60%, 60,177) |
| Critic aggregate | 88/100 | 73/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $69.99 |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | unsupported |
| Released | 1998 | 2022 |
| Developer | EA Vancouver | Criterion Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit vs Need for Speed Unbound, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Need for Speed III: Hot PursuitRacing gameNeed for Speed UnboundOpen-world racing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Need for Speed III: Hot PursuitNo descriptive tagsNeed for Speed UnboundRacing, Open World, ActionThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit ✓Metacritic 88Need for Speed UnboundMetacritic 73Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit—Need for Speed Unbound60,177 reviews · 19 add-ons · 50 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Need for Speed III: Hot PursuitUnknownNeed for Speed Unbound$69.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (Metacritic 88)
Where they differ
RacingMultiplayerOpen WorldActionDrivingSingleplayer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Need for Speed Unbound is relaxed, easy to pick up.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit and 6 for Need for Speed Unbound. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit and Need for Speed Unbound in scope?
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit lists little scope data. Need for Speed Unbound has drawn 60,177 Steam reviews, ships 19 add-ons and installs in 50 GB.
Is Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit or Need for Speed Unbound better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit or Need for Speed Unbound?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit or Need for Speed Unbound?
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit has the higher Metacritic, 88 to 73. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.