Need For Speed fans divided over new game's cartoon style

Our first look at the brand-new Need For Speed game has leaked online ahead of the official reveal later today, and it's safe to say fans are... divided by its radically new aesthetic.

Need For Speed games are usually known for slick and shiny 'realistic' graphics, but this new entry - called Need For Speed Unbound - appears to favour something of an anime-style approach.

As you can see from the leaked images that have started circulating, the game is going for a mix of cel-shaded cartoon drivers and more realistic looking vehicles. A few of the screenshots also seem to suggest there'll be some fun cartoony flourishes while driving, such as colourful sparks that pop out as drivers make sharp turns.

Personally, I think it looks awesome. I also think the game is going to look even better in motion, so we should probably wait till the trailer drops later before really judging things. That's what we should do, right?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of gamers who aren't quite sold on this direction.

A number of Twitter users appeared to bemoan the "Fortnite character models" (by which I think they just mean cartoony). One went so far as to call it "NFS Weeb Edition", which did make me laugh even if it doesn't entirely make sense. Does cel-shaded automatically mean anime? I would argue not.

The good news is that there are still plenty of fans who are really digging the new art style and can't wait to see it in action. Certainly, after 15 years of racing games all competing to look the most realistic, going off in a completely different direction is an incredibly smart move. I mean, you aren't going to be able to compete with Forza Horizon 5, so why even bother?

Need For Speed Unbound is rumoured to be releasing exclusively for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but we should find out for sure when the official trailer arrives later today.