Tips & Tricks:
Road Running
In Need for Speed™ Underground, EA has taken the series in an exciting new direction. With upgraded graphics, new game modes, and a conspicuous lack of the high-performance cars from earlier editions, Need for Speed Underground is a whole new game. Here are some pointers for becoming the kind of driving ace that can win more than 100 street races and become theUnderground champion.
That wall? Not a shortcut.
(Short) Cut ’Em Out
There are shortcuts on virtually every track, so be sure to explore each to find the quickest routes. Some are obvious, like the one just after the first turn in Olympic Square Park track. Simply keep to the left, and you’ll take the shorter, straighter path. Others are trickier, like the one within the Chinese Gardens in the Lockup Sprint track, and sometimes they aren’t worth the trouble. (The grass in the Chinese Gardens slows you down, and there are plenty of narrow stretches that will cost you valuable time.) With time and a little practice, you can map out the roads less traveled and take only those that offer an advantage.
Easy There, Lead Foot
As with most driving games, Need for Speed Underground cannot be conquered simply by flooring it throughout the entire race. If you do that, you’ll likely crash or take a momentum-devouring brush against a wall. What’s worse, any incidental contact with the environment will cost you those precious Style Points you’ve been building up in the Drift Racing mode. (There’s nothing more frustrating than losing a 5X Drift multiplier in the final seconds of the maneuver. Those points just sit there and laugh at you, knowing they’ll never be yours.) Make sure you maintain control instead of top speed.
Dragging for dollars.
Drafts, Drags, and Drifts
Drafting (driving right behind another car to use them as a windbreak) is an advanced skill that all true racers must perfect. You have to be careful not to touch the car you’re following and match every small turn or steering adjustment they make. The reward is a slight boost of speed that you can use to surge ahead on turns, when the lead car’s speed is most affected by the wind.
There are also Drag and Drift challenges scattered throughout the game. Drag racing requires almost no steering (don’t bother to pump up your car’s handling if you’re focused on Drag races), but it requires split-second timing. Be sure to hit the gas at the precise instant your tachometer turns from blue to green, and you’ll get off the starting line with no problems. With Drifting, you’ll need to keep your wheels in the white-bordered areas near the inner and outer track walls. (The inner is preferable). Use your e-brake to skid around turns and to steer your car for the next straightaway. Also, remember that you can’t get the big point multipliers unless you chain Drifts together. If you can skid all the way around the track with at least one wheel in the white zone, you will achieve some truly sick scores.
The best defense is a good offense.
Road Hogs and Sunday Drivers
They’re out there, either as A.I. drivers or your fellow human competitors, and they’re looking to run you off the road. Other than the sheer malicious joy of being mean, there’s no direct advantage to bumping another car or force it into a wall. In fact, it’ll probably slow you up and cost you Style Points. However, if it’s a question of playing nice or taking a hit from another aggressive driver (and potentially losing the lead), it’s up to you to strike first. Don’t give anyone (especially the A.I.) the benefit of the doubt. Instead, do unto them before they get a chance to do unto you. Keep them on the defensive.
These basic tips will get you started on your Need for Speed Underground tour and help you unlock the custom decals, paint jobs, and parts that, combined with the blinding speed and jaw-dropping graphics, make this game so immersive and addicting.
By Wendell Scott
