Instead of flying down a rural highway in a European exotic with an ocean view to the left, a forest to the right, and a police car rubbing the taillights, Need for Speed™ Underground 2 plops racers down in the import-friendly confines of a sprawling metropolis. Here we were offered the opportunity to live the life of an illicit underground street racer, ala Vin Diesel and company in The Fast and the Furious.
Need for Speed Underground 2 takes that urban street-racing mythos and blows it wide open. Not only is the nature of the race different from earlier entries in the Need for Speed franchise (they're a bit more technically challenging in the Underground games), but the Underground series really emphasizes a certain lifestyle of racing: one that's extraordinary, but not altogether impossible. There's a renegade stick-it-to-the-man kind of attitude to the world of Underground, and it's this attitude and culture that makes it so thrilling to experience. You get to taste rebel-racing danger from the comfort of your couch.
She's a lovely tutor.
In fact, it's the world of street racing that the folks at EA created that is so impressive. Moreover, it's the ability to live the free-roaming life of a street racer that elevates this game. By living the life, I mean not being tritely moved from one predetermined race to another, but instead, being offered a world (or in this case, a city with separate and distinct neighborhoods) that contains multiple options at any given time.
It's Not Predefined When you begin your career in Need for Speed Underground 2, you're given a few minutes with a pimped out ride. It's just enough time to figure out the controls, determine how to navigate around the map, and even participate in one glorious nitrous-filled race. After that, you buy your own car and set off to prove yourself at your own leisure. You'll see that the whole map is highlighted with different colored dots. Each dot delineates a different choice, whether it's a race or a customization option. You'll see all sorts of differently colored dots, with each color further defining the option (e.g. drag race versus a street race).
In rain or sleet or snow.
From this point, it's up to you how you want to establish your credibility, which is a most precious commodity. Different races, cars, equipment, and special events are unlocked as you prove you've got the skills to legitimately compete. How you go about your business, though, is up to you. You can get straight to the racing, just drive around and familiarize yourself with the city, or visit various locations to customize your ride. However, you will be occasionally contacted on your cell phone and prodded in a direction or two, and you sometimes you'll get phone invites a special event.
Not All Races Are Created Equal Part of the charm of Underground 2 is the variety of racing options. It's not always about a circuitous trip around a predetermined track to the finish line. Instead, you may find yourself in a drift contest, proving that you can powerslide with the best of them, or perhaps you'll enter a drag race and demonstrate your prowess on the short track. Of course, there are more traditional bouts of "race to the finish line" gameplay as well. It's all about variety in this year's game. You'll need to perfect a medley of different skill sets on the underground circuit, which only helps add replay value as well the opportunity to choose your own change of pace.
Mastering the drift.
Licensed Fare Licensed vehicles have always been a part of the Need for Speed franchise, and Underground 2 is no exception. A substantial part of the charm is taking a car (maybe even a model you actually own) and slowly transforming it into a beast of the streets. Whether you want to pimp out a Ford or a Mitsubishi, it's all up to you. The game is brimming with rides just waiting to be upgraded and tuned. Part of the Underground world is taking a car that wasn't necessarily meant to be a racing machine and tuning it to become just that—and that's exactly what you'll be offered here.
Of course, how you get to tune your ride is of utmost importance. Not only will you be able to change up the inner guts of your car to make it perform better (including upgraded nitrous systems), but you'll also be able to alter the look and feel of your car to truly tailor its aesthetics to your own liking. You can add all manner of different spoilers, sideboards, headlights, tail lights, tinted windows, neon undercarriage lights, and even an upgraded sound system, just to scratch the surface. If you count up all the different options and cars, there are literally billions of combinations. Billions!
Need for Speed Underground 2 offers up the high-risk high-reward world of illegal street racing, and it brings the authentic hallmarks of that culture with it. Racing gamers could hardly ask for anything more.
