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Need for Speed: Underground 2

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Need for Speed: Underground 2
PC game cover
Developer(s)EA Canada
Publisher(s)EA Games
Platform(s)GameCube, PS2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Mobile Phone
ReleaseNovember 15, 2004
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Need for Speed: Underground 2 (NFSU2) is a multiplatform racing video game published and developed by Electronic Arts. Released in 2004, it is the sequel to Need for Speed: Underground, and is part of the Need for Speed series, available on GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and PC. It was created at the EA Black Box studios, located in Vancouver, BC.

The game is based around tuning cars for street races, resuming the Need for Speed: Underground storyline. Need for Speed: Underground 2 provides several new features, such as a broader customization, new methods of selecting races, the "cruising" mode (just driving around freely, similar to Grand Theft Auto, in a large city known as "Bayview"), and selecting race "beacons". Underground 2 also introduces several SUVs, which could be customized as extensively as other Underground 2 vehicles and used to race against other SUV racers. Brooke Burke is the voice of Rachel Teller, the person who guides you through the story.

On the Nintendo DS installment, users are able to design custom decals to adorn any vehicle in the game.

The PSP equivalent is Need for Speed: Underground Rivals.

New racing modes

In-game Need for Speed: Underground 2 screenshot

In addition to the racing modes included in the previous Underground game (circuit races, knockouts, point-to-point sprint races, drag races and drift races), 4 new variations of races have been provided in Underground 2.

Outrun

While cruising around the city, players can challenge other cruising opponents in a one-on-one race. The leader is given the freedom to pick his/her racing route, and must attempt to outrun the opponent and distance itself from him/her to as much as 300 meters (1000 feet) to win. This racing formula is similar to that of Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Wangan Midnight video games, which uses health bars instead of distance to determine the winner. On some occasions, unique parts may be awarded for outrun victories.

Street X

Street X involves races against three other opponents in short circuits similar to those seen in Drift mode from Need for Speed: Underground, except these tracks no longer induce excessive drifts. Instead, this mode emphasizes precise braking and gear-shifting in order to obtain shorter lap times and win races. Like all Drift modes in Underground 2, no nitrous oxide is allowed.

Downhill Drift

Bearing similarities to touge racing and the Initial D anime series, this mode features drifting down a stretch of public hillside road (with the addition of traffic) instead of closed circuits. While the standard Drift mode in Need for Speed: Underground 2 place four competitors in one track, Downhill Drift places one player in the track, with the score of the other three opponents already recorded in the scoreboard.

Drift points are obtained similarly; drifting allows players to score points. Players who drift in the outer sides of the road, drift near traffic, drift sideways, or perform chained drift will rack up additional points, while collisions on either the side of the road or traffic during a drift cancels the points collected from the start of the drift.

Underground Racing League (URL)

The URL is a set of tournaments which takes place in a specific set of closed tracks outside city streets, more specifically, on actual racing circuits, or airport runways. URL tournaments typically consist of two or three races, with the player racing against five opponents. At the end of each race, drivers receive a specific amount of points according to their standing in a race. The total score at the end of these races determines the winner of the tournament.

Car list

As in Need for Speed: Underground, Underground 2 continues to offer similar vehicles for purchase and modification, most of which consists of Asian models, with a sizable number of European and American models. In addition, Underground 2 is the only game in the Need for Speed series to date to offer three SUVs as racing vehicles, which may be modified extensively than its more compact counterparts. A total of 29 vehicle models are available, but the PAL version of the game offers an additional two European cars. The vehicles offered in Underground 2 are as followed:

Cars

SUVs

Screenshots

Soundtrack

  1. Atmosphere - "The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame"
  2. Capone - "I Need Speed"
  3. Chingy - "I Do"
  4. Christopher Lawrence - "Rush Hour"
  5. Cirrus - "Back on a Mission"
  6. Felix da Housecat - "Rocket Ride" (Soulwax Remix)
  7. Fluke - "Switch/Twitch"
  8. FREELAND - "Mind Killer" (Jagz Kooner Remix)
  9. Helmet - "Crashing Foreign Cars"
  10. Killradio - "Scavenger"
  11. Killing Joke - "The Death & Resurrection Show"
  12. Ministry - "No W"
  13. Mudvayne - "Determined"
  14. Paul Van Dyk - "Nothing But You (Cirrus Remix)"
  15. Queens of the Stone Age - "In My Head"
  16. Rise Against - "Give it All"
  17. Septembre - "I am Weightless"
  18. Skindred - "Nobody"
  19. Sly Boogy - "That'z My Name"
  20. Sin - "Hard EBM"
  21. Snapcase - "Skeptic"
  22. The Doors featuring Snoop Dogg - "Riders On The Storm" (Fredwreck Remix)
  23. Sonic Animation - "E-Ville"
  24. Spiderbait - "Black Betty"
  25. The Terror Squad - "Lean Back"
  26. The Bronx - "Notice of Eviction"
  27. Unwritten Law - "The Celebration Song"
  28. Xzibit - "LAX"

Reception and criticism

The game had good sales, selling over 8 million copies[1], and entering the "best-sellers" of each console (PS2's Greatest Hits, Xbox's Platinum Hits and GameCube's Player's Choice).

Reviews were positive[2], but many elements were criticized, such as having to drive excessive amounts to get to specific races[3], bland voice acting[4] and strong product placement for companies with no connection to auto racing, such as integrating the logo for Cingular, an American wireless communications company, into the game's messaging system and displaying it on-screen for much of the gameplay[5]. The GameCube version was also bashed for its unstable frame rate [6].

See also

References

  1. ^ Need for Speed Underground 2 DS Version Ships, Gamershell
  2. ^ Need for Speed: Underground 2 at Game Rankings
  3. ^ Review at GameSpot
  4. ^ Review at IGN
  5. ^ GameSpot Best and Worst of 2004: Most Despicable Product Placement
  6. ^ Review at GameSpy
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