A Sensational Sequel reviews for Need for Speed Underground 2

A Sensational Sequel

It is night and the streets of Bayview city centre are almost empty except for the light traffic and a group of people at the corner of Hotel Plaza. With a dozen or so tuner cars parked and their neon lights brighten the road side. As loud music blasts from their car stereos through the cold air, and pretty girls frolic around. There is myriad of Mitsubishis, Nissans, Hondas, Fords and Acuras. They wait for the perfect time to start the race ……………………………………………..

EA Games’ Need For Speed Underground 2 is the game; it is the real game that truly gives the player the feeling of a real import racer.

This game has got everything, you had wanted to do in the tuner underworld. From signing sponsors to fine tuning your car, the options are almost endless.

The game has got a lot of plus points. The inclusion of new race types and advancement of existing race types from the first game is just one. You have got Circuits, Sprints, Drags, Drifts, Downhill drifts (Organic drift track racing), Underground Racers League, and Outrun etc.

The ability to run dyno tuning and fine tune engine parts for each type of race is unique and quite exciting. You can fine tune everything from your suspension to your nitrous control.

The increase in the visual parts/upgrades and the new options provided like trunk neon, audio layouts, hydraulics, etc. and the new categories in the Rewards section, like DVD covers and sponsorships are quite unexpected and has helped to bring the gaming experience closer to the real tuner world. Believe it or not, there are more than two dozen different types of choices to visually upgrade. Just consider the fact that there were only about 13 different types of bumpers in the first game, but in this one you get about 25! This is a game customization maniacs.

The most thrilling is the innovative way to take photographs of your car for magazines.

With more than 30 cars to tune and ride, you are given endless choices to try and play. To mention a few of the new ones would be, Acura Infinity G35, Ford Mustang GT, Lexus IS300, Mazda RX8, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8, etc.

The soundtrack is wonderful. The creators of the game had broadened their tastes and chosen a nice set of tracks to accompany the gamers. But the presence of a large set of remixes that seem out of place in this game and the lack of hard rock and hard rock and roll oriented tracks like “Broken Promises” by Element Eighty, “Two-Lane Blacktop” by Rob Zombie or “The Only” by Static X, etc. seems like a loss. But the variety in the tracks being spun is a good boost. Tracks like “The Death and Resurrection Show” by Killing Joke, “Riders on the Storm”(Fredwreck remix) by Snoop Dogg feat. The Doors, “That’s my name” by Sly Boogy, “Rocket Ride” (Soulwax Remix) by Felix Da Housecat, “Black Betty” by Spider Bait, etc in this game are commendable.

But all this seems nothing when you take ride through the city of Bayview, the almost fictional city where this free-drive style game is set. It is clearly seen that creators of the game had gone to great depths in designing a realistic and awe-striking virtual city, yet a one where such street racing scenario is possible. There is more than 125 miles of free-roaming road and that is a lot of place to ride.

However all this comes down to one thing, the racing experience. I can only say it is marvelous.

From increasing your nitrous content through style points to realistic driving techniques, it is a greatly done work that gives the true sensational feeling.

With all good said and done, it is important to mention some drawbacks (believe me, this game has got it too).

The lack of 3-D animated videos for the movie clips is one thing that strikes hard. The earlier game’s movie clips which featured excellent 3-D animation and graphics was one factor for the game’s success. The creators of the sequel had compensated that by including new features like the free-run city and dyno tuning, which require hardware/software resources for animation and graphic details.

Need For Speed Underground 1 included the most diverse and interesting game play characters like Samantha, Kurt, Chad, Todd, Clutch, Dirt and (who can forget) the great Eddie. The creators of the first game had not only fashioned these characters to encourage the player but had characterized them based on people in the import arena. The lack of such strong characterization in the game play opponents is one major negative point in this sequel. Although Brooke Burke is really cool as Rachel Teller, she is not inspiring and entertaining as Samantha. Yet improvements from the last game such as Outrun races and sponsor supported races have tended to minimize these losses.

Underground 2 is not a game for those who has just discovered the tuner underground, but a game for those who have uncovered the tuner underground through the first Underground game. This is clearly seen from the storyline. Not only is the game a sequel but most of the gaming in it are continuations from the previous game. To get this game better, the player should have had a good hand at the previous game.

So, finally, what are this game’s rankings? After taking a look at the pros and the cons, we can say that the pros really do “outrun” the cons. Need For Speed Underground 2 is not only a wonderful game but an excellent one with a lot of gaming potential. The graphics and sound effects together with the outstanding visuals incorporated into this game give it it’s unique style of gaming that differs very much from the free-roaming city style of the Grand Theft Auto series or the gaming in other street racing games. And that’s what makes Need For Speed Underground 2 a game for the record books.

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