GameCube

Need for Speed Underground

Starting out with a "knowing is half the battle" message, Need for Speed: Underground hopes to make you like street racing so much on your TV that you’ll never, ever do it in a real car. I think it may have reached that goal. The customizable cars are (as expected) crazy cool, the tracks are easy to learn but offer lots of variation, the level of difficulty is both customizable and has an excellent learning curve, and the bevy of race types will keep people enthralled for hours.

Whichever way you play it, though, you won't be disappointed. In a year without Gran Turismo, and in a world where Ridge Racer has pulled into the paddock for good, Need for Speed is the undisputed king of the street.

n a daring move, the Need for Speed series switches gears and exits the traditional road of high-end European roadsters. The lane change pays off in its nod toward the tuner-car racing circuit where speed is given a brand-new look and feel.

Need for Speed Undergound grabs you with its sky-high production, and hooks you into its impressively designed single-player mode. The beautiful visuals only heighten your desire to race. But the real kicker here, and the focus of the whole experience, is customizing your ride. If you're not into that element, don't go out and try to buy this as a stand-alone racer. You really have to be dedicated to the car creation, and you have to have the patience for it.

Mein bodenständiger Opel Corsa geht mir mit seinem Schneckentempo langsam mächtig auf den Senkel! Wenn der Geldbeutel nichts anderes zulässt, ist es umso erfreulicher, wenigstens virtuell dem Geschwindigkeitsrausch verfallen zu können. Und das aber richtig! EA Blackbox hat diesbezüglich wirklich ganze Arbeit geleistet. Das Tempo kommt erheblich besser rüber als im Vorgänger. Die Spiegelungen auf den Straßen hingegen fand ich persönlich etwas übertrieben. Weniger wäre hier mehr gewesen! Die Reflexionen irritieren nämlich ab und an etwas zu sehr.

Mesmo assim, "Need for Speed: Undergound" é o melhor jogo de corrida para quem busca similar a atmosfera de "Velozes e Furiosos". Nada substitui o prazer de fechar seu oponente na última volta de uma corrida com o bólido que acabou de ganhar neon azul piscante e pintura personalizada.

Ett annat problem är att det bjuds på lite för många tillfällen då man kan köra in i en stolpe eller liknande och bli helt stillastående, varpå man oftast förlorar loppet. I de stunderna är man övertygad om att det här är världens kanske sämsta bilspel. Men snart har man startat om loppet och förlorat sig i fartupplevelsen igen - en fartupplevelse som inget annat bilspel levererar.

There's so much to do in NFSU, that initially it's a pretty daunting task. The bulk of the gameplay (story, unlockables, ranking etc.) is played in the "Go Underground" mode, which consists of a whopping 111 separate challenges. NFSU offers a variety of cool racing styles, including the new drift and drag challenges. Standard circuit, sprint, free run, and lap knockout modes round out the gameplay, but in terms of uniqueness, it's the drift and drag runs that'll really please enthusiasts.

It's hard to talk about an import car racing game without mentioning the movie The Fast and the Furious. The movie put as much of a spotlight on tricked-out cars as it did on its cast, and the resulting effect caused a huge surge of interest in the import racing scene. In the wake of the film, a number of other properties have risen up to try to claim a piece of the lucrative scene as its own. Need for Speed Underground is EA's attempt to get involved, and it's mostly a success.

The game does look great with a fitting soundtrack, transporting you into the underground world. Although it doesn't have the realistic prowess of Project Gotham 2, those that like to trick out cars may find Need for Speed: Underground to be a fitting element to their holiday collection.

NFS: Underground is an uneven mixture of gorgeous graphics, upgradeable street racing vehicles, variety of race modes, unique customization, lack of opposition, repetitive tracks, and no law enforcement presence. Somehow they have even managed to get rid of the replays all together. The additions and subtractions seem so random, it’s almost as if they picked this game’s elements out of a hat. But the game still manages to be involving and fun, although not quite as engrossing as NFS:HP2. It’s surely worthy of gracing any racing aficionado’s collection; the various events and practically endless cosmetic customizations should keep this one out of the trade-in stack for some time to come.

C'est bien la forme qui prime sur le fond avec ce Need For Speed Underground. Magnifique, dans ses graphismes et accessible dans son gameplay, le dernier né de la série de EA n'en demeure pas moins très répétitif et ce aussi bien en solo qu'en multi. Les nouveaux modes de jeu sont complètement anecdotiques et l'aspect Tuning/Fast and Furious du jeu ne plaira pas à tout le monde, vous êtes prévenu.