PSP

Need for Speed Underground: Rivals

What do you really want out of a racing game? Car variety, interesting courses, and reasonable and consistent physics models? The must-have list for a simple car game is short, and something that the industry has done for a long time with decent success. But what about the added perks that you’d like to see? Good graphics, customizable performance and appearance upgrades, solid and challenging AI, and multiplayer modes? Well, ounce for ounce, Need for Speed: Underground Rivals delivers on all of these points – and maybe even more.

It's all too easy to assume that games such as Need For Speed Underground Rivals will simply be stripped down versions of PlayStation 2 titles. Whilst Underground Rivals may have been streamlined in certain areas, such as you can't drive around the city anymore, it certainly doesn't feel like a cut-down version of NFS Underground 2. In fact EA have done a great job of making the game more appropriate for a handheld system. Yes it's not perfect and yes it's got a lot of driving games to compete against in this PSP launch period, but if you are a fan of the NFS Underground series it's almost a certainty you'll enjoy Need For Speed Underground Rivals.

As a huge fan of the Need for Speed series, its a real thrill seeing the series brought over to a portable medium and even more so when it gives us all the things we love about the recent Underground games. Need for Speed Underground Rivals for the PSP is a solid racing game despite its few flaws, but still a game you’ll want to own if you’re a fan of the series or love import tuning. It might not feel or play as good as Ridge Racer but it’s still worth your hard-earned cash.

Rivals works best as quick fix, an adrenaline shot to perk up those boring bits of your day when you're not assaulted by the tidal wave of ever-growing media. Why take a quiet moment on the bus to explore your inner life when you can pummel the senses with white-knuckled racing action? Let go your needling worries, your self-absorbed thoughts, and embrace the PSP. He is your pusher, and he's got the fix.

This latest incarnation of the now classic Need for Speed series is certainly a hot ride. In a supercharged tuner, you race the city streets in competitions that are all too familiar with Underground fans. You'll need to avoid careening into oncoming traffic, keep the steering wheel tight after a jump, and of course, bump your...well, rivals out of the way in the goal to becoming the top honcho on the streets.

EA hat mit "Need for Speed Underground" eine Cash-Cow gezüchtet, die zum PSP-Launch wieder kräftig gemolken wird. Und tatsächlich: Die Edel-Raserei macht auf Sonys Handheld eine erstaunlich gute Figur, bedenkt man die enttäuschende Vorstellung des DS-Ablegers. Vor allem der enorme Umfang kann sich sehen lassen. In puncto Rennmodi hängt "Rivals" die Konkurrenz ab. Ohne Macken geht es dann doch nicht: So stören die magere Streckenauswahl und die serientypischen Ruckler die sonst stylische Präsentation. Auch die Steuerung ist nicht ideal. Im Gegensatz zu Kollege Ulrich bereiten mir die Kontrollen nach kurzer Eingewöhnungsphase keine Probleme mehr. Wem es ähnlich geht, wird an "Need for Speed Underground Rivals" lange Freude haben.

Fans of the Need for Speed Underground series will feel right at home with Rivals. It gets rid of the overblown, big-city atmosphere of the recent console release and puts the focus on getting into races--the best part of the series--very quickly. Though a few minor tweaks would have made Rivals a bit better, there's enough fast-paced driving action here to satisfy race fans.

I think removing the story and free-roaming environment we saw in the most recent NFSU games has allowed EA time for all the additional stuff. And that's a good thing, because I personally felt that NFSU2's roamable city was undercooked content padding, and its plot threadbare and painfully hip. NFSU Rivals gets back to the basics, but I miss the intuitive performance tuning of NFUS2, the analog stick is disappointingly implemented, and the AI isn't elastic enough. Rivals is better in some ways than previous entries in the franchise, but it's worse in the place that matters the most: the actual race. Like other rubber band racers, it's addictive--up to a point. Then you get stuck on that same race several times, going back and forth with cars whose doors you should have blown off at the starting line, and you wish the race model was a wee bit looser. I'll be sticking with Ridge Racer.

This game was made for the PSP, what with its bite-sized racing format and splendid graphics - including bells and whistles such as motion blur, reflections and road textures. But it's not all flash, as the customizable goodies for your car give it some depth.

Pour son arrivée sur PSP, la série NFSU se laisse un petit peu aller à la facilité, supprimant le mode carrière pour se rattraper sur des principes de jeu pas vraiment novateurs ni transcendants. Fort heureusement, grâce au rythme inhérent à la saga, à la jouabilité intuitive malgré quelques accrocs, et surtout à l'ambiance générale, NFSU Rivals reste une source d'amusement plus que notable. D'autant que le nombre de pièces de customisation atteint des hauteurs convaincantes. Un titre correct donc, mais loin de ses aînés.

Rivals is on a par with its older console cousins in the number of options available in this respect, which lets the player achieve a very unique appearance for his or her stable of vehicles. It's a lot of fun to tinker around with body kits, paint jobs, and rims; this is what really distinguishes Rivals from the current roster of racing games on the PSP.

Need for Speed Underground Rivals is hurt by the lack of any substantial underground flavor and is wounded by weak customization and no online play. In spite of this, its deep single-player content should absolutely satisfy your need for speed, especially if all your rivals own copies.

"Rivals" é uma boa opção para quem não consegue largar da "Underground" e precisa ficar longe do console. Mas quem está esperando uma tradução literal do mais recente game pode ficar bastante decepcionado - vale lembrar, esse é apenas um título de lançamento.

On the PSP, you have "Ridge Racer," that's really all you need to know. This console port almost seems unnecessary. This is a game (and series) that will appeal to people and it's easy to see why. They have the home console versions though, and there's no need to play here.

Just the same, there’s something almost absurd about paying for a game that inundates you with a constant stream of ads. While this might have helped belay development costs, the marketing attack on the player here takes away from the actual gameplay. When you do focus on the game itself, you find a great driving engine held back by otherwise mediocre game design. It’s far from terrible, but Underground 2 is definitely not cruising at the head of the pack.