Xbox

Need for Speed Underground

Die einen werden Need for Speed Underground meiden wollen – zu actionlastig, zu unrealistisch und zu grell ist das Spiel für viele. Doch andere werden es genau deswegen lieben. Und ich persönlich freute mich, endlich mal aus einem privat finanzierbaren Auto zumindest spielerisch das zu machen, was man mangels Geld und mangels gesetzlicher Freiräume hier in Deutschland wohl nie schaffen dürfte : Bis zum äussersten getunete pure Power, die auch noch scharf aussieht ... Und im Gegensatz zu seinem Vorgänger Hot Pursuit 2 ist Underground durchdachter und zeugt von einem von vorne bis hinten durchgestyletem Konzept, das begeistert. Zwar fehlt auch hier die Cockpit-Ansicht (ich habe ernsthaft Leute gehört, die das MP3-Radio mit Dot-Matrix-Animation vermissten), allerdings vermisst man diese nicht wirklich, da der Rest des Spiels zu fesseln vermag.

Racing games are like Kryptonite for me. They seem to suck away all my gaming ability until mere scraps of talent remain, leaving me as helpless as a soft, downy kitten. Need For Speed: Underground crushed me like a squirrel on the interstate (wow, I’m all about metaphors today!), but I had a great time as it did.

I believe that 2003 has been a great year for racing games in general. Rockstar's Midnight Club II kicked off the proceedings, and while Nintendo's Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and F-Zero GX are more out-there games, I really think that only Microsoft's Project Gotham 2 has the best chance of being the racing game of the year. NFSU is a fantastic racer for those that want tons of cool customizations and huge single-player challenges, but gamers looking for a more traditional arcade racer might need to approach NFSU with the following in mind -- it's tons of fun, it looks best on Xbox, but the PS2 online portions make Sony's version the overall winner.

If you've ever wondered what if feels like to be an urban legend on your city streets, don't hesitate to drive Underground. The rush will undoubtedly get your adrenaline flowing before you even have time to buckle up.

This is the best arcade racer for the X-box. If you like any type of racing games, from Mario Kart to Gran Turismo, I urge you to buy this game. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

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.

Call it what you will, but fact is fact. If you have a choice on the Xbox, go with PGR2. If you have a PS2 or GameCube, this is a racer you gotta have. If you want to see a couple more videos past these two, head over to our game database page!

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.

I'm not a fan of the abrasive soundtrack either. As usual, EA tried to be "edgy" in their music selection, but most of these tunes are just irritating. I actually turned the music off completely, which I normally don't do. Still, this is a winner. Need For Speed Underground effectively combines the best aspects of other games with first-rate visuals, resulting in a spectacular racing experience.

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.