Need for Speed Underground has a little something for just about every gamer to enjoy. Race fans will love the heart pounding races, while car fanatics will love to tinker around with the various car parts. Some gamers will only play this occasionally, and others can play it for hours on end. Me? I’m the type of person who understands cars about as much as Dick Cheney understands Dave Chappelle. I do however love to tinker with the look of my virtual ride. Right now I have a Mitsubishi Lance with blue windows, and a bitchin’ red paint job. Above all else, I enjoy the customisation options of NFSU and wish that more games would allow you to place your personal touch on the feel of the game.
When NFSU 2 was announced it surprised exactly no one. The original is one of the only racing games to cross every platform, and it sold very well as a result. Coming later this year, many elements of the original have been improved, and others refined to perfection. Other improvements are so huge; other racing games are going to be playing catch up for years.
One of the biggest additions is the change of how the races begin. In the first game races were broken up into static events, separated by a menu system. This time around EA has recognized the two catchphrases in modern game developing; free-roaming, and emergent gameplay. In the context of which the game unfolds, these two things can mean a freedom previously unheard of in any racing game to date.
For example, after buying your first car you realise you need some cash to upgrade the exhaust manifold. In real life, this is where you pick up the extra shifts at McDonalds, and hope the boss doesn’t try to promote you. In NFSU 2 gaining money is as easy as winning a couple of races. Since you are new on the scene of underground racing, you must seek out some existing racers and challenge them. Driving around the completely open city, you see a fully decked out car waiting at a stoplight. You pull up beside him and flash your lights and honk your horn. The other driver yells the finishing point, and the race begins. Win, and you make some money; lose and it might cost you everything.
Everything from events, to tips on where to find new car parts are discovered by the player. Nothing is spoon-fed to you, so you can explore as much, or as little of the game as you want. Races can pop up whenever, and you can earn the big bucks, and the nicer cars only by finding the most exclusive ones. If this hasn’t excited you, you’re probably on some sort of medication.
The city is wide open and time passes in a realistic fashion. The sun will set, blinding drivers without tinted windows, and other weather effects will make sure players plan for any possibility. Creating your car has to account for anything that can happen, from rain to road construction.
The tuning in the last game, from what I’ve been told, was too simplistic. Frankly, any more difficult and I’d have been completely lost. I didn’t even know what hood scoops were before playing NFSU. This time around EA has promised that the mechanics will be much more in depth and true to life, while still keeping the game accessible to geeks like me. Hundreds of new parts will be available, and can now be bought and adjusted separately, though I imagine the packages from the last game will still be in store. Everything from suspension to exhaust systems can be tinkered with.
The cars themselves number in the 30’s, and with so many different parts no gamer should have the same exact ride as the next. So far it has been announced that Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen have licensed their cars for use in the game. Maybe if Hyundai is included I can use the same Elantra station wagon I have in real life!
The last game had some basic races, but nothing to extravagant. For the sequel (pun alert) EA has pulled out all the stops and added several new events to the mix. The biggest gameplay addition is the inclusion of online play. Take your pimped out car online and show off the new decals you unlocked, while beating the snot out of your opponents. The number of racers per game hasn’t yet been announced, nor has what modes will be available. Check the news updates for this information when it becomes available.
Finally, we get to my favorite part of the series, the customization options. Promising more than twice the number of visual upgrades than before, it goes to reason that this will be one of the most complete customizable features ever. I am still hoping for custom interiors, so I can show off my fuzzy dice online. I doubt these options will make it into NFSU2, but everything else will. “Audio upgrades, scissor doors, spoilers, headlights, side skirts, roof scoops, hoods, rims, wide body kits, neon and more,” is what is promised by EA. I understand about half of that, but even that is enough to get me excited.
Once again this game will be across every available platform, and is sure to sell more copies than the Bible, when it is released in November. Fans of racing games have a lot on their plates this holiday season, but be sure to check this one out. MD
