Anyone who's watched ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ and thought “Someone should make a game of this!” need look no further than Need for Speed Underground (NFSU).
The player is thrust into the underground world of street racing and exotic car modding. Starting off with a stock car (there are plenty of liscensed cars to choose from throughout the game), the player competes in various styles of races to earn cash and unlock rewards.
Car modification is the game's focus, and it pulls this off surprisingly well. Players need to progress through the games career mode to unlock performance and visual upgrades. Making your car ‘your own’ is a huge part of NFSU and this is what drives you (pun intended) to get through the career mode and unlock cooler and more powerful mods. Spoilers, hoods, headlights, body kits, neons, rims, window tints, decals, vinyls… it's all here, along with many levels of performance upgrades which you will certainly need in later races.
Technically the game is quite impressive. The graphics fit the game very well. At high speeds lights and surroundings will start to “blur” past you, creating a fantastic feeling of speed. Hitting the NOS results a very cool ‘warp speed’ effect. Also, all cars feel realistic and natural to control.
However, there are some glaring downsides to the game. For example, there is no ‘cockpit’ or hood view. Another example is the distinct lack of reply feature – it just isn't there, and you can't help but ask “Why?” These exclusions make the game feel like it was a bit rushed to the shelf.
All in all a great racing game for those who want something different to the norm and who are interested in adding a bit creativity and uniqueness to their cars.