Introduction

The Need for Speed (NFS) game series has been around for years, beginning with the release of the original Need for Speed, which was a collaboration between Road & Track magazine and Electronic Arts (EA).

Since then, the game series has accumulated numerous accolades, along with fans and dissenters along the way. As they will tell you, the NFS game series gives players arcade-style racing with just a touch of simulation. Players who beg realism should look elsewhere.

Back to the present... Need for Speed: Underground 2 (NFSU2) is the sequel to EA's 2003 hit, only this time it sports a more fancy look and feel.

NFSU2 picks up where NFSU left off. You had the time of your life as the star underground racer after beating the bad guys, Eddie and Melissa. But apparently someone decided to unplug the spotlight from you by sabotaging your act - badly.

In NFSU2, you're now back to the racing scene at Bayview, with the help of Rachel - the race lady who Samantha managed to hook you up with.

Rachel

NFSU2's gameplay uses the same formula that made NFSU a hit. Of course, with enhancements. Let's take a look.

Game Modes

This time around, the developers added three new game types to the usual Circuit, Drift, Drag and Sprint modes. The three new additions are URL, Drift-X and Outrun.

URL (Underground Racing League) : Races that run circuit-style on custom-built racetracks.

Drift-X : Races that run circuit-style on drift-tracks, where the racer tries to finish the laps first instead of gathering points with fancy drifts.

Outrun : Probably the most enjoyable race in the game. It's a one-on-one, no-holds-barred race within the city. (More details later)

Aside from that, Drift races now include downhill drift (à la Initial-D). The downhill drift races basically run on a stretch of winding road with the racers attempting drifts at curves. As usual, the racer with highest points wins.