Need for Speed Underground: The Most Challenging and Rewarding Races in the Game

Need for Speed Underground: A Review of the Classic Racing Game

If you are a fan of racing games, chances are you have played or heard of Need for Speed Underground, one of the most popular and influential titles in the genre. Released in 2003 by Electronic Arts, Need for Speed Underground revolutionized the racing scene with its immersive gameplay, stunning graphics, and catchy soundtrack. In this article, I will review the game and explain why it is a classic that deserves your attention.

Introduction

What is Need for Speed Underground?

Need for Speed Underground is a racing video game and the seventh installment in the Need for Speed series. It was developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It is available for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, and Arcade platforms.

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The game focuses on the underground street racing culture, featuring cars from the import scene rather than exotic sports cars. The game offers a career mode with a storyline, a garage mode where you can customize your car with various performance and visual upgrades, and online multiplayer support for up to four players.

Why is it a classic game?

Need for Speed Underground is a classic game because it was one of the first games to capture the essence of the street racing culture, inspired by movies like The Fast and the Furious. The game introduced many innovations to the racing genre, such as a dynamic weather system, a realistic physics engine, a diverse urban environment, and a rich soundtrack featuring hip-hop, rock, and electronic music.

The game also received critical acclaim from critics and gamers alike, who praised its gameplay, graphics, sound, and replay value. The game sold over 15 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling games in the Need for Speed series.

Gameplay and Features

Racing Modes and Events

The game offers four main racing modes: Circuit, Sprint, Drag, and Drift. Circuit races are lap-based races on closed tracks, Sprint races are point-to-point races on open roads, Drag races are straight-line races on highways or city streets, and Drift races are based on sliding your car around corners to earn points.

The game also features several unique racing and mission-based events, such as Knockout (where the last racer in each lap is eliminated), Lap Knockout (where the last racer after a certain number of laps is eliminated), Time Trial (where you have to beat a set time), Outrun (where you have to overtake another racer and stay ahead for a certain distance), Tournament (where you compete in a series of races), Underground Racing League (where you race against professional drivers), DVD Covers (where you have to win races with certain conditions to appear on magazine covers), Sponsorship Deals (where you have to complete challenges from various sponsors to earn money), and Car Specialties Shop (where you can unlock new parts and upgrades for your car).

Car Customization and Performance

The game features 20 licensed cars from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi Motors, Subaru, Toyota, Honda/Acura, Nissan, Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mazda, Hyundai, Dodge, Pontiac, Toyota Supra ,and many more. You can customize your car with hundreds of options from major aftermarket parts manufacturers such as AEM Inc., Audiobahn., Bilstein, Dazz Motorsport, DC Sports, Eibach Enkei, GReddy Performance Products Inc., HKS, Holley, Injen, Jackson Racing, MOMO, Neuspeed, Nitrous Express, NOS, O.Z, PIAA, Skunk2 Racing, Sparco, StreetGlow, Turbonetics Inc., and more.

You can modify your car's performance by upgrading its engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, tires, nitrous oxide, turbocharger, supercharger, weight reduction, and ECU. You can also tune your car's settings such as gear ratios, tire pressure, ride height, camber angle, and nitrous duration.

You can also change your car's appearance by applying various paint colors, vinyls, decals, spoilers, hoods, roof scoops, side skirts, bumpers, headlights, taillights, exhaust tips, neon lights, window tints, spinners, and hydraulics. You can also choose from different styles of wheels and tires.

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Story and Characters

The game's story mode follows the protagonist (a nameless street racer) who arrives in Olympic City to compete in the underground racing scene. The protagonist meets Samantha (voiced by Kelly Brook), a mechanic and a friend of Eddie (voiced by David Palffy), the leader of the Eastsiders crew and the reigning champion of the city. Samantha helps the protagonist get started in the racing scene and introduces him to other racers and crews.

The protagonist soon rises through the ranks and challenges Eddie for the title of the best racer in the city. Along the way, he encounters various rivals and enemies such as Melissa (voiced by Brooke Burke), Eddie's girlfriend and a skilled racer; Kurt (voiced by Michael Benyaer), a cocky and arrogant racer who works for a mysterious sponsor; TJ (voiced by Bill Bellamy), a friendly but shady racer who offers the protagonist various deals; and The Mystery Driver (voiced by Ja Rule), a mysterious and powerful racer who seems to have a connection to Eddie.

The game's story mode consists of 111 races and events that are divided into five stages. Each stage has a different theme and difficulty level. The game also features several cutscenes that advance the plot and show the interactions between the characters.

Graphics and Sound

Visual Style and Effects

The game's graphics are impressive for its time, featuring detailed car models, realistic lighting and shadows, dynamic weather effects, and smooth animations. The game also uses motion blur, lens flare, reflection mapping, and particle effects to create a sense of speed and immersion.

The game's environment is based on a fictional version of Los Angeles, featuring various locations such as downtown, industrial areas, suburbs, hills, highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, stadiums, and docks. The game also features a day-night cycle that affects the visibility and atmosphere of the races.

Music and Voice Acting

The game's soundtrack is one of its most praised aspects. It features 26 licensed songs from various genres such as hip-hop, rock, electronic, metal, and rap. Some of the artists featured in the soundtrack are Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins, Rob Zombie, Rancid, Queens of the Stone Age, Crystal Method, Overseer, Junkie XL, Fluke, BT, Paul van Dyk, Petey Pablo, Mystikal, Nate Dogg, Xzibit, Snoop Dogg feat. The Doors, Fuel, Lostprophets, Static-X, Element Eighty, Asian Dub Foundation, Hotwire, Story of the Year, T.I.^ , and Terror Squad.

The game's voice acting is also well-done, featuring celebrities such as Kelly Brook, David Palffy, Brooke Burke, Bill Bellamy, Michael Benyaer, and Ja Rule. The voice actors deliver their lines with emotion and personality, adding to the realism and drama of the story.

Reception and Legacy

Critical and Commercial Success

The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay, graphics, sound, and replay value. The game has an average score of 85% on Metacritic and 86% on GameRankings. Some of the publications that gave the game high scores are IGN (9.1/10), GameSpot (8.7/10), Game Informer (9/10), and Eurogamer (9/10).

The game was also a commercial success, selling over 15 million copies worldwide and becoming one of the best-selling games in the Need for Speed serie