Need for Speed Underground 2 tries to
inject a story into your career mode using static-image
cutscenes that pop up before some races. The effect is
similar to what the Max Payne series does with its
noninteractive sequences, though that game pulls it off much
better than Need for Speed Underground 2 does. Dopey story
short, you're sent off to a new town after getting ambushed
by a rival racing crew, and you'll have to start from scratch
with one car and a handful of races to get you going.
The biggest change made by this year's game is that the action now takes place in one large city. You're given free rein to drive around wherever you want, and you'll have to drive to races to drive in them. You'll also have to drive to different parts shops to customize your ride--in fact, you'll have to find most of the game's shops by cruising around the city, looking for the right type of colored lights. The game gives you an onscreen map, but shops don't show up until you've found them, and some races don't actually appear on the map, either.
Need for Speed Underground 2's crashes are
laughably weak. While high-speed collisions with other cars
trigger a slow-motion, cinematic shot of the crash, the game
doesn't model any damage at all. It's like you're watching
two plastic car models bump up against each other,
accompanied by the sounds of an actual car crash. While it
practically goes without saying that modeling damage in a
game with licensed cars is still a tricky proposition, that
fact doesn't make these wrecks look any better. Fortunately,
the game's car customization features somewhat make up for
this lack of visual detail.
While Need for Speed Underground 2 is
attempting to emulate an illegal scene of "underground"
street racing, the game really tries to drive its product
placement down your throat. Things like billboards on the
sides of the roads aren't too bad (though with an ad for a
financial service popping up on some signs, you have to
wonder who EA's target audience for this game is), and the
occasional real-life fast-food joint does its part to make
the city feel a little more realistic. But basing the game's
whole onscreen display around the logo for a cellular phone
service provider crosses the line. Sorry, but there's nothing
"underground" about forcing a bunch of non-car-related
corporate logos on people. The game's hokey dialogue also
adds to the counterfeit feel. The overzealous script is
constantly throwing poorly placed slang at you, having Brooke
Burke use her teleprompter voice to tell you that "you've got
to be racing tight," constantly calling you "dawg," or being
very careful to always call your money "bank."
Need for Speed Underground 2 starts with last year's game as a template and builds from there. Unfortunately, almost everything that has been added to this year's game detracts from the overall experience. Once you're in and racing and customizing your cars, it's a lot of fun, but there are too many obstacles standing between you and the best parts of the game.
