Need for Speed: Underground 2
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| Need for Speed: Underground 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | EA Black Box |
| Publisher(s) | EA Games |
| Series | Need for Speed |
| Latest version | 1.2 (2005-03-10) |
| Release date(s) |  November 15, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) |  CERO: B (12+)
 USK: 6+ (vollversion) |
| Platform(s) | Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA, NDS, Mobile |
| Media | CD, DVD, GCN Game Disc, GBA Cartridge, NDS Game Card |
Need for Speed: Underground 2 (NFSU2) is a multiplatform racing video game published and developed by Electronic Arts. Released in 2004, it is the sequel to Need for Speed: Underground, and is part of the Need for Speed series, available on GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and PC. It was developed by EA Black Box.
The game is based around tuning cars for street races, resuming the Need for Speed: Underground storyline. Need for Speed: Underground 2 provides several new features, such as a broader customization, new methods of selecting races, the "cruising" mode (just driving around freely, similar to Grand Theft Auto, in a large city known as "Bayview"), and selecting race "beacons". Underground 2 also introduces several SUVs, which could be customized as extensively as other Underground 2 vehicles and used to race against other SUV racers. Brooke Burke is the voice of Rachel Teller, the person who guides you through the story.
On the Nintendo DS installment, users are able to design custom decals to adorn any vehicle in the game.
The PSP equivalent is Need for Speed: Underground Rivals.
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[edit] Plot
Underground 2 takes place 6 months after the events of Need for Speed: Underground. The prologue begins with the player celebrating his victory over Eddie, in a Nissan Skyline GT-R. He then receives a phone call from a rather ominous personality who offers him a spot on his crew, but "won't take 'no' for an answer." The player races off - despite Samantha's curious calls - to find the guy only to be ambushed by a Hummer H2 that totals his car. The driver makes a call confirming the crash, and the flashback fades out on a tattoo of the Grim Reaper's scythe on the back of the driver's hand...
Fast forward to the present day, where we see the player arriving in Bayview via airplane, with a note from Samantha referring him to her friend Rachel, who will set the player up there. He also has the keys to Rachel's Nissan 350Z, which is waiting for him outside the airport. The player then has the option to complete a few races in the car before inevitably returning it to the car lot, where Rachel will allow him to choose his first car. This car is free, as it was paid for by the player's insurance from his totaled Skyline.
It is then that the player embarks on a quest to become the top racer in Bayview and eventually take down the man who sabotaged his ride in Need For Speed: Underground. The reward for beating the game is all cars and parts. If you beat the game 100% you get Caleb's car.
[edit] Characters
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Rachel | Samantha's best friend and the player's helper or mentor. Rachel will call the player ,via SMS, throughout the game letting the player know about unlocks, upgrades, and racing tips. |
| Caleb | A dangerous street racer who totaled the player's car and leader of the Street Reapers. Caleb controls most of the underground racing in Bayview. |
[edit] Racing modes
In addition to the racing modes included in the previous Underground game (Circuit, Sprint, Drag and Drift races), 4 new variations of races have been provided in Underground 2. One racing mode was dropped, this being the Knockout competitions.
[edit] Circuit
A circuit race is a standard race that involves up to three AI cars driving around a track that loops back to the start line of itself. A circuit race is typically a maximum of four laps and minimum of 2 laps.
[edit] Sprint
A sprint race is just like a circuit race except that the track does not loop back to the start line. It's a race from A to B. It involves a maximum of three AI cars.
[edit] Drift
Drifting is one of the more difficult types of racing in Need for Speed Underground 2. One difference to the drifting mode compared to the original Need for Speed Underground is that you are drifting with the other competitors at the same time. Players race against a maximum of three competitors. You are also required to finish within 30 seconds of the first person to cross the finish line. This is to stop players turning round and getting more points if they are behind the competitors near the end of the race. Points are awarded when the player successfully slide the car and finishes the drift without hitting any walls. Players can earn extra points by; drifting in the areas near the edge of the track, chain-drifting (continuously sliding the car one way then another. Don't go heavy on the brakes, because the faster you go and the more angle on the car you have, the more points you should score. Like the Street X mode in Underground 2, no nitrous oxide is allowed.
[edit] Drag
Drag racing is like sprint racing (racing from point A to point B) but the player is not required to steer the car, except for changing lanes and the player must shift gears themselves. Players race against a maximum of three competitors. In order to master Drag mode, players must employ good timing and reflexes for gear shifting, overtaking, and the use of nitrous oxide boosts, the mode places particular emphasis in monitoring the tachometer during races, which is enlarged and situated on the leftmost portion of the screen. Steering in this mode is simplified to simply allow for lane changes, while the game handles the steering along the lanes, and the player focuses more on maintaining an optimum speed for the car. The Nitrous Oxide meter is enlarged and displayed on the bottom right of the screen. Two conditions will result in the player being forfeited from the race, these are; Accidents - usually with AI cars that aren't in the race or concrete walls, trains etc and Blown Engine - which is a result of the player leaving the rev-meter in the red area for a prolonged time, which causes the engine to overheat.
[edit] Outrun
While cruising around the city, players can challenge other cruising opponents in a one-on-one race. The leader is given the freedom to pick his/her racing route, and must attempt to outrun the opponent and distance itself from him/her to as much as 300 meters (1000 feet) to win. This racing formula is similar to that of Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Wangan Midnight video games, which uses health bars instead of distance to determine the winner. Once a certain amount of victories have been won by player in certain levels, the player is awarded a unique part free of charge by another racer.
[edit] Downhill Drift
Bearing similarities to touge racing and the Initial D anime series, this mode features drifting down a stretch of mountain road (with the addition of traffic) instead of closed circuits. While the standard Drift mode in Need for Speed: Underground 2 place four competitors in one track, Downhill Drift places one player in the track, with the score of the other three opponents already recorded in the scoreboard.
Drift points are obtained similarly; drifting allows players to score points. Players who drift in the outer sides of the road, drift near traffic, drift sideways, or perform chained drift will rack up additional points, while collisions on either the side of the road or traffic during a drift cancels the points collected from the start of the drift.
[edit] Street X
Street X (pronounced Street Cross) involves races against three other opponents on a short and small circuit based on the Drift tracks from Need for Speed: Underground, except these tracks no longer induce excessive drifts. Instead, this mode emphasizes precise braking and gear-shifting in order to obtain shorter lap times and win races. To make this event easier to do, tune your car up with handling performance parts. Like the Drift mode in Underground 2, no nitrous oxide is allowed.
[edit] Underground Racing League (URL)
The URL is a set of tournaments which takes place in a specific set of closed tracks outside city streets, more specifically, on actual racing circuits, or airport runways. URL tournaments typically consist of two or three races, with the player racing against five opponents. At the end of each race, drivers receive a specific amount of points according to their standing in a race. The total score at the end of these races determines the winner of the tournament. In Need for Speed Underground 2 there are up to 200 URL's and the only way to get to 200 you have to get at least 300 rep points on all races in the game
[edit] Online Multiplayer
Need For Speed Underground 2 had online multiplayer capability on PlayStation 2's with broadband connections, and Xbox using Xbox Live. While the online servers for PlayStation 2 are still up, EA has shut down servers for Xbox, making this feature disabled.[citation needed]
[edit] Car list
As in Need for Speed: Underground, Underground 2 continues to offer similar vehicles for purchase and modification, most of which consist of Asian models, with a sizable number of European and American models. In addition, Underground 2 is the only game in the Need for Speed series to date to offer three SUVs as racing vehicles, which may be modified more extensively than their compact counterparts. A total of 29 vehicle models are available, but the PAL version of the game offers an additional two European cars. The vehicles offered in Underground 2 are as followed:
Cars
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SUVs
[edit] Screenshots
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[edit] Places
- City Center (This is the only place available at the beginning of the game).
- Beacon Hill (The 1st place to be unlocked).
- Jackson Heights (The 2nd place to be unlocked. Jackson Heights involves mountainous hills and your only chance to be on top of Bayview).
- Coal Harbour East (The 3rd place to unlock, includes industrial places).
- Coal Harbour West (The last place to be unlocked in Bayview. Has Bayview's nuclear power plant. This area has the most races and rewards to unlock).
[edit] Rewards
- Magazine covers(Mostly unlocked by time trials)
- DVD covers(mostly unlocked by creating a certain amount of stars on your car reputation)
[edit] Soundtrack
- The Doors featuring Snoop Dogg - "Riders On The Storm" (Fredwreck Remix)
- Capone - "I Need Speed"
- Chingy - "I Do"
- Sly Boogy - "That'z My Name"
- Xzibit - "LAX"
- Terror Squad - "Lean Back"*
- Fluke - "Switch/Twitch"
- Christopher Lawrence - "Rush Hour"
- Felix da Housecat - "Rocket Ride" (Soulwax Remix)
- Sin - "Hard EBM"
- FREELAND - "Mind Killer" (Jagz Kooner Remix)
- Paul Van Dyk - "Nothing But You (Cirrus Remix)"
- Sonic Animation - "E-Ville"
- Killing Joke - "The Death & Resurrection Show"
- Rise Against - "Give it All"
- Killradio - "Scavenger"*
- The Bronx - "Notice of Eviction"
- Ministry - "No W"*
- Queens of the Stone Age - "In My Head"*
- Mudvayne - "Determined"*
- Septembre - "I am Weightless"
- Helmet - "Crashing Foreign Cars"
- Cirrus - "Back on a Mission"
- Spiderbait - "Black Betty"
- Skindred - "Nobody"
- Snapcase - "Skeptic"
- Unwritten Law - "The Celebration Song"
- Atmosphere - "The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame"
- *The Song is censored
[edit] Reception and criticism
The game had good sales, selling over 8 million copies,[1] and entering the "best-sellers" of each console (PS2's Greatest Hits, Xbox's Platinum Hits and GameCube's Player's Choice).
Reviews were positive,[2] but many elements were criticized, such as having to drive excessive amounts to get to specific races,[3] bland voice acting[4] and strong product placement for companies with no connection to auto racing, such as integrating the logo for Cingular, an American wireless communications company, into the game's messaging system and displaying it on-screen for much of the gameplay.[5] The GameCube version was also bashed for its unstable frame rate.[6] The hip-hop slang used by the characters (such as calling the money "bank") and the Comic book cut scenes were also criticised.
[edit] See also
- Need for Speed series
- Need for Speed series characters
- Need for Speed: Underground
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Need for Speed: Carbon
[edit] References
- ^ Need for Speed Underground 2 DS Version Ships, Gamershell
- ^ Need for Speed: Underground 2 at Game Rankings
- ^ Review at GameSpot
- ^ Review at IGN
- ^ GameSpot Best and Worst of 2004: Most Despicable Product Placement
- ^ Review at GameSpy
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Need for Speed: Underground 2 at MobyGames
- NFS-Planet
- NFSUnlimited.net Fan site
- Underground 2 at NFSGarage
- Underground 2 Soundtrack
- Car list with pictures
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The Need for Speed • Need for Speed II • V-Rally • Hot Pursuit • High Stakes • V-Rally 2 • Porsche Unleashed • Motor City Online • Hot Pursuit 2 • Underground • Underground 2 • Most Wanted • Carbon |
