Need for Speed Underground 2 Editor's Review

EA deliver a sequel with pulse quickening races let down by too much aimless driving in between.

Few would argue that Need for Speed Underground was an exhilarating addition to the Need for Speed franchise. Focussing on the shady import tuner scene, the arcade style racer impressed with its diverse tracks, graphics and customisation features. While the racing in Need for Speed Underground 2 still provides enough thrills for race fans, the long stretches of non-competitive driving that comes from having a new large open city to burn rubber around detracts from the overall experience.

Need for Speed Underground 2 was developed in a period when open gaming worlds became all the rage. While some gamers will initially enjoy having the freedom to drive around searching for races to compete in, they will soon wish they could just skip straight to the races without the lull in action between them caused by the sheer scale of the city. The story that unfolds during career mode also slows things down with too many cut scenes.

The graphics and visual effects look good, but collisions are rather poorly modelled. Car customisation remains a strong point in the game and the sheer range of race types, which include drag racing, outrun races, circuit races and the underground racing league, will keep gamers engaged for some time. It is just a shame that the balance between the high octane racing and the periods of free roaming wasn’t given more consideration in development.

Pro's: The races remain pulse quickening fun and the different race modes and customisation options ensure some longevity.

Con's: A big open game world works wonders for some games, but actually slows the overall pace of Need for Speed Underground 2 down too much.

Conclusion: When racing gamers will get a lot out of Need for Speed Underground 2 and it is certainly worth a test drive. However, the rather unnecessary stretches of road between the races needlessly reduce the overall enjoyment to be gained from the game.