|
 |
Need For Speed Underground 2 - Australian Review (Reviews)09/03/2005 12:23:45
Instead of leeching off the success of the original, EA Games have taken a page from their car modding success, thrown on a fat body kit, decked it out with fully sick sub woofers and pimped up the promising shell that was Need for Speed Underground into a sequel that not only builds upon the greatness of the original but vastly expands its potential. Aptly titled the Need for Speed Underground 2, the game is a massive improvement in every sense. The career mode has had a complete make over, replete with a story line that would rival even the cheesiest B grade car movies, something that the original sorely lacked. You take on the role of a talented and once fiercely respected street racer whose career was tragically cut short after sabotage by a jealous opponent. Six months down the track, you've moved to the beautiful city of Bayview to reclaim your glory and any mean machines that get in your road. You're quickly introduced to Brooke Bourke, swimsuit model and TV presenter from E! Entertainment's "Wild On" who plays Rachel, the sassy and street smart organiser of Bayview city races but essentially serves as eye candy and mentor as you make your way through the gritty urban cityscape. The wide open city of Bayview is separated into five different neighbourhoods that all link to create the larger metropolis. Each neighbourhood is roughly the same size as the complete map of NFSU but no longer are players restricted to only enter what's on offer. Thanks to streaming technology you can now cruise from the CBD to the countryside, from City Core to Beacon Hill without ever encountering a single loading screen. To spice things up a bit more, each section is distinctively different from the rest. From the forgiving wider streets of the City Core to the hilly and snake like roads of Jackson Heights, each area offers its own distinct visual style and driving nuances that logically flow to create a gorgeous and dynamic driving environment.
Unlike the original where players were just required to race on given circuits, you now have the freedom to roam through the living city of Bayview and choose where and what type of races to enter. By winning races, maxing your street cred and gaining coin, you make your way into the infamous Underground Racing League. However, to be eligible for these big money races you have to prove your worth by landing big sponsorship deals (see boxout) in order to support your car modding addiction. Although the non-linear style of play and the huge map may frighten the navigationally challenged, you can rest easy as NFSU2 has implemented a very handy and easily accessible GPS system that even a goldfish could handle. By simply selecting one of the many shop or race icons on your map you activate the GPS arrow pointer that directs you street by street to your next objective. It's just one of many thoughtful additions that makes traversing the expansive city that much easier. Like the first, the biggest draw cards for NFSU2 are the aesthetic and performance modifications. Even more insanely in-depth and flexible than the first, customisation offers twice as many features that will have your head exploding from indecisiveness. You can modify body kits, spoilers, hoods, roof scoops, headlights, tail lights, rims, exhaust pipes and more. In addition to this you can also pimp out your ride with engine accents, put spinners on your wheels, have coloured NOS purges, hydraulics and even big ass 12 inch sub woofers and LCD screens that would make even Snoop blush. Finally you have all the engine and performance upgrades your little heart could desire and if you're still left wanting more you have the choice of paint jobs and new vinyls, including but not limited to themes of tears, splash, flames, racing, flags, brands and uniques. It's with these final touches that you can decide whether your car will carry the styled subtlety of a classy Lexus or the tawdry tackiness of a 24k gold beast, the possibilities are endless.
One other big difference to NFSU is that cars now handle more realistically. They feel heavier and are even affected by weather conditions. Although it is still possible to bump your way through the course you'll have difficulty winning races as the intelligible AI are more than capable to punish you for lazy driving. In addition to this NFSU2 has taken a huge step forward in making it possible to fine tune all aspects of your car, from brake bias and drive train power to turbo distribution and shock stiffness so players can tweak and save profiles suited to all the different types of street races. This will no doubt please car enthusiasts and is integral to gameplay in the later stages when you're up against half speeding-bullet half automobile street machines. In essence, NFSU2 is an awesome sequel and a worthy addition to any gamer's library. Instead of resting on their laurels, EA have taken a good idea and made it great. From the patented blur effect when hitting your NOS, to the slow mo bullet-time crashes, the car modifications, the sprawling cityscape and the luscious Brooke Bourke, the game is simply stunning and is sure to extend beyond fans of the genre to those who don't usually indulge in racers.
Score = 9.5/10
|