Need for Speed: Underground 2

I downloaded Need For Speed: Underground 2 on the PCSX2 emulator to give it a shot again. I played it so long ago on the PS2 but barely. I decided to try it again and I'm absolutely in love with it. Amazing car selection, beautiful open-world and amazing sound design. I will admit that the drag races and the drift races can be a pain sometimes, but that's cause I'm not much of a fan of drifting and the drag courses can be irritating with the traffic, mostly the one on the freeway. The game is quite long, I'll admit. But I think it's a fantastic game and it's my favorite of the series.

ugh this is such a weird one. nfsu2 is a logical next step for the series, with the first open world nfs game. nfsu2 has so many strengths and is definitely an essential ps2/xbox whatever classic, and has aged incredibly well both graphically and in the gameplay feel, but other than the addition of an open world there isn't really much that nfsu2 does better than the OG underground. the arcadey driving style is definitely still here and feels sufficiently weighty to make crashes punishing enough and going full speeds feel exhilarating, but the driving ultimately feels a bit less punchy than the OG. I understand this kind of had to be done to facilitate the open world (otherwise it definitely would've felt clunky) but i think this is one of the step downs in the sequel. and I love the variety that comes from drifts, circuits, sprints and street x races, but URLs and drag races (the latter existing in the first game too) are so played out and just not particularly suited to this game. especially the URLs at the airport god fuck those turns and the boring visuals there.

credit where credit is due, the open world here is honestly fantastic and the world design is actually fucking great. I love the variety in the different sections of the city: jackson hill with its long windy canyon roads (nfs carbon ideas here), coal harbor east's tight turns and industrial areas to speed through, coal harbor west's dirt track and multiple paths, the gorgeous lights of the main city and the highway that you can speed round and obscene speeds. and for their first foray into open world, the nfs guys did a good job of not making it empty. unlike the modern ubisoft tickbox open world we've come to be familiar with, the old stripped down open world is super refreshing, mostly acting as a select screen for you to cruise around before going into a race or a shop, it's nice not to be bombarded with side quests and tasks. it's super fun zooming around looking for bright lights leading to a new shop, and slowly becoming familiar with the city's landmarks and shortcuts. I see a lot of people complaining about the open world being too gimmicky or unnecessary, but i couldn't disagree more. the open world IS the game. if you don't fw cruising around you can just go to the garage and do most of the races without needing to drive to them, and also this game probably just isn't for you. it was a major selling point back then and i think still holds up nicely today.

the customisation in this game is really great too. the choice of body mods, carbon fibre, hydraulics, spinners, wheels, paint, neon, cars and even trunk audio (????) is insane and maybe one of the best in any racing game i've played. it's super expressive and i love how the cars genuinely feel really different. the progression in unlocking new cars is really exciting too. but of course it's nfsu2 so there's obviously a caveat. the fact that actual career progression is tied to your visual rating is very silly. i understand it's sort of a product of it's time where tuners were popular so the more obscene mods you have on the car the better, but it doesn't allow for great use of the incredibly expressive customisation.

however there are a fair number of short falls here. like i say, this game is not suited for long track racing, and the drag races have always been so mid and unresponsive (at least for me). and because there are so damn many races, it just becomes frustrating. especially when you're on the last stretch of a 5 lap 10 minute race and a car just rubber bands past you at the last second causing you to have to restart (if you're not first in this game, you may as well be last).

all in all i think this is a really good ps2 classic and 100% would recommend if you can look past the more archaic mechanics and game design.

Its pretty ironic that a game from a series called Need for Speed delivers a title in which the racing is pretty slow paced for the most part. That and the unresponsive car handling are two of my major gripes with this title. The AI opponents offer a fair fight, but its generally an easy game to beat. Just not nearly as satisfying as it should be.

The visuals are a bit too blurry, and the soundtrack is clearly made for a teenage audience i no longer feel part of.

Being an open world racer does have its pros, like the freedom of exploring the city at your own pace. But its badly implemented. The way that the race events pop to continue the story is a bit broken in the sense that it can leave the player with no visible events to go to. The car costumization is a nice touch though.

All in all its a pretty mediocre game. 2005 Most Wanted remains the top game from an otherwise quite mediocre racing series.