Need For Speed
Underground
Developed and
Published by Electronic Arts, and released in November of 2003, "Need
For Speed Underground" lets you experience the thrill of fast and furious
racing from the comfort of your home. Developers have certainly
upped the ante making NFS Underground a shining example of how to make
street racing fun!
Starting out you'll select and/or customize your car. Instead of
going with the usual high priced, luxury cars, developers have given us
the choice of the more authentic cars from makers like Dodge, Toyota, and
Nissan. However, before you can begin "customizing" your car, you
will need to win the first few races with an unmodified car while
collecting cash from your wins in order to upgrade. This is not as
easy as it sounds!
During every race you can gain OR lose points for your driving
performance. Ways to gain points include "drifting" or sliding
sideways without hitting the walls, going airborne, and avoiding the
traffic in your way (which you can set in the beginning of the game).
Obviously you will lose points for hitting other cars, walls, obstacles,
and/or failing to clear a jump. After each event, your style points
are added to your total allowing you to unlock new cars and graphics.
There are several events you can participate in: "Circuit" - Where
racers compete in a race from 2 to 7 laps around the city in a looping
course; "Sprint" - The object of this race is as simple as it gets...get
from point A to point B, FAST; "Drift" - This area is where you can
achieve massive style points by sliding around corners (obviously the most
challenging area of the game as the walls come up quickly and stopping
isn't that easy!); "Drag" - Self-explanatory, this is easily the most fun
area. Compete against 3 other cars in quarter-mile events.
Mastering this area is a challenge...shift your car too early and you
waste power...rev too high and you'll blow your motor!; "Tournament" -
Available in the Underground Mode only, here you will race in multi-race
tournament events. Each race gives you points depending on how you
finish.
NFS Underground is a challenging and fast paced game requiring you to be
dedicated and achieve skill and style points! Making smart choices
throughout the game in regards to improvements will ensure your ability to
compete in the latter stages of the game. Budgeting your money is a
must as faster, more enhanced cars become available, so if you've got your
eye on that nitrous-enhanced beauty, spend wisely. Another nice
addition is the ability to trade-in your old car for a new one. You
can swap for a stock model of a different car AND you get to customize a
fresh new hot-rodding machine!
Graphically, NFS Underground is simply amazing! Taking full
advantage of the Xbox, developers have a winner here. The cars are
extremely realistic with crash damage nicely done as well. All races
are performed at night on wet streets and the detail makes the scenes
exceptionally believable. I have to mention the lighting effects in
this game...great! The reflections from the signs, cars, etc. are
awesome! The in-game blur effect is simply outstanding. Being
able to see the graphics in a crisp, clear effect at 150 miles an hour is
way cool!
The sound in this game is pretty damn good too! With over 25 bands
playing a variety of music, the variety is nice. THX-certified...the
soundtrack and sound effects only enhance the visuals in the game. The
car sounds with everything from the revving engine to the turbo whistles
are the best yet in a racing game allowing the game to flow seamlessly!
Overall, I found this game to be extremely challenging, sometimes
downright nerve-racking, but definitely addictive! NFS Underground
definitely delivers. With amazing track designs, an awesome
soundtrack, lots of different cars to choose from and levels of play, you will soon
be feeling the NEED FOR SPEED!
Overall Game Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Official
Xbox Website:
http://www.xbox.com
Where
to find XBox Cheats:
http://www.xboxcheats.com
