the Need for Speed goes Underground

[Perfect Stu]

July 09, 2003 - EA's Need for Speed franchise has always represented the best of the best. Chances are if you could drive it in NFS, you probably couldn't afford it. You may remember the stunning PlayStation 2 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, developed by Canadian developer Black Box. The team is at it again, this time around developing the latest in the series, Need for Speed Underground, for five different platforms. But it's a whole new game this time around.
Unlike other games in the series this new iteration takes an entirely different approach to the racing genre. Ferrari, Mercedes, Jaguar, Aston Martin are just some marques from previous NFS games --well, they're all gone. They've been replaced with Dodge, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota.

Underground features the tried-and-true car control made popular by game as far back as Ridge Racer on PSOne. As soon as the start girl drops her hands it's on and feels damn good. Shifting, hand braking and using a bit of juice is fun and makes for a highly addictive formula. The handling on most of the vehicles we were able to test felt just right and didn't walk, but swaggered on that thin line between being too simulation and feeling too much like a shallow arcade game.

Playable modes in NSFU are Story, Circuit, Drag and Multiplayer.

Drag racing is just as intense--actually, scratch that. It's about ten times as intense as anything we've ever seen on four wheels. The sheer sense of speed and rush of adrenaline created during the four-on-four drags will remain unchallenged for a long time to come. It's not just a simple blur filter that gets us to wet our pants; it's like you're literally there, waiting to hit the red button and sink into a bucket seat. We're dying to get our arse kicked by three strangers online

We can't begin to express how freakin' amazing this racer looks. Lights shimmer in the distance, mist rolls over trees and reflections of the cityscape bounce off the wet street. Yeah, it's bold, but from what we've seen so far EA might be able to kick a certain PS2 racing off its throne as the undisputed racing champ, at least for eye-candy.

Electronic Arts will release Need for Speed Underground this fall. Originally slated for release in early 2004 we think the game was pushed forward to eliminate a possible head-on collision with a certain giant named Gran Turismo 4. Need for Speed Underground is slated to ship for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC. The game is being developed by EA Black Box. Need for Speed Underground will also feature online play on the PlayStation 2 console and PC.

IGN PS2