Classic Games Emulated: NFS Underground 2

With the quick release of Underground 2 shortly thereafter, one would be tempted into thinking that this game was simply a expansion pack that had "2" slapped on for marketing reasons. However, this game is quite different already from the first one.

The biggest change compared to the previous games is the incorporation of an open-world city for the driver to discover, a first in the series. Open world driving in 2003-2004 was still a evolving science. GTA III was released only two years prior. Granted, the open-world of Underground 2 was much limited compared to GTA III and Vice City, which were shipping at the time. This leads to the following question; how could the open world be incorporated into a racing game? 

Despite what a casual gamer thinks, open-world driving games and dedicated racing games are not the same thing. Even though their is overlap between the two genres, they are very different beast. With a open-world driving game like GTA, the main roll that the car serves simply as a two is to get from point A to B in one piece without an concrete goal, other than completing the mission. In a dedicated racing game, the main goal is to win the race and be numero uno. Thus, the open-world aspect in Underground 2 is going to serve a different purpose compared to GTA. However, this would lead to interesting take for the gamer.

Because each car is going drive differently due to different engine attributes, the open-world provides the opportunity for the driver to become familiar with their car before taking it out for the race. Exploration is encourage as the driver becomes more familiar with the city and the surrounding area. Thus when the race does start, their is already a familiarity with the streets that will serve to the driver's advantage. The driver can take advantage of shortcuts or sharp corners that would stop others in there tracks. This enhances the racing experience. 

At times though, the open-world aspects can be quite annoying though. Several of the body/parts shops where you need to upgrade your car to level up doesn't show up on the map. Thus, you have to drive around the city for awhile before they're discovered. Once your car gets the various engine and body upgrades, then points are earned that levels your car up before new races appear. As annoying as this can be, it is still worthwhile as you become much more accustomed to the map and the surrounding areas and you get a better feel for the streets. 

Their is a rich selection of cars one can hit the streets with. I started off with the iconic Toyota AE86. Why The Hell Not! This car is awesome. Since then, I progressed to the Nissan 240SX. I just love this car too. These are the cars that should have been in the racing games of the 80's and 90's! As awesome as Ferrari's, Camaro's and  Lamborghini's are; Toyota, Nissan and Honda makes awesome cars too! Cars that beg to be raced as many are unlocked as the game progresses. While their are Ford's and Cadillacs in the game, the vast majority of the cars in Underground 2 are going to be the Japanese makes. Thus, their are are going to be a lot of stunning and iconic cars for one to drive around in.  

Like the last game, Underground 2 makes use of DirectX 9. The game engine itself is largely the same. As such, the tracks and cars still look quite stunning. Not only that, Underground 2 ran very well on my rig within VMware Player. Underground 2 is installed on the same virtual machine that the first game is running on. The guest hardware was running Windows 7 32-bit with 2GB's of RAM allocated along with access to 3D acceleration. While 2GB's of RAM seems paltry by modern standards (which it is), this was a 2004 release. Most computers of that time typically had 512MB's of RAM. 

Their isn't much to say about Underground 2 when it comes to music. Their is a lot of Gangsta Rap and EDM, which was popular at the time. Also, like the previous games that make use of licensed music, it can be turned off. This is blessing for future YouTubers recording gameplay video without being slammed by the copyright trolls.

The Storyline, Plot, and Annoying Dislcaimers

Their isn't that much to say about the story. The plot was expanded in this game as it's brought to you via comic-book style, which brings a quite unique style that is also pleasantly enjoyable. I prefer the cut scenes of Underground 2 over the first game. With that noted, something does have to be brought up. The intro scene that warns the gamer not to repeat what's in the game in real life is quite obnoxious and quite annoying. I can make the safe assumption that anyone who plays Underground knows that it's a video game and not real life, and thus, aren't going to attempt the illegal street racing aspects. I can make the safe assumption that the reason why these silly disclaimers are in these games (their was one in Underground too) is so that EA can release themselves of any potential litigation by issuing the advisory at the start of the game.

This warning is even more obnoxious considering that despite the incorporation of the illegal street racing, Underground 2, like it's predecessor; is actually a quite tame and inoffensive game. This isn't a shock to anyone who is familiar with EA releases. EA makes their games as controversy-free as possible for widest market penetration. Profanity is non-existent in EA-land despite such races in real-life being loaded with off-color language. Because of this, there is a much more heavy reliance on street slang which results in the characters sounding like dopey caricatures while stereotyping the JDM scene. However, this is a minor nitpick as on the whole, the game isn't that annoying with it's plot and cut-scenes make up only a small portion of the whole Underground 2. 

Like in the last game, the story only serves as a cookie-cutter framework to guide you through the races, which again is the main attraction of the game. As such, like in Underground, the plot doesn't take itself seriously and is not that much of a distraction. And again, the execution of the plot via comic book panels is actually quite unique. Why is A-ha's Take On Me playing in my head now.

Product Placements Gone Haywire

Cingular!? Edge!? Old Spice, Burger King!? What the Hell!? You're slammed with it within the first minute as your reminded that game messages are brought to you SMS via Cingular Wireless. You're greeted by ads every other minute. Theirs's Best Buy Stores in the game to remind you that they exist in the digital realm too. I don't even like seeing them in real life! You're constantly greeted by Pontiac billboards too! I don't want this crap in the game. And yes, I don't care about Pontiac's past legacy with awesome cars like the GTO and the Bonneville. Any company that releases an eyesore that is the Aztek shouldn't be allowed to exist, much less advertise, period! (kind of a moot point now as Pontiac brand was retired by GM as a result of the Financial Meltdown/Bailout, thus leaving that company in auto purgatory forever) 

Yes, their was product placement in the first Underground game. However, is was still mostly sparse and wasn't that much of a distraction. Also, the concept of product placement in video games was still relatively new. Unfortunately, Underground 2 got extremely carried away with product placement as one would constantly pass billboards and advertisements of real-world companies on a regular basis. They became a reminder of the real world in a very negative manner. The rapidly growing intrusion of ads quickly ferment the lingering feeling of one being manipulated through marketing while one simply wanted to play the game to escape reality. 

Not to mention that EA was very uncreative and shameless about it. They didn't even attempt to hide their marketing intentions. This is a sharp contrast to a series like GTA where when one encounters a Cluckin Bell, it's funny because it's a parody that reminds us of real life in a funny and creative manner. However, EA, being friendly with their corporate overlords; were never going to stoop to such parody as not wanting to cause potential controversy. This game was going to be as corporate friendly as possible and reach as many as possible so that they could maximize their profits. As much as I enjoy this game, the product placement is very much a strike against it, leaving a sour taste. EA, you're lucky that the gameplay redeems this title greatly because if it wasn't for that, I would be crapping on this game even more. 

Conclusion

Underground 2 has a very rich selection of cars and an open-world city for those cars to take advantage of. The game, for its time, had very awesome graphics along with very solid gameplay which makes Underground 2 a very worthwhile game in the series. In my opinion, this game is even better than the first. Their are flaws. However, the gameplay more than makes up and upholds the NFS name that is attached to it. 

With that noted though, as minor as the flaws are, they are like a ever-growing snowball rolling down the hill. When that snowball starts its journey, it's not noticeable at first. Even when it gets bigger, it can still be overlooked. However, in time, that snowball becomes much larger and can cause serious damage to those in front of it. As solid as the gameplay is, in time and with later titles, the flaws and issues start to overshadow the features. How will Need For Speed uphold itself in the later games? We will see.

EA Black Box (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA_Black_Box

Need for Speed: Underground 2 : Cars (NFS Fandom) : https://nfs.fandom.com/wiki/Need_for_Speed:_Underground_2/Cars

NISSAN 240SX (S13) (NFS Fandom) : https://nfs.fandom.com/wiki/Nissan_240SX_(S13)

TOYOTA COROLLA GT-S (NFS Fandom) : https://nfs.fandom.com/wiki/Toyota_Corolla_GT-S