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Need for Speed Underground 2

EMAIL PRINT pc

7.6 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 31 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 40 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Black Box

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 6

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: November 9, 2004

Summary

Need for Speed Underground 2 challenges gamers to immerse themselves in the tuner culture, exploring an expansive, free-roaming city divided into five distinct neighborhoods. Gamers encounter rival racers who initiate events, tip players off to the hottest racing spots, and show them where to buy the most sought-after licensed aftermarket upgrades. The game features new game modes, deep new performance customization and tuning, and more than 30 licensed cars. The game also delivers twice the visual customization upgrades as the original game, providing a staggering 70 billion possible car combinations for total automotive self-expression. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Need for Speed Most Wanted Need for Speed Underground

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Games Domain Preview GameSpot Preview GameSpy Preview IGN Preview Official Game Site

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Gamers Depot

A fantastic driving game. It has style, variety and a solid ride with hours of action driving like a freaking maniac on the streets of Bay View.

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Australian GamePro

Everything "NFSU" was and more. Racing is now more realistic and the freedom to cruise the city and choose your events is an awesome improvement.

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ActionTrip

It's simply a fantastic sequel to an already good game.

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IGN

An impressive, and more importantly, fun game that overcomes its faults with depth, breadth, and variety.

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Gaming Age

NFS Underground 2 does one more thing exceptionally well; give the gamer plenty of bang for their buck. If 8 different game play modes wasn’t enough; Circuit, Drag, Drift, Sprint, Street X, Downhill Drift, Outrun, and Underground Racing League, you have a story mode that will give gamers over 40 hours of racing joy.

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GameZone

Does everything that the first one did except bigger and better!

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AceGamez

This has quickly become my favourite and most often played game - and considering my statement a few months back that "I don't play driving games," that alone should tell you all you need to know about this outstanding racer.

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Computer Gaming World

Ranks among the most entertaining games I've played in a while. [Apr 2005, p.85]

GameSpy

EA's latest in the fledgeling spin-off series is another solid entry, even if it's not quite as polished as its predecessor.

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Total Video Games

Its immense thrills and spills through the open-ended city of Bayview is exhilarating, and the culture that is emerging is created in the game to great effect.

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Yahoo! Games

The world is elaborate, the sense of speed is dizzying, and the customization could cost you a job or a girlfriend. But you'll still have Brooke to keep you company.

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Computer Games Online RO

One of the best arcade racing games ever. The quantity and quality of the options available to you, the level design and the freedom of movement, the cars and their handling through traffic, the details, all these make NFS: U2 a winner.

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PC Gamer

If EA can work in some car damage, a hard-core physics option, and some proper cockpit views for the next chapter, this franchise will leap into a league of its own. [Feb 2005, p.54]

3DAvenue

A worthy addition to the series, providing a much more interesting nonlinear style of play. The only major problem that seems to surface is the fact you will need to devote quite some time and mental energy to complete this game, and often the gameplay just gets too stale in the time needed to even complete just a few races in one sitting.

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1UP

The most important factor, outweighing most of its problems, is the intelligent layout. It's just about the right size, big enough to be varied and small enough to keep things close together, and packs in about all the different types of terrain you'd like.

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Computer and Video Games

For an arcade game, it's even surprisingly playable with a steering wheel, with near misses causing no small amount of amateurish flinching. If you can't afford to attach largely pointless gadgets to your otherwise moribund vehicle, this is the next best thing. [PC Zone]

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My Gamer

In a gaming season plagued by same-old-same-old sequels, Need for Speed Underground 2 is a rare title that changes up the formula and still manages to stay fun. When you combine its lasting pick up appeal with a surprisingly well thought out campaign mode, you have a racing game that provides depth without sacrificing the over the top action of an arcade game.

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PC Format

The fact that there's sod-all to do in the city apart from racing and upgrading means that it soon becomes little more than a glorified menu screen; the chance to pull a burnout in front of a crowd would make it more involving. [Christmas 2004, p.106]

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Times Online

The courses in this game are just as much the stars as the cars. The dazzling downtown locations are massive, dominated by skyscrapers whose light bathes the streets in a radiant glow.

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Game Power Australia

The cars sound great, and have more of an individual roar than they did in the first game, which racing aficionados will no doubt appreciate.

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Play.tm

Naturally the pimping side of things have been expanded to a maddeningly complete degree.

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Sydney Morning Herald

The original NFSU's city was a little repetitive, but now IT'S broken up into five distinct neighbourhoods, each is suitably spectacular. Most of the time you fly through these districts so quickly that everything becomes one big neon blur, but it's worth slowing down to soak up the sights.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

On the whole we admire what NFSU2 has brought to the table in terms of customisations and we’re even swayed by the glitzy graphics and excellent audio. It’s just a shame that the racing isn’t quite as exciting.

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Game Revolution

Does a pretty good job capturing the tuner scene with fast races and flashy cars. However, some lingering A.I. issues and the excessive time it takes just to get where you need to go keeps this ride from shifting to fifth.

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GameSpot

Almost everything that has been added to this year's game detracts from the overall experience. Once you're in and racing and customizing your cars, it's a lot of fun, but there are too many obstacles standing between you and the best parts of the game.

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eToychest

But strip away the culture it’s trying so very hard to win over and there’s a game that’s been hastily, and sparsely, updated, and was beaten to death in the womb by "Burnout 3" months ago. Just like 20” rims and a spoiler on a 1984 Volvo, this game may turn heads, but where it counts most it’s a phoney.

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Computer Games Magazine

There's plenty of depth, just not enough twists and turns not involving the streets you're tarring. [March 2005, p.82]

Gamer.tv

Not as much much fun as EA's other recent speed merchant "Burnout 3," but if getting under the hood to tinker with motors is your thing, this could be the one for you.

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G4 TV

There’s something almost absurd about paying for a game that inundates you with a constant stream of ads.

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Edge Magazine

The handling hasn’t evolved and a year on, with the masking novelty of the game’s tuning aspects worn off, it’s disappointingly limited and remote. And despite the increased choice and plot introduction the whole exercise can often feel soulless. [Christmas 2004, p.60]

games(TM)

Unfortunately, the extras and vehicle customisation can’t change the fact that the actual racing feels very average. The tracks seem to be more winding than the last game, which detracts from the feeling of speed, and the handling feels very sloppy when compared to other recent games in the genre. [Christmas 2004, p.117]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dionis B gave it a10:
Seriously, I don't understand how some people think. How can you compare NFSU2 with any other so called ''racing game''. First I dont't even think Burnout should be called a racing game, cause all the game is about is crash you car to the fullest. This game otherwise is terribly good game, just the feel of driving illegal street racing makes you play it more. Good music, damn good graphics for a game made 2004 and the best underground racing game to this day. Prostreet and Carbon was a disapointment but this classic brings you hope back that EA will ''probably'' make an new and better NFS than ever.

Wesley L. gave it a9:
Why does everybody complain, its almost 2007 and the graphics still aren't outdated, I just started playing after a 1 year 'sabatical' and now I'm addicted again, uhm.. anywayz its a good game, lots to do and to tune.

Mike L. gave it a3:
Lame gameplay, lame music, lame presentation. Oh, and the graphics really aren't that good either..

Bryan N. gave it an8:
Right...The Graphics are superb, as long as you have a decent graphic card. There are more graphic options depending on your graphic card. For example with a Radeon 9550, there's the extra 'enhanced contrast" effect and many other options compared to GeForce 4...Lots of modification which make the car look rediculous, or rather cartoonish, unless you have good taste~. tracks are more complicated, which restrict speed. So, whats the point of a racing game?, you should just call it a driving game...However, its a sad thing that there no 'jumping bridges' in NFSU2.

Nick L. gave it a9:
Very good graphics cool parts and a lot more realistic than the first one overall rating for me good.

Henry gave it a0:
Of course this game should get a better rank than the worst 0, BUT compared to for example flatout I cant see what this has to offer. A costly and nice pakage and surface do not create playability. This game dont add anything.

G. D. gave it a10:
THE BEST!!!!

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Need for Speed Underground 2

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