Games
Sony
Microsoft
Nintendo
Other Platforms
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
59
Adventures To Go!
xx
AFL Challenge
48
Alien Havoc
xx
Armored Core 3 Portable
64
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
60
Astro Boy: The Video Game
81
Beaterator
xx
Ben 10: Alien Force - Vilgax Attacks
61
Blood Bowl
69
Bloons
xx
Brainpipe
xx
Brave: A Warrior's Tale
62
BreakQuest
xx
Bubble Trubble
xx
Cars Race-O-Rama
xx
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
56
DiRT 2
84
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days
79
Dissidia Final Fantasy
xx
Echoes
68
F1 2009
72
Fate/Unlimited Codes
79
Fieldrunners
83
FIFA Soccer 10
75
Football Manager Handheld 2010
67
Fortix
40
Funky Punch
xx
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
xx
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
74
Gran Turismo
91
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
85
Half-Minute Hero
xx
Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show
58
Hero of Sparta
xx
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
80
Invizimals
73
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
xx
James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
82
Kahoots
72
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble
xx
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
88
LittleBigPlanet
74
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
xx
Madden NFL 10
xx
Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2
52
Marvel Super Hero Squad
xx
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
79
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
xx
MX vs. ATV Reflex
69
Mytran Wars
60
Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising
69
NBA 10: The Inside
xx
NBA 2K10
64
NBA Live 10
69
Need for Speed SHIFT
65
Obscure: The Aftermath
80
Pinball Fantasies
86
PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe
xx
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
xx
Puzzle Scape Mini
xx
Rugby League Challenge
xx
Secret Saturdays: Beasts of The 5th Sun, The
78
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
xx
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
80
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
xx
SpongeBob's Truth or Square
62
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
xx
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
xx
StateShift
53
Strikers 1945 Plus Portable
xx
Sudoku
xx
Tekken 6
84
Tetris
xx
Thexder NEO
64
Undead Knights
65
Vempire
56
Warriors Orochi 2
xx
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
xx
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 4
xx
Zombie Tycoon
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.
Need for Speed Underground Rivals
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 36 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 25 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >
Game Info
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Canada - Team Fusion
Genre(s): Racing, Driving
Players: 2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: March 15, 2005
Summary
Customize and take on the pinnacle Japanese & American tuner cars in a pursuit of total ownership of the street racing scene. A uniquely designed racing game based on the legacy of the hugely successful Underground series. All New Tracks & Environments – Compete against your rivals in 10 all new & visually distinct tracks. Each one has been specially designed to maximize the experience on the handheld platform. Japanese Customs vs. American Muscle Cars – Customize and compete against a host of high performance tuner cars from Japan and America. Take on these rivals and find out who's best. Head-to-Head Rivalry – Take on friends and foes in a range of new modes specifically designed for use via Wi-Fi. It’s multiplayer gaming in which you earn respect and own the competition. New Ways to Go Underground – Brand new game modes that capitalize on the cutting-edge hardware features of the PSP handheld videogame system and deliver a highly competitive game play experience. [Electronic Arts]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Need for Speed Most Wanted
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
Also On The Web: 1UP Preview GameSpy Preview IGN Hands-On Official Website
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...
Detroit Free Press
The racing here is just flat-out fun, with growling engines, jumps and shortcuts that allow you to smash through fences. But there are thoughtful additions, including Party Play.
Read Full Review >Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
NFSUR's down 'n' dirty street racing complements "Ridge Racer's" arcadey day-glo driving perfectly. [GamesMaster]
Read Full Review >BonusStage
It doesn’t play quite as well as the two other racing big guns, but it’s easily just as entertaining and probably has the strongest lasting appeal.
Read Full Review >Play.tm
With the PSP's powerful graphics processor, the images in the game look stunning throughout and playing with this gadget really does feel like taking your PS2 with you on the move.
Read Full Review >Next Level Gaming
After all of gaming sessions with NFSU Rivals, I always found myself going back to "Ridge Racers." Rivals’ controls could use a little bit of work along with how the cars look.
Read Full Review >Worth Playing
The gameplay, cars, and tracks are new and offer a fresh take on an awesome series.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
As complete a package as one could hope for. [May 2005, p.132]
Game Over Online
While Rivals isn’t a perfect racing game, it does manage to fulfill that adrenaline rush that speed junkies crave on a regular basis. With plenty of game modes and tons of upgrades, players will have lots of replayability in their hands.
Read Full Review >GameZone
Sure it doesn’t control as well as "Ridge Racer" but this is a portable version of the Underground game minus the empty exploration or a story.
Read Full Review >1UP
The PSP's analog nub also works well here with just the right balance of sensitivity and full range of motion, from tiny course-correcting nudges to hand over fist power-sliding.
Read Full Review >GamePro
The big feature missing, which also made Underground innovative, is the ability to draft other cars. Without it, Rivals is just another racing game. Additionally, the Drift mode, which was addictively fun on the consoles, is now water downed to a flat, frustrating way of trying to skid your car in an unfashionable manner.
Read Full Review >Yahoo! Games
Features the same aesthetic and attitude as its renowned predecessors but lacks some of their soul. On the plus side, the game is a heck of a lot better suited to mobile gaming.
Read Full Review >GamerFeed
It runs into setbacks with its graphics and controls that make it a distant second-place choice behind the superior competition.
Read Full Review >GameBiz
Fans of the Need for Speed Underground series will feel right at home with Rivals.
Read Full Review >IGN
NFSU Rivals gets back to the basics, but I miss the intuitive performance tuning of "NFUS2," the analog stick is disappointingly implemented, and the AI isn't elastic enough... I'll be sticking with "Ridge Racer."
Read Full Review >PSX Extreme
Overall, the graphics in Rivals do justice to the Underground faceplate. All of the signature visual touches are present, including the dark settings, the lighting effects, the blurring, the flaring, and so on. Likewise, the sense of speed is exhilarating.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
It gets rid of the overblown, big-city atmosphere of the recent console release and puts the focus on getting into races--the best part of the series--very quickly.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
For a game called Rivals, I expected a little more personality...you know, maybe some actual characters or confrontations. [May 2005, p.94]
Game Chronicles
The unreliable framerate, quirky controls and “rigged” A.I. certainly detract from what this game could have been, but I have to admit I did have a lot of fun.
Read Full Review >Play Magazine
Four-player head-to-head is a gas too. [May 2005, p.70]
PALGN
Rivals comes in second place to Ridge Racer, but it does offer something different; plus, this game will definitely please those who like to modify their vehicles.
Read Full Review >Sydney Morning Herald
While not PSP's best driving game, Rivals is an entertaining street racer that offers quick thrills.
Read Full Review >AceGamez
I just can't help feeling that there are better racers out there however, which offer better controls, better graphics and simply better gameplay.
Read Full Review >Computer and Video Games
The simple tracks and handling might not be all that far removed from NFSU 2, but it's still a game that seems better suited to PSP. If you're after more than the pure thrill of breakneck speed, get this over "Ridge Racer." [PSW]
Read Full Review >Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
It's a good game, but its depth just won't appeal to everyone. [May 2005, p.108]
GameSpy
It's just a shame that the multiplayer options weren't fleshed out further, as playing this with seven other guys online would have probably resulted in a much more attractive package.
Read Full Review >Weekly Famitsu
7 / 7 / 7 / 7 - 28 [Vol. 846]
Gamestyle
A major control issue is the analogue stick, which is almost on a par with the diabolical handling of "Daytona USA 2001." Driving with the stick puts you at an immediate disadvantage, because you have no qualifiable range of movement - the stick needs to be pushed fully to extract any response, and even then it's never subtle enough.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
[It's] hurt by the lack of any substantial underground flavor and is wounded by weak customization and no online play.
Read Full Review >Gaming Age
I hope that if EA follows this up, they continue the same engine effort, yet fix that blasted A.I. and add some depth.
Read Full Review >PSM Magazine
The controls are pretty twitchy, regardless if you use the D-pad or the analog stick. [May 2005, p.80]
Operation Sports
The racing itself is more or less pedestrian, and when the rest of the game shows this much depth, to see it lacking in the main portion of game play can't help but disappoint some players. [*Note: original score posted by Operation Sports as 3/5 = 60. Current score on their redesigned site is inaccurate.]
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
Maybe the shoddy controls won't even bother you. Alternatively, if you're willing to use the d-pad, Rivals is a decent game that has an interesting mix of car customisation, skill-based driving and reasonable speed.
Read Full Review >Pelaaja (Finland)
The PSP’s version of the Underground series is quite bland. The racing is fun in small doses and hunting for new parts for the cars is still quite entertaining. However the racing doesn’t give you the adrenaline rush it should. The Need for speed is not satisfied. [Sept 2005, p 60]
G4 TV
It just fails to reach the bar set by the best racers on the system, not to mention it doesn't come close to enjoying the level of polish or fun present in the console iterations of Underground.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jeffrey L. gave it a10:
i love the customization, the overall underground feel, would be nice with storyline.
David G. gave it a10:
Played this and Ridge Racer. I found Ridge Racer to be sterile, and boring. Racing through the city, with delivery trucks and other cars sharing the road, adds so much to NFS. Overall, a much more enjoyable experience. The mini games (drift attack, drag, etc) add some diversionary fun to the game as well.
Rafael C. gave it a7:
This game is OVERATED! its a good racing game, but there are better RGs on the PSP, Wipeout, for example, and better Overall Games, Lumines for another example. So stop calling it the best PSP game, cause its not true.
Sam T. gave it an8:
great fun and feeling of speed. problem: only @8 tracks and they get old quickly....
joko p. gave it a9:
GOOD!!!
Bob J. gave it a10:
Best game so far so fun u can play it over and over again sick game i would recomend it to anyone who likes racers.
Sam T. gave it a9:
This is probably the best game for the PSP so far. There is a great selection of hot cars including imports and American muscle cars which are beautifully displayed bu the game's great graphics and sound. Plenty of races and has lots of replay value. The Drift mode is the only flaw, which should have been more like the console game's version of the Drift mode.
