...
This has worked for me in the past, games such as Halo, Half Life (PC) and Theme Park World were all purchased under similar circumstances and didn't disappoint, but what about Need For Speed Underground 2 (NFSU2) on the Xbox?
THE PLOT:
The single player game is the most important ... Read review
Advantages: Superb and involving single player mode, excellent gameplay Disadvantages: Can get too hard in places, multi-player could be better...
...didn't disappoint, but what about Need For Speed Underground 2 (NFSU2) on the Xbox?
THE PLOT:
The single player game is the most important part of any game for me. There are loads of things you can do when you have 4 of your mates around, but for the price you pay for games these days, a game that will keep you enthralled when you're on your own is all important.
This is a car racing game. We've ... ...top and earn respect, you need to win races and win them well. Here are the various races you will need to participate in, if you can get to them:
DRIFT:
The track is oiled and the corners are slippery - you dont get points for finishing first, you get points for 'drifting' around corners faster and longer. An interesting change to a straight forward race.
CIRCUIT:
The standard race format, a circuit is ... more
I got this game cheap, I admit it. I paid £7.99 second hand from Game. I only bought it because of the reputation of the name, I'd heard very little about it other than it was a car game that you can play a lot, and some people swear by.
This has worked for me in the past, games such as Halo, Half Life (PC) and Theme Park World were all purchased under similar circumstances and didn't disappoint, but what about Need For Speed Underground 2 (NFSU2) on the Xbox?
THE PLOT:
The single player game is the most important part of any game for me. There are loads of things you can do when you have 4 of your mates around, but for the price you pay for games these days, a game that will keep you enthralled when you're on your own is all important.
This is a car racing game. We've seen car racing games in the past and they are very good.... for a while. You get flashy looking graphics, tracks that move brilliantly in the background and in some cases, you get extra detail. But they soon wear off, the tracks are the same and there is nowhere left to go. So how do you get around this problem? You create a plot....
The plot in NFSU2 is quite simple really. You start as a 'newbie' in town, wanting to get on the racing circuit as a boy racer, do your car up and earn respect. But there are twists, do you soup up your car to get the magazine covers and the rep, or do you make it perform better than a Ferrari and roar around the streets at top speed.
Whichever you choose, you will have to get from race to race. This is a good part of the game as it breaks up the races. You can also have several cars, meaning you can chop and change to suit the task at hand. Further, you get to chose from several race types, from Drift to Drag, Circuit to Sprint, but more about those later. Your eventual aim is to be the most respected underground circuit racer in the world....
THE GAMEPLAY:
The game operates like most racing games n the XBox, you pull the right trigger to accelerate and the left to brake. You also get the option to use a handbrake whilst using the left analogue stick to steer.
The controls handle quite easily and the buttons are all in places that are easy to reach when needed, no fumbling about with your hand trying to stretch your thumb to that crucial split second timing brake button....
But beyond the basic controls, this game offers an immense variety of 'tricks'. We've all seen cars sliding around corners at break neck speed, but the trick here is that the car will handle differently based on your car, the angle you go into the corner, the timing of your break and the timing of the acceleration out of the corner. This means cornering becomes almost an art-form. There is no right or wrong... but several ways of achieving the same goal.
The game modes themselves are also superb, and very involving. There is always another target to go for, another race to reach or another goal to achieve. This improves the gameplay no end and leaves you wondering whats going on at 3am in the morning.
THE GRAPHICS:
The car graphics are fairly well rendered. You can tell the models apart and they move well. There is also very little 'pop-up' in the backgrounds, which always helps on a console that never warrants it.
But the graphics in this game take on their own when you start to upgrade your cars... Put on a new tail-light, you'll see it change on the car. Fancy a new wing mirror or bumper, it changes the look of your car. This means you can actually tailor your car to make it look really good - on screen!
In this way, the graphics are superb and enable the game to step to a new level above its rivals.
CAREER MODE:
I mentioned the career mode earlier, but here's a full breakdown, if you've had enough by now, skip this section....
In career mode you will start at the bottom and work your way up. You'll be greeted by a mini tutorial mode which lets you learn how to navigate using the road map, and then you're on your own.
GARAGES:
The garages are the first most important thing to get to. Here is where you buy your cars, upgrade them to make them faster/handle better, or paint them to make them look better.
The downside is that you can only do one thing in each garage. So one garage allows you to buy parts to soup up the car, another allows you to buy parts to make it look better and the spray shops allow you to paint the car. This adds to the game in many ways, because until you stumble across a garage, it won't be lit on your map... happy hunting @:-)
THE RACES:
To get to the top and earn respect, you need to win races and win them well. Here are the various races you will need to participate in, if you can get to them:
DRIFT: The track is oiled and the corners are slippery - you dont get points for finishing first, you get points for 'drifting' around corners faster and longer. An interesting change to a straight forward race.
CIRCUIT: The standard race format, a circuit is made around the roads and you do laps... first over the line wins.
SPRINT: A race that goes from start to finish, no repetition. First over the line wins.
DRAG: Fast and furious, a straight line race from start to finish. The controls change and you press to change gears rather than accelerate or break.
URL: Generally circuit races that only open when you earn enough respect, harder oponents but winning will open new parts to the map.
THE EXTRAS:
The racing itself is involved, and throughout the game you are constantly unlocking new car parts or upgrades which keeps you going, even if you're not a petrolhead.
But further to that, you will get 'side missions'. The best of these is the magazine covers. As you improve the look of your car, putting on neon lights and putting in coloured nitro boost, you will be offered the chance to 'race' to a magazine shoot. Here you get a time limit to get to a place on the map. Get there and you can while away a few minutes getting your car just right before taking your picture... then you apear on a magazine cover. Gratifying.
Should this not be enough for you, you can pass cars on the map and 'challenge' them to a race. Basically, you have to get in front of them and lose them, not so easy to do. Get 1000ft in front of them to lose them and earn extra parts for your car that can't be bought in the shops, along with the all important prize money.
MULTI-PLAYER:
I've played this briefly online, but found it rather fiddly and annoying getting into the right type of races etc... In the multi-player mode at home you can still have a good laugh, but the problem is that you lose the best part of the game. It's the missions that keep you going, take that away and its the same as any other racing game, even if you're friends are there. A bit disappointing really.
SUMMARY:
At the price I bought it, it was a guaranteed bargain and still gets play even now, and I've had it a good few months. The kids also like it, and the Mrs (who hates anything to do with cars) found it rather engrossing as well. Even at the retail price of £20, this is worth getting and one that comes highly recommended by me.
Advantages: flash cars Disadvantages: too easy!!!!
Need for speed underground 2
Recently EA appear to have gone all-out in showing their support for chavness by releasing not one, but two very "bling bling" titles in the space of a couple of months. These are, of course, the violent and brutal Def Jam: FFNY and the super-cool Need For Speed Underground 2.
With NFS:U2, EA have managed to create a brand new direction for the tired old racing genre to speed off towards, a direction that could arguably ... ...year old metro, so you'll need to start earning some cash. And that's when it hits you. Amongst all the brilliance and innovation of the car modding feature, it soon becomes clear that NFS:U2 is, at the heart of its racing, a fairly run-of-the-mill driving game. In fact, the racing takes back seat behind the modding, but then, shouldn't the actual driving be the most entertaining part of a driving game? Having said that, the drag and drift (especially ...
mattsant10 10.05.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Need for Speed Underground 2 (Xbox)
Advantages: fully customable cars - from rims to stereo components, A full city explore , challenging gameplay Disadvantages: Repetitive in areas, comical crashes,
Need for Speed Underground 2 is a vast improvement on the last installment. Ever since the 1st game, gamers have been going crazy in customising their 'dream' car, from putting over the top spoilers and crazy vinyls on to the crome rims and that little extra 'va va voom' in the engine/
NFSU 2 takes what the first game had and adds even more to the selection - just take a look:
Hydraulics
Stereo components
Different styles of speedometers
Neon ... ...main game. Once again you need to work your way up the Underground racing ladder, winning various races, achieving Cash to spend on modding your ride. In NFSU2 you start in a full city in which later areas can be opened up as you progress through the game.
At first its pretty confusing on how the navigation system works on guiding you around the huge city but soon you get used to it. Special shops around the city are located by glowing lights - ...
Hardy132k 01.03.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Need for Speed Underground 2 (Xbox)
Advantages: Ability To Modify Cars Disadvantages: None
Need For Speed Underground 2
Introduction Welcome to Bay view, your destination in Need For Speed Underground 2. In Bay view, the underground is thriving. With over 125 miles of open road to drive, feast on an almost limitless array of choices. Cruise the freeways for races, comb city streets for secret hotspots or get modded with the latest gear at one of Bay views numerous car shops. Customise your car with hundreds of accessories and after market ... ...visual customisation modifications available in need for speed underground 2 to make your ride look good over and under the hood. New cars are nice in the showroom but theirs plenty of room for improvement once they hit the streets. Make your car your own through a thorough customisation process. A vast array of customisations is available to your ride, if you've got the cash that is. Visual Star Rating
Your car can contribute to your visual star ...
Peter-Hedger 16.12.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Need for Speed Underground 2 (Xbox)
Advantages: Mass variety of cars, races and modifications. Disadvantages: Playing for long (and i mean long) periods of time can become a little repetative.
Where can i start? NFSU2 in my opinion is one of the best racing games i have ever played! It uses so many features that other racing games dont. I was pretty impressed when i foudn that you have to drive around to find races, or you can play the normal career game as a free run, as it is up to you when you want to enter races. Talking of races, NFSU2 has a great variety of races, these include, circuits, drifting, street X, sprints and drag races! ... ...if you dont like a certain race, you can leave it till last as ther are plenty of others to be getting on with. It also makes the game less repetative and more easy going. Moving onto the cars themselves, NFSU2 offers a huge variety of cars. It uses the standard unlocking process, where the more of the game you complete, the more cars you unlock. But the cars it does offer are well worth the wait. You even get to unlock hummers and 4x4's. With the ...
lukeriley90 12.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Need for Speed Underground 2 (Xbox)
Advantages: an excellent game to play, keeps you amused for hours on end, challenging Disadvantages: price is a bit much as its been out for a while
...lot better than the first need for speed underground game. This game has more of a challenge on finding races in the game and completing sign up bonuses, getting on dvd covers and magazines throughout the game.
I really enjoyed this. There are also different garages that you can drive to in the game which you can update yur car and modify. They have also included a rolling road where you can find the bhp of the car you are racing. I would reccomend ... ...your oponenets out of the way, sprint racing where you have to finish the race in 100% and circuit racing which is normally 3 laps. Since I have started playing the needfor speed most wanted i have realised that need for speed underground 2 is better and easier to play. ...
cozziebird 28.10.2005 (21.01.2006)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Need for Speed Underground 2 (Xbox)
Gameplay/Playability
Graphics
Sound
Value for Money
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Advantages: Brilliant Cars, Great Customization Disadvantages: None!
I have played Under Ground 2 on both ps2 and xbox both are exactly the same the xbox version has only slightly better visuals.
Need for speed2 is a great game as are all the games I review I cant be bothered with the rubbish ones.
In Need for speed2, The game starts as you arrive in a new city your borrowing a car from Rachael a popular face on the under ground racing scene as your a new fish you have to start at the bottom, After completing a race in Rachael's car you have to buy your own, Choices start from a Peugeot 106, a Vauxhall Corsa, a ridiculous Toyota Corolla and a few others, After picking your car its time to win some races after a few wins you will be offered a contract with a sponsor, They pay you up front and offer you a choice of a new car. More and more cars become unlocked as you progress through out the game ...
Advantages: wireless control pads, out of this world graphics, uses windows media centre Disadvantages: lack of games when launched, games are expensive, fan is nosiy
the misnamed Xbox 360. This version includes the Xbox 360 console, but with a premium chrome finish. It also includes a 20 GB hard drive, a single wireless controller, an Xbox Live Headset, a cable that works with most tv's and an Ethernet cable.
The Xbox 360 costs £279. If you add up the cost of the accessories that you get you;ll see that its quite a reasonable price and is the baseline system you should consider. My personal opinion is that every Xbox 360 user should have the hard drive, because of its storage capacity.
Xbox 360 Games
Games such as Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero and Project Gotham Racing 3 all display excellent graphics and real like gameplay. Games like Fifa 2006, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Tiger Woods 2006, NBA Live 2006 and Tony Hawk's underground have been released in the past ...
Advantages: lots of cars , soundtrack Disadvantages: grafics
The Need For Speed : Hot pursuit 2 is a great game you can choose between 25 cars or you can be the cop driving a Lamborgini Diablo :-)
Hot pursuit 2 is a fun game because in Hot Pursuit mode you are racing and cops get behind you and try to put on you a Ticket so they can call for a helicopter that trows bombs to you or call for a roadblock so it is very fun also If you are a "bad Guy" you can be the cop and call for 3 choppers for a car so is extremely fun , after this one EA games realeased Need For SpeedUnderground a racing at nigth ( illegal race) so it is even more fun hope you enjoyed it on GC PS2 and XBOX ...
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