Need for Speed Underground 2 is an open world racing game. It was released in 2004 and I first played it when I was ten years old so it's also among my first memorable gaming experiences. We played it together with my little brother, our father and his mother's partner so it connected family and gained a special place in all of our hearts. We would gather around a computer and pass around the controller taking turns. Arcade style handling and the freedom of open world make the game easy to pick up and fun to play for all ages. Opponents aren't too difficult but provide balanced challenge punishing from mistakes and only sometimes completely flying past on the finish line keeping races casual but interesting.
As racing games often, Underground 2 has very shallow story. Six months prior you were unbeatable at illegal street racing going from victory to victory but after a car crash and moving to a new city named Bayview you have to start from nothing to gain reputation and unlock better tuning parts and new cars. Story telling is done with comic book style cutscenes with in-game text messages and voice calls. Unlocking faster cars, better tuning parts and new map areas provide a sense of progression and eases the player in and by letting to drive Rachel's much faster car for a little while in the beginning gives a taste of what is to be expected later before choosing your first own car with insurance money from the car crash. As reputation is gained vehicles can also be chosen free of charge with signing contracts.
Underground 2 was very advanced at the time as it was one of the first open world racing games and the graphics were stunning at the time. The next game in series, Need for Speed Most Wanted, would further develop the concept adding for example police chases but lacks the atmosphere of Underground 2 and didn't have such a big personal impact which is why I didn't choose that one. In Underground 2 it's nighttime and combined with the bright lights, very energetic soundtrack and shiny cars the vibe is unmatched and truly memorable to this date. Traffic in the game is not excessive but provides additional challenge and excitement while you drive 200km/h on the oncoming lane and trigger the cinematic slow motion on crash. The locations around Bayview are distinctive enough and the city doesn't feel too empty. The player is encouraged to explore as there's money drops laying around and shops and some races are hidden from the map. Informational pickups are also scattered around and picking them up provides minor cash rewards with gameplay hints.
There's a great variety of different events: in addition to regular sprint and circuit races taking place around the city the game also has longer multi race championships on track known as the Underground Racing League, tight streetx courses, drift races both on track and in traffic and drag races where you need to change gears at the right time. Over revving and collisions in drag races breaks your car leading to an automatic loss. SUV class races can only be taken in one of the very few SUVs which feel very out of place. DVD covers have no barriers unlike the other races and the player needs to reach the marked location within a time limit while choosing the route carefully or utilising the GPS navigator feature. Other drivers can be challenged to out runs in free roam to have a tag like experience with the AI. The car also has a star rating representing its visual appearance which is improved with various body parts, stereo systems and vinyls. Improving the star rating is necessary to unlock magazine photo opportunities and DVD covers to progress through the game but forces to build an overtly tuner themed car that some, me included, consider ugly and unnecessary while fitting the overall theme of the game. My brother on the other hand loved building his dream car. All the elements are balanced and the transitions feel natural as after a race the player needs to drive to the next activity which is also a great opportunity to explore the city and visit the various stores.
After all these years playing Need for Speed Underground 2 for a refresher made the time fly and several hours passed with ease. Some of that is admittedly childhood memories and emotions but no other game has been able to replicate the atmosphere and tie everything together as well. Even the modern instalments in the series feel clunky and uninspiring in comparison managing to barely entertain for couple of races.
Lauren Toivanen
2026-04-14