The Burrow

Racing games were, at a time, a dime a dozen. Everywhere you looked, there was another. Test Drive, Crusin’ USA, Gran Turismo, Sega Rally, the list could really go on forever. A household name among them was Need for Speed. Now, I must confess some ignorance when it comes to this series, as my affiliation with it really started with Need for Speed: Underground, though I had rented or otherwise played the other games with friends before that. Futhermore, in my mind these were console games, but that could not have been further from the truth. No, as it turns out every major Need for Speed title was developed for PC alongside the console counter parts. This was great news as my copy of the second Underground game has long since been lost, though I still own a copy of the first on PS2. This presented an opportunity for a little exploration. I checked around the internet and learned that EA no longer sells Underground 2 in any digital stores, nor do they really sell anything older than the 2015 soft reboot. Luckily the internet is a big place so I was still able to find a way to play. And play I did, I would say I am about halfway through Underground 2 as of writing this, and I have hopped back to Underground and, even further than that, Hot Pursuit 2. Having spent a considerable amount of time now with each of these games, I have come away with a newfound appreciation for the series and Blackbox, the developer of each. I have decided to write about the three in the order that I revisited them, the first being Underground 2. So lets put the petal to the metal.

Underground 2 was a game I got at launch when it came to PlayStation 2 in 2004; it was one of the rare pre-Christmas games I got. I was stoked, tore open the box, and poured over the manual under the street lights as we passed them on the way home. Underground was a zeitgeist game in my little hometown. All the guys were talking about it, having been introduced to street racing culture through The Fast and Furious a few years before. Yes, Underground was one that was passed around and borrowed by many of my friends. This game took things to the next level, new cars, a new city (open world this time), and a great soundtrack. No, I knew I didn’t need a review; I didn’t need someone else to scope it out, I knew this was one I wanted, and I had to have it.

Like its predecessor, it opens up after a little cutscene and puts you in a fully tricked-out ride. You have been told you are moving and meeting a friend of a friend, and they must be a good one as they are letting you drive their car. The voice over the radio tells you to come to her garage, but of course you don’t. On your way there, you may encounter races represented by neon-colored floating icons, you can participate, and the characters will comment that you aren’t normally driving this car. This gives you a great introduction to the city and immediately communicates to the player that this is a different game than what you got a year earlier, which largely just presented its events in a linear order. Once you eventually make it to the garage, you are given the opportunity to pick from a small selection of cars and then set loose properly on a perpetual night.

As I mentioned before Underground presented its events in it’s career mode in a linear order. The sequel leaves it up to you, pull up the GPS and pick a color. All of the game’s events are color-coded and range from circuits to drag to drift and sprint. All the staples are here, and I think it speaks to the talent at Blackbox that they were really able to hit on all cylinders, especially only a year after the first game. Clearly influenced by other open-world projects and a need to emulate the freedom of Grand Theft Auto, a free-roam concept was a natural evolution. But the fact that they could nail it so well, and establish a formula that persisted for so long in open-world racing games is credit to the developer. There is a reason that the game achieved its legendary status, and it was well earned.

Often, there is discussion surrounding the death of what is known as the arcade racer. In many ways, it is true. There was a staggering amount games in the arcade racing genre and they have nearly all vanished. While this game certainly belongs among those with that label, upon revisiting it, I was surprised to find that the driving model was really competent. Though the game does not have a damage model to speak of, handling the indiviual cars feels rightand varied. Beyond that, there is a fairly sophisticated set of tuning tools available at your disposal in any of the performance garages with options to tune for each of the game’s events. As you customize the look of your rides, you gradually unlock more and more options in the tuning menu based on what you have done.

More than any other element of the game, the art direction is the most impressive to me. We are nearly 20 years removed from Underground 2’s launch, and it still bleeds charm. The neon-lined streets, the visual look of the cars, and the perpetual damp roads that reflect the city. It comes together in such a cohesive way and amplifies the ultimate street racing fantasy. Hitting your NoS blurs the city and adds trails to your tail lights. Completing races and finding new stores when new parts of the city open up unlock new upgrades for your ride. This is all made more impressive when you consider that this was Blackbox’s second outing with this style of game and they put it together in a year’s time.

There is a reason people look back to this game with reverence. It harkens back to a time and place for many of us but is not driven by nostalgia alone. Underground 2 laid a foundation that many modern open-world racing games are still standing on. Its driving model is fast and competent. Its visual makeup is consistent and complete. My main criticisms lie with a problem that every game in the racing genre carries with them. Rubber banding and racing AI. Yes, the cars you are racing seem quite oblivious to you and your position on the road. Often pitting you into a spin-out or pushing you into the wall. Many times, a close race came down to a loss simply because the car in second position clipped my rear fender, and we both became locked to each other with me in a perpendicular position to them. But even this cannot detract from a steller experience. No Underground 2 is a keystone in the series and in the greater pantheon of racing games. It wears its legendary status well, and there is no question that it has earned it.