As we enter the Top 5 MegaGames of 2004, most of you will have noticed the absence of the world’s biggest publisher. It is common for EA to own half or more of any gaming related Top 10. The company’s first title in the Top 10 comes in at Number 5 and is a sequel to a popular franchise which saw its fortunes rocket last year when it tapped into the street racing culture.
Released November 9, 2004, Need For Speed Underground 2, had a lot to prove if it was to be considered a worthy successor to the original Underground game of 2003. Quite a large number of gamers had their doubts, considering the very short time that EA took to produce this sequel. In fact, it is a surprise that a game that has sold as well as NFSU 2 and which is continuing to top all sorts of sales charts, has only made it to number 5 in a gamer choice chart.
The Need for Speed brand has done wonders for EA, consistently producing massive racing hits for the company. Ever since the early days of Hot Pursuit, when EA had delivered a stunning racing engine, the brand became a surefire hit. It seems the brand name has become so influential that the developers have come to rely too much on it. Although we can understand the possible restrictions involved when licensing cars, the lack of impact damage for example, is a definite loss for the franchise and a feature sorely missed by most gamers.
It’s very tempting to begin battering EA’s new game as a soulless corporate gimmick and a very week attempt to drain the street-cool culture for every last dime. Some might even say that a game based on the illegal street-racing culture featuring more ads than the Shopping Network is not that, Underground. Others may describe as irresponsible the attempt to glorify the entire scene by neglecting to include impact damage and its consequences and in some cases promoting crashing as a useful tool at the driver’s disposal. Although we believe that none of the ills of modern life are a result of any games, it is strange that campaigners focus on Rockstar and other developers but tend to leave EA alone over games such as NFSU. In any case, we will refrain from giving in to such primitive urges and will admit, grudgingly, that NFSU 2 is a fun game.
The take-home message from this EA offering is that sometimes a cheesy attitude, a manufactured setup and a dodgy, downright deceptive and unrefined AI may be what it takes to create an addictive and fun game. NFSU 2 is a game which will frustrate you, have you throwing controllers at walls and even have you trying to reason with your machine but it is also a game which will have you going back to it again and again, much like the classic penny-pinching arcade games of days gone-by. Add to all that the appeal of racing online, including Xbox Live this time, and you can see exactly how and why NFSU 2 is still outselling every other game.
So, having successfully kept criticism at bay we have to admit that NFSU 2, although very similar to the original Underground title, does try to bring something new to the franchise. EA Canada has added a free-roaming (GTA-Style) feature which will see you driving around cities trying to get to races. The feature allows you to familiarize yourself with your surrounding while allowing you to get familiar with the feel of your ride. Unfortunately, after a bit of driving the whole process becomes rather confusing and tedious, especially if you are just starting the game since you need to race for a while before you can get your hands on a decent set of wheels. Once you do though, a whole new world opens up and your choice of extras to spice-up your performance or look is limitless. That has also been the big selling point of the NFSU franchise. Tuner culture, street-cred (or whatever term an elite team of EA managers that has infiltrated the world of illegal racing chooses to use) and RESPECT make NFSU 2 a gamer favorite, despite its numerous, misgivings.
Strangely enough the free-roaming feature in NFSU 2 may have been more successful than most would believe, especially when considering that the majority of gamers who voted for NFSU 2 also voted for GTA:SA.
Voters tended to claim that, …NFSU2 is by far the best racing game to come out this year. Career mode is very fun; all the cars that you would want to “supe” up are there. Some even agreed that it was the arcade feel they best enjoyed, …it’s just what I wanted, a fast paced car racing game with loads of options to upgrade your cars. I liked it for not being like a real driving simulation because I hate those, I like speed, and this game delivers tons of fun because of easy handling and the great speed feel to it.
Some voters however, did claim that it was the fantasy aspect of the game which appealed to them, since driving the cars featured in the game is a dream for most young adults and teenagers: (NFSU)…gave all of us who own a “beater” the chance to imagine what we could do to our cars if we got a new promotion or just outright won the lottery; the new game modes although not favored by this gamer, it did try to expand what the game has done already to win so many gamers and the downhill drift is just phenomenal.
Number 6