Need for Speed: Underground 2 | Nintendo GameCube

Explore the city and build your street racer

Need for Speed: Underground 2 makes building a street racer part of the racing itself. Bayview is an open city divided into five connected neighborhoods, so the career includes time spent driving between opportunities as well as competing in them. Rachel, the racing organizer played by Brooke Burke, guides your rise through the underground scene. You can explore the roads, encounter rival drivers and decide where to head next. The car you bring into that world changes alongside your progress: performance upgrades alter its capabilities, while visual modifications give it a look of your own. Free driving, organized events and customization work together throughout the sequel.

Explore Bayview and build your career

Career mode asks you to learn the city instead of treating it only as a backdrop. SMS messages can reveal hidden races and point you toward special events or unique parts, giving a drive across Bayview a practical purpose. Shops connect exploration to the next round of changes to your vehicle, and meeting a rival can turn an ordinary trip into another race. Magazine and DVD cover events add another reason to work on appearance. Race wins trigger magazine opportunities, while improving a car's visual star rating opens DVD cover events.

Different events, different driving skills

The race types change what successful driving looks like. Circuit events reward a balanced setup for corner exits and straights, while Sprint routes emphasize high-speed progress through traffic and shortcuts. Drag racing emphasizes acceleration and shift timing, while Drift events reward controlled slides with points. Street X challenges braking and cornering on short, tight tracks. Underground Racing League events include Bayview Speedway and airport circuits, and winning URL races unlocks additional cars during Career mode. Downhill Drift expands the drift side of the game. Later career stages require a mixture of regular races, sponsor events, URL victories and DVD covers. Meeting those requirements opens another part of Bayview and more races; the entire city becomes available at the fifth stage.

Change performance and appearance

Customization covers the work beneath the bodywork and the details people see first. Available performance modifications include weight reduction, nitrous oxide, suspension kits and ECU or fuel-system upgrades. Weight reduction improves acceleration and handling, suspension changes focus on handling, and nitrous supplies a temporary speed boost. Visual options include hydraulics, spinner rims and scissor-style doors and hoods. Your car's visual star rating also contributes to progression, giving appearance a role beyond personal preference. Entering events, improving the vehicle and returning to Bayview creates a repeating cycle in which your latest changes can affect what you drive or display next.

Performance tuning extends beyond buying a package. A Dyno Shop run measures horsepower and torque, and you can compare results before and after adjusting ECU or turbo settings. Different setups can suit different race types, giving the garage another role in preparing for the next event.

A soundtrack rooted in tuner culture

EA's soundtrack brings rock, hip hop and techno into that tuner setting. Snoop Dogg's remix with The Doors sits alongside music from artists including Queens of the Stone Age, Mudvayne and Xzibit. The mix connects cruising and competition through music, complementing a game whose cars are both racing tools and expressions of style.

GameCube local play

The GameCube edition supports one-player play and two-player simultaneous competition.