It’s no surprise if you have already guessed which iconic street racing classic I am about to discuss. Despite being nearly two decades old, the legendary Need For Speed: Underground 2 isn’t just a video game — it’s something that completely transformed the overall street racing genre. Back then, with limited resources and game development techniques, EA managed to deliver something so unique that even they have struggled to recreate anything similar.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the series is no longer the same; in fact, according to rumours, it may have come to an end. While the flashy new Need for Speed games, such as Need for Speed Unbound and Need for Speed Heat, attempt to continue the legacy, nothing comes close to this 2004 classic, as it didn’t follow a trend; it created one.
Customization Made Every Ride Feel Personal
The biggest highlight of Need for Speed: Underground 2 is, of course, the in-depth customization. No matter what you had in mind, whether it’s Paul Walker’s 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R or something creative out of your imagination, the game offered you a vast variety of customization options to carve a design bumper to bumper identical to your fantasy.
For a car nerd like me, it was nothing short of revolutionary. Being able to slap on different types of hoods, bumpers, side skirts, vinyls, plus car specialty items such as underglow neons, hydraulics, and even sound systems — it was like watching an episode of the famous Pimp My Ride! This isn’t it; the in-depth customization wasn’t limited to just the aesthetics of a car; the game also focused heavily on performance.
Every performance part made a difference in your vehicle’s sound, speed, and handling, significantly impacting the quality of gameplay and overall immersion. Pulling up to a performance shop allowed you to make changes under the hood, including air intakes, turbochargers, and camshafts, all from authentic manufacturers such as Greddy or HKS.
Additionally, there was a performance dyno to check how many horses your ride was making, plus the ability to create clever tunes, and a separate race track to test progress. These features were way ahead of their time, and still are, as such attention to detail remains absent from modern racing games.
Open-World Exploration Brought Street Racing To Life
An open-world experience with your highly personalized ride? The next biggest highlight remains the dark yet lively map of the game, the Bayview, which brought authentic street racing vibes to our tube TV screens.
It was like Tokyo Xtreme Racer, no cops, just you and your car, roaming around on long straights. The map wasn’t limited to just this; you had cash stacks hidden on random spots, hidden events, DVD cover shoots, and the ability to drive to each event, which added more meaning to the overall street racing concept.
Its Style And Soundtrack Still Define The Era
Need for Speed: Underground 2 is the closest thing to time travel, allowing you to revisit the early 2000s street racing culture. The sheer atmosphere it showcased, similar to a Fast and Furious movie, captured a distinct style that remains timeless. Every race start and chequered flag had NPCs celebrating or booing, and to make the experience even more authentic, EA introduced some banging soundtracks in the game.
From Snoop Dogg’s famous Riders on the Storm playing as soon as you hit enter on the title screen to crazy metal music playing in the background from Static-X as you floor your maxed out Honda Civic. This mix of hip-hop and electronic tracks not only amplified the adrenaline rush but also succeeded in delivering the authentic street racing vibes that modern games often struggle to achieve.
NFS Underground 2 defined an entire generation, which is why I keep coming back to it. As someone who is constantly on the hunt to find his next favourite street racing game, I still haven’t found anything that makes me feel the same way. With its customisation options offering almost infinite combinations, a lively open-world environment, and a Y2K soundtrack list, this game was something special, and all racing fans should revisit it at least once.
