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Need for Speed Underground Rivals PSP Review |
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Written by Don Lee
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Sunday, 13 January 2008 |
 Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed franchise has been one of the most
popular racing game franchises. Originating on the PC back in the
1990s, the Need for Speed series has had a number of When EA announced
that they were developing Underground Rivals for the PSP, you know
there were plenty of eager racing fans ready to put the pedal to the
metal.
Now I’ve played most of the releases in the Need for Speed series and have always been impressed with the graphics and level of realism in the game. In Underground Rivals, you are provided with ten tracks and the ability to customize your ride, pit American cars versus Japanese racers and more. The description of the game sounded like another awesome release in the series but now it was time to try this game out for myself.
Strap Yourself In
The Need for Speed game is designed exactly it is named…fast cars for the driving enthusiast in all of us. When you drive a Honda Civic on a daily basis while sitting in southern California traffic, you’re going to have a strong urge to slam on the gas pedal once in a while. That’s what a game like Need for Speed Underground Rivals is for.
Upon starting the game, you’re immediately greeted with fast racing beats and sounds from the excellent soundtrack which features artists such as Snoop Dogg, Ministry, Skindred, Helmut and more). After you create your driver profile, you then get to choose from four cars (VW Golf GTI 2.0, Ford Focus ZX3, Mazda Miata MX-5, Dodge Neon) to serve as your first car. After making your selection, you’re then led to the main menu (Race Now, Quick Play Battle, Circuit Race, Pocket Garage, My Underground, Head to Head, Party Play and EA Games Pocket Trax).
Race Now mode offers you the ability to choose from the ten tracks in the game and race against your opponents. The ten tracks you can choose from are Bayside Run, Dragon’s Mouth, Metro Park, Nexus Loop, Lincoln Connector, Royale Heights, Nexus East, City Limits, Nexus West and Gorge Freeway. Quick Battle Mode offers racers the ability to win a few races and pick up some needed points to upgrade their car or buy a new one. In Circuit Race, you have to either race against the clock or against other opponents. The goal of the race is to cross the finish line first. The Pocket Garage is where you do your dirty work in regard to buying a new car, upgrading your ride or its appearance.
My Underground provides you with the ability to custom configure your personal preferences such as driving style, personal information, camera angle, driving controls and audio selections. You can also monitor your driving stats. Now this was a very cool feature because you can actually keep tabs on how good (or bad) you really are. The Head to Head feature is the game’s multiplayer capability. Challenge other PSP gamers in a race to the finish line. In case you’re not able to find other players in the Head to Head mode, you can then switch to Party Play mode where you can take turns playing against your friends using on PSP.
After you win your race, you can begin to modify your car with the points you earned from the race. After winning three races, you can immediately enter the Pocket Garage and select a new car (you’re going to want one desperately after three races). I traded my VW Golf GTI for a Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. It’s early but I’m on my way to getting the real cars.
The Final Word
After running through the ten courses and crashing too many times to remember, I can still say that Need for Speed Underground Rivals is one of the top racing games even on the PlayStation Portable. The game starts out with some pretty tame cars (a Dodge Neon?), but once you’ve picked up a few wins under your belt you will move on to the real sports cars. Remember that the competition also becomes even better as well.
The computer challengers are pretty tough but the best way to keep winning races is to learn to take the curves tight without catching the walls and to be prepared to unleash your nitrous oxide as you’re closing in on the finish line. The car upgrades that you make are very crucial so you need to choose as the track dictates.
A curvy track will require better tires, suspension and engine for acceleration while a track with more straight driving lanes will require better acceleration to stay ahead of the pack. Keep that in mind as you’re tuning up your car before the race.
Overall, the game’s graphics are very impressive and the controls are a little sensitive but still very manageable. The game is a must buy for all fans of the Need for Speed series. The game is played on a smaller screen but the game doesn’t take a backseat to any other racing game on the PSP. Pick up Need for Speed Underground Rivals and fulfill your driving urge.
You can click HERE to purchase Need for Speed Underground Rivals for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP).
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