Average Customer Review: ( 247 customer reviews )
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Money is never a problem in this game. You always have more than enough to unlock anything you want, because you get money after every race. So, a better way to do this would have been to make everything availible from the start of the game, with higher prices on the performance parts and consistent lower prices on the things you dont need (like decals and vinyl). That way, the player can see what they could potentially be unlocking and work for it, instead of just having it blindly handed to them when they can most definately afford it. But because of the way the customization system was implemented, theres really no point in having money in this game.

My other complaint is with the AI. its not like you're actually racing to gain distance on other cars, ever. its more like you're racing against other cars that will always either be ahead of you, or slightly behind you, and catching up fast. This is especially true in later races, where even if you set the difficulty to easy, cars will catch up quickly, and most likely, pass you. I did an experiment to see how the AI worked, and what i found was kind of dissapointing. In later races, when i would perform almost flawlessly (because i'd had to do the same race about 50 times over and over), another car would always be right behind me, or in front of me. But when i slowed down to the pace of the rest of the group, the AI was more lenient, and waited for me. An advantage to this is that the gameplay always provides tension. But the disadvantage is far greater: having to do a six or seven lap race over and over, possibly doing a single circuit a hundred times, just because you crashed once.

Of course, these are technical flaws, and the game appeals to people at an aesthetically pleasing and fun level, rather than a technical one. its an arcade racer, and it doesn't dissapoint at it's arcadiness. You customize your car because it makes it look better. You race against difficult AI becase nothing beats the thrill of seeing the screen blur all those downtown lights into a complete euphoric mass when you use your nitrous to barely pass up another car, just before the finish line. The graphics are amazing, and are a complete evolution from previous nfs games.

This game has conquered it's niche, with cutscenes and music straight outta the fast & the furious (the drawbridge jumps are a complete rip-off of the second movie's drawbridge scene). And the cars are awesome in that they're actually licensed, and you treat em' like your babies as they go from crap to demi-god machines. And i guess thats what matters most with this game- fun. And you'll have quite a great deal of that, as long as you're willing to put up with a slightly less amount of frustration.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

This game is amazing!!!!Dec 01, 2003
By Will Lewis \m/(-_-)\m/
Okay, here's the bottom line: NFS Underground is the all-around best game I have ever played. The feature that lets you customize the cars is insane. You can earn style points and unlock new parts for your car. The coolest thing I think is the vinyls. You can add up to 4 layers of this stuff, giving your car the ultimate look.
There is also something that makes turning a whole lot easier. It's called Drift. I personally always drove into walls in the other versions of the game. It makes your car turn sideways and slide, making it easier not to hit walls.
Here's one negative: you race in the dark. It's tough at first, but you get used to it. The cars are really cool, but if you don't customize them, they're really not.
The soundtrack is sweet, with Lil' John & Eastside Boyz:"Get Low", Petey Pablo, Mystikal, Rancid, Nate Dogg, Overseer, and many more. I hadn't heard half the songs, but they're really good.
The city enviornment is amazing, making it feel like you're in a different world. The graphics are amazing, and the people in the game are very lifelike.
The Underground mode is magical. You start out with a pretty crappy car selection, but I recommend getting a cheap car and getting upgrades for it. You choose races from a map and it brings you right to the race.
What I like about this game is the style cars and what they look like. I mean, who would race with a Mclaren F1 like they had in NFS 2? I would keep one of those babies locked up in a garage and polish it every day.
I hope this review has helped, and it is a must-have for fans of The Fast and the Furious series.

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Fun for kids that think a Civic is Bad-AssFeb 06, 2004
By hharper1321
First off, before anyone condemns me, I have played this game through twice, all 112 races each time. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss some really cool feature the first time through. I didn't. The graphics for this game are pretty good, but not up to the par of GT3 or the highly anticipated GT4. The driving physics is terrible. The coolest thing about this game is getting into the late stages and hitting nitrous at the top of 6th gear. Nice trippy blurring effect. I'm sure everyone who does 200mph in a Honda Civic through China town feels that way. Thats the worst aspect of this game. Cheap Japanese econoboxes masquerading as "tuner" performance cars! There are a few legit sports cars in the game (Skyline, Supra, 350Z, RX-7, etc), but too many Golf's, Civic's, Focus's and Neon's.... Plus, even though each race is minutely different, they all take place in the same basic area of this city you are in. It gets very old quickly. Drift mode is kinda fun, but again, with the physics. It's just not reality to be able to hold a nice long drift line with a front wheel drive Civic. As for the "customization"! This game is way to heavily skewed to the look, rather than the performance of the cars. I don't understand how i can buy level 3 weight reduction and my performance improves, but then I put on 400lbs worth of wide body kits, spoilers roof scoops and 20" rims, but they don't decrease. And there are some races where I was forced to "mack out" my favorite all black stock rimmed all Level 3 performance Impreza. Looked like stock but ran like stink. But because my Reputation meter wasn't high enough, ie not enough Fiberglass crap all over my car, I couldn't enter. Anyway, if you want a wekend diversion, go rent this game. If you are of the opinion that with the right "mods" and some phat rims, you're Civic will be just as fast as the ones in this game, then this is for you. Myself, I'll put it away and wait for GT4.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Great game!Jun 01, 2005
By H. Walker
Not the most realistic game out there but if you died every time you crashed what fun would racing games be? If you like the idea of modifying cars you'll love this game. You can totally customize your vehicle with a unique bodykit, engine tuneups and nitrus plus unusual decals. This game is all about having fun going fast and trying not to run into the ever annoying traffic. With crazy shortcuts on each track which often involve amazing jumps this is a game that will put a smile on your face.

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