Need For Speed Underground 2 DS
_The first two attempts at racing games on the DS namely Asphalt Urban GT and Ridge Racer did not' exactly do much to install confidence in the genre for this system. That is why as much as I enjoyed Need For Speed Underground 2 on the bigger systems I approached this handheld version with caution. I would love to say that my fears were unfounded but this game actually continues the losing streak that the DS is slowly accumulating in regards to racing games.
Unlike the bigger versions this one does not bother with a storyline. Instead, you get to choose one of two starter cars and can then go "Underground" to win races and build up points. The points are spent on upgrading your car so you can win more races and points. You can try your luck at three different race types. "Circuit" has all the usual lap based races where it is you against the clock or three other racers. "Drag" racing requires you to shift gears, avoid the traffic and reach the finish line first in a straight point-to-point race. To simulate extra speed the screen shakes continually in this mode. Then there is the "Own The Zone" mode which is basically the same as circuit except the track is divided into zones and the racer with the fastest average time for the zone "owns" it. The goal is to own more zones than your opponent by the time the race is over. There are also a few reflex based mini-games that make use of the touch screen but these are so simple they are barely worth mentioning. There is a lot of content here and the game might even have been enjoyable had it not been for some glaring issues. First up, the visuals does not look too bad in static screenshots and if you squent you might even mistake them for something running on a PSone. While in motion, things unfortunately take a turn for the worse. All the races take place at night but even that is not enough to mask the horrendous pop-up. It does however mask the obstacles that are blending into the road and background very well. I am not so sure that grey concrete barriers on a grey road were such a good idea. The rubberband AI racers will also ensure that once you crash your chances for victory is pretty much zero. The touch screen is used almost exclusively for displaying a map of the track and here you will be able to see how the competition that you have almost lapped will suddenly race around the map at the speed of light in order to catch up. Worst of all however is the controls. Past attempts at using the touch screen to control a car has not worked out too well so thankfully this game has not even attempted this. Instead, you use the d-pad, which results in horrible car handling to say the least. You might be able to get used to it eventually but it always remains cumbersome and imprecise. While you take no damage from crashing, your car will bounce and spin around for a bit, which is usually all it takes for you to lose the race. Combine this with the sparse but annoying civilian traffic that serve no other purpose other than being mobile obstacles and you will need the patience of a saint to actually complete this game. Since your progress is just measured in percentages, it soon becomes a chore. Even the audio is disappointing. I can live without the licensed tracks but when they are simply replaced by what sounds like MIDI noise played through a tin can it does not do the image of the game any good. Sometimes the engine noises from the cars drown out the repetitive beats but you are not always that lucky. Then there is the horrible dobbler effect that all passing cars produce. It becomes annoying very quickly and even worse when you crash into them and they come to a standstill the effect does not stop. All of this ensures that your finger will be reaching for the volume slider very quickly. The game is not without its merits and there has been some effort put into it to prevent it from being just another cheap port. The ability to customize the artwork for your car using the stylus and touch screen is a cool feature that is somewhat wasted on this game. There is also a wireless multiplayer mode, which is a lot more fun than racing against the AI, but it is still marred by the poor controls. In the end, it is hard to recommend this game to anyone. Its portable nature is not enough reason to overlook all the flaws so if you have never experienced the title you are much better off doing so on PC or consoles. If you are stuck with only a DS and have a yearning for a good racing game, you will definitely be kicking yourself for not getting a PSP instead. The next DS racing game that comes along has its work cut out as I am seriously starting to doubt if the system will ever produce one that is halfway decent. |
TAGS: Need For Speed Underground 2,
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