Need For Speed Underground Rivals Review

Need For Speed Underground Rivals is the first PSP installment of EA's racing series. In NFSUR, you become a street racer in the tuner racing scene. The game features several diiferent game modes including two multiplayer modes: One for adhoc wireless head-to-head, and another called Party Play that allows up to four friends to compete in a turn-based racing format. Three of these game modes are exclusive to the PSP: Drift Attack, Nitrous Run, and Car Spec Race. NFSUR also offers ten all-new circuit tracks, four new street cross layouts, three new drag settings, and four new drift layouts.

Our Impressions:

We here at PSPworld have a love for racing games, so naturally we were stoked to find a variety of them planned for the PSP. Out of the ones that are available now, Need For Speed Underground Rivals seems to be the most expansive. Simply put, there is a lot to be done in this game. All of this content has been correctly handled however, and makes the game easy to pick up and play. Most of the races and events take no longer than ten minutes (if that) to finish, and for a portable system this was a must. The variety of racing modes makes the game a bit more interesting than the average racer. Over the course of playing, Lap Knockout became one of our favorite racing modes. The idea that you have to stay consistent and in contention throughout a race is something that you normally don't experience until the most challenging of races.

Customization is a big part of NFSUR, and the options don't dissappoint. You have a chance to buy 20 different cars, four of which are exclusive to PSP. Despite all these temptations, your first car should last you a long while as you progress through the game earning Upgrade Points. On the subject of Upgrade Points, you use them for performance upgrades only — Visual Upgrades are free, but must be unlocked. All of this customization happens at your Pocket Garage, where you can store and upgrade all your vehicles. The only downside to this is that you can only win a particular race at a particular difficulty setting once, which puts a cap on how many points you can earn to buy upgrades and cars.

Gameplay was fine, with the controls being fairly tight if not quite as tight as we would have liked. The looseness of steering from the analog stick was made considerably more noticable when the sometimes silly car collision physics would rear their ugly head. Rubbing against a wall should not send the car veering across the screen. Traffic is a consideration as well, and because the game's AI seems to like to keep things close, you really need to be careful not to mess up at the end of races. Aside from these minor problems (which may well have been remedied in the final release code), we found little to complain about with gameplay.

Visually the game is very good looking. We didn't find the game to dark, and the feeling of speed conveyed was appropriate and impressive. The tracks were designed in a way that screen draw really doesn't become a problem — you can't drive farther than what you can see before hitting a corner or changing elevation. The car models back in the Pocket Garage could be a little more polished, but again this may have been addressed before the game's code was finalized. In the audio department, the game doesn't dissappoint. The terrific soundtrack (the full soundtrack to NFSUG2 plus 6 new bands) keeps the hyper, upbeat feeling of speed, and you have the ability to customize your playlist via Pocket Trax. The sound effects were also top notch, if not as good as the bigger platform effects.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed Need For Speed Underground Rivals. We wish that the controls had been tightened up and the car physics a little more polished, but that aside the game provides a lot of depth for a mobile platform effort. The ability to hop in and race quickly is essential from a portable standpoint, and this game gets it right.

Review Round-Up:

GameSpot Review: 7.9 (of 10)
" Fans of the Need for Speed Underground series will feel right at home with Rivals. Though a few minor tweaks would have made Rivals a bit better, there's enough fast-paced driving action here to satisfy race fans."

IGN Review: 7.9 (of 10)
" I think removing the story and free-roaming environment we saw in the most recent NFSU games has allowed EA time for all the additional stuff. And that's a good thing."

GameSpy Review: 3 1/2 stars
" If you're a tuner at heart and loved the other NFSU games, then it's certainly worth giving Rivals a shot."

GamePro Review: 4 (of 5)
"Could it be true?! A fast, slick looking racing game that can rival the venerable Ridge Racer? Absolutely."

Aggregate Rating: 7.8 (out of 10)

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