Need for Speed Underground 2

THE GOOD:
Excellent graphics and unique gameplay. Awesome soundtrack. Many real sports cars are featured, and some you might not expect. Good variety of races. Multiplayer mode and Xbox Live support.

THE BAD:
At first, the Career Mode is very frustrating due to your car's limitations, as it unintentionally raises the difficulty level. For some reason it's almost always raining!

SUMMARY:
The sequel to the first Need For Speed Underground is easily one of the most unique racing games I've ever played. First, unlike most other racers, this one takes you head-first into the vast world of underground street racing-a refreshing change of pace from standard racing/driving titles. You can also choose from a nice selection of stock cars and trick them out to make your dream ride, complete with spoilers, new engines, nitro, and even hydraulics to make your ride bounce around hip-hop style! (That's almost funny) The Career mode is really cool, as you try to make a name for yourself on the Underground circuit-there's lots of races to win and plenty to unlock as your skills improve.
The graphics are quite good-the cars show a lot of detail right down to the logos of the car makers on the front. the city and tracks are nicely detailed as well with only a couple of rough edges here & there. Also, it seems to rain a lot which, although seeing your screen get "wet" adds nice realism, it quickly gets repetitive and frustrating trying to drive through what seems like a homing thunderstorm.
Sounds are a very important part of racers, and NFSU 2's fit the bill. There are plenty of realistic sound effects on the cars, like engines turning very high RPMs to hearing the tires smoke & burnout when you floor the gas all the way. The customizable soundtrack is great, featuring Snoop Dogg's cover of the Doors' "Riders Of The Storm" and a good mix of other music-some really miss (like "Rocket Ride" which is very dull) and some (like "Nobody", which is so silly you can't help but love it) are hits you won't soon get tired of.
Controls are accurate and realistic, but as mentioned, early on it gets frustrating at first. Until you get some upgrades you'll find yourself either wanting to push your slow car up hills or even cornier, doing it in reverse. Otherwise they're very responsive-important in a racing title. The races are understandably difficult at first but once you get the hang of everything you'll start racking up the wins and the money.
While this type of racing definitely won't appeal to everybody, it's still very refreshing to see this type of game that is willing to explore relatively new grounds in gaming. It's both fun and engaging enough to warrant a purchase or at least an extended rental, especially considering you can also go on Xbox Live and leave your friends inhaling your exhaust as well!