Need for Speed: Underground

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 644 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 519 out of 644
  2. Mixed: 99 out of 644
  3. Negative: 26 out of 644
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  1. rahulkadukar
    Mar 17, 2012
    6
    The first Need For Speed game which has decent graphics and a good storyline. I think the progress system in this game is pretty slow you get to all Level 3 upgrades after playing more than 80% of the career mode which is kind of slow. Apart from that good gameplay but gets kind of repetitive and the overall size of the city is pretty small. It feels like racing on the same tracks over andThe first Need For Speed game which has decent graphics and a good storyline. I think the progress system in this game is pretty slow you get to all Level 3 upgrades after playing more than 80% of the career mode which is kind of slow. Apart from that good gameplay but gets kind of repetitive and the overall size of the city is pretty small. It feels like racing on the same tracks over and over again.… Expand
  2. natanfk
    Feb 16, 2017
    6
    I loved this game when I was a kid, but when I went to play it now again, I see how it has SERIOUS flaws.

    The good parts: Control of the car is nice, the graphics were cool by the time being, and the car tuning is very varied and cool. There is a decent amount of cars to chose, and there was a sense of progression on the races, opponents keep getting better and better. The sounds are    I loved this game when I was a kid, but when I went to play it now again, I see how it has SERIOUS flaws.

    The good parts: Control of the car is nice, the graphics were cool by the time being, and the car tuning is very varied and cool. There is a decent amount of cars to chose, and there was a sense of progression on the races, opponents keep getting better and better. The sounds are really good and it has totally a "fast and furious" vibe.

    The bad parts: The worst part are the car crashes. It's absurd. The minimal hit will make your car go flying around, and it would be ok if the same happened to the AI, but the AI really CHEATS when there is a car crash. I saw an AI hitting a car on the front, and just went under it and kept going at full speed. It's very unfair, and most of the time you won't win or lose races by skill, but by pure luck, because cars appear out of nowhere just to hit you. Also, the game has a lot of glitches for those who try to play with a joystick, it keeps changing the controls and the camera shifts if you press brake for too long.
    Also, although there is a sense of progression while racing, there is no progression on cars. The car you get at the beginning of the game is better than most cars you unlock as you win races. And the tracks are VERY repetitive, you'll be running 111 races on the same tracks over and over again.
    Another bad thing is that you can only have one car. Which sucks, because there are some cars that are outstanding for races but suck at drifting.

    Overall, the game is only "meh". I was looking for nostalgia and got anger instead.    … Expand
  3. r03vg
    May 5, 2023
    6
    Игра запускается на современном компьютере, что уже хорошо. Правда, пришлось дополнительно скачать несколько фиксов, чтобы игра нормально работала на широком экране.

    В начале игры очень часто повторяются трассы. Понравилась музыка. Графика и сейчас смотрится хорошо для 20-летней игры.    Игра запускается на современном компьютере, что уже хорошо. Правда, пришлось дополнительно скачать несколько фиксов, чтобы игра нормально работала на широком экране.

    В начале игры очень часто повторяются трассы. Понравилась музыка. Графика и сейчас смотрится хорошо для 20-летней игры.
  4. MuhammadA.
    Nov 20, 2003
    7
    This good!!!!!!
  5. ChrisS.
    Aug 7, 2004
    6
    NFS: Underground offers sweet graphics, good music and ok gameplay. However if you only have 20 bucks to spend pick up Midnight Club 2 instead. NFS:Underground lacks that title's drive anywhere gameplay, huge urban environments, take no prisoners opponent AI, damage modeling and replays.
  6. Friendlyhobo
    Nov 30, 2003
    6
    The problem with NFS Underground, which may not be a problem for many, is a "shift" the developers have gone for. And; it's a major one folks. NFS has always been a series about racing. When NFS 1 came out, it literally changed the genra. The point A to B tracks (Alpine, Coastal, etc.) and the closed tracks were simply "simulastic" (That's my word for fantastic + simulation -- The problem with NFS Underground, which may not be a problem for many, is a "shift" the developers have gone for. And; it's a major one folks. NFS has always been a series about racing. When NFS 1 came out, it literally changed the genra. The point A to B tracks (Alpine, Coastal, etc.) and the closed tracks were simply "simulastic" (That's my word for fantastic + simulation -- nice huh?). NFS 5, Porsche Unleashed was the next good game as such in the series. NFS kept drifting (no pun intended) towards an arcadish feel, and the latest game by them has completed the transition. Now don't get me wrong, it's a nice game... but it's hardly about racing. Incredible graphics, a lot of user options to "create" a ninja street machine... and then race it against the stereotyped under-world. Coming to the "racing", it's one large area which is always wet (to compliment the reflections), always shown at night, and always feels the same. This game just disappointed me.… Expand
  7. AlfadorJ.
    Dec 6, 2003
    7
    Its a great game and very fun. I only have 2 complaints. The muliplayer part just sucks, and there is only one American car and it just SUCKS. Where is GM? GM is one of they biggest manufactors in the world, they deserve at least one car. I guess that would make the game to easy though. If you had the 454 chevell (as rapped about in one of the songs) there would be no car to be able to Its a great game and very fun. I only have 2 complaints. The muliplayer part just sucks, and there is only one American car and it just SUCKS. Where is GM? GM is one of they biggest manufactors in the world, they deserve at least one car. I guess that would make the game to easy though. If you had the 454 chevell (as rapped about in one of the songs) there would be no car to be able to keep up with you. heh.… Expand
  8. PatrickE.
    Dec 9, 2003
    7
    Having not played any of the previous NFS titles for longer than 5 minutes, I was skeptical about this one. WHile not wholly thrilled about the game, I'm not wholly disappointed either. Graphically, the game is the best I've seen since GT3. Being able to see your surrounding clearly whille moving at 130+ M.P.H. is a big plus for me. It's also not as jagged as some racing Having not played any of the previous NFS titles for longer than 5 minutes, I was skeptical about this one. WHile not wholly thrilled about the game, I'm not wholly disappointed either. Graphically, the game is the best I've seen since GT3. Being able to see your surrounding clearly whille moving at 130+ M.P.H. is a big plus for me. It's also not as jagged as some racing games are. Giving my ride a custom look was also a highlight of the game for me. On the other hand, giving my ride a custom look was a bit disappointing. I have plenty of cash to spend and can't buy the parts that I want. Whille having to win races to unlock tracks is something that I agree with, I don't like the idea of telling me I can't buy a certain exhaust tip because I haven't beaten enough races. This goes the same for performance upgrades. I was disappointed to find that all the cars are about the same, even though in reality they are much different. While I haven't gotten it yet, I know that there's an RX-7 in the game, and I'm looking forward to getting it, but knowing that a fully upgraded Civic couldn't hope to come close with a fully upgraded RX-7. Another thing I didn't like was the lack of performance tuning. Being able to set my suspension and gear ratios and downforce should all be something that can be modified in a racing game that allows customization. … Expand
  9. kanefriessner
    Oct 21, 2018
    6
    The best is the feeling in the game. The game makes You feel 100%, that You are an underground racer. The soundtrack is one of the best in the series. Graphics are quite nice. Also the car colection and how You can tuning them are good to. But sadly, that's it. The career mode starts well, but then becomes boring and feels deficient and unwary. Physics are still not good (but much-muchThe best is the feeling in the game. The game makes You feel 100%, that You are an underground racer. The soundtrack is one of the best in the series. Graphics are quite nice. Also the car colection and how You can tuning them are good to. But sadly, that's it. The career mode starts well, but then becomes boring and feels deficient and unwary. Physics are still not good (but much-much better then in HP2), and the traffic modelling is still bet (again, better than in HP2, but not good enough).

    Pros:
    - The feeling
    - Soundtrack
    - Graphics
    - Many good cars
    - Tunning cars

    Cons:
    - Lame career mode
    - Physics
    - Traffic
    - No cops in an illegal racing game
    - AI    … Expand
  10. TheCornflex
    Jan 31, 2018
    7
    The first NFS-Game I have played. Pretty cool but i wish I could play this game against another human.
  11. Hayter
    Nov 10, 2019
    7
    Need For Speed Underground! Need For Speed Underground
    Need For Speed Underground! Мне нужна скорость
    Need For Speed Underground! Need For Speed Underground
    Need For Speed Underground! Мне нужна скорость, брат
  12. sashok9026
    Dec 6, 2019
    7
    even though now it seems to us that this is an outdated game, but at the time of its release, I think it was one of the best games in its genre.
    how many people bombed when they played this game, why.
  13. DestroyerM24
    Jan 3, 2023
    7
    After years of releasing Need for Speed games, EA made one of the most successful games in the Need for Speed Franchise, which is indeed NFS Underground.

    In this game, you take part in races during night and rank up, race after race, and eventually become the best driver in every race discipline. While doing that, you gain reputation points which gives you access to more cars, tracks,    After years of releasing Need for Speed games, EA made one of the most successful games in the Need for Speed Franchise, which is indeed NFS Underground.

    In this game, you take part in races during night and rank up, race after race, and eventually become the best driver in every race discipline. While doing that, you gain reputation points which gives you access to more cars, tracks, customisation options.
    Unlike previous NFS games, where you could only choose the paint for the car, here, you can actually decide how your car will look, not just the color, but also body parts and each part can be painted separately, decorated with decals or brands, well practically everything can be personalised to your liking.
    This game has 20 licensed cars, fully customisable and each car can be upgraded with performance upgrades gained during playing Underground Mode.As this game is almost twenty years old, it shows some imperfections that games had at that time, like stupid and unfair AI. By stupid I mean that they will practically crash into you if it happens that you've chosen to take the path to the right and he decided to take the one on the left as if there was no obstacle, he will not change mind at any cost whatsoever. By unfair I mean that there seems that the AI has more grip than the player, which was noticeable in two occasions, while racing as there are some parts of the track which are impossible to take without any braking, while the AI takes tight corners with no problem and carrying much more speed. The second occasion was when crashing into traffic, when I crash into traffic, my car always goes flying for seconds and seconds and eventually losing 5 or more seconds after resetting the car, while the AI only spins a little bit or slows down upon impact, nothing more, no flying or things like that. The jumps must also be taken perfectly as you will end up rolling over and over until you reset your car. Talking about traffic, if you are winning there are some occasions when a car would appear in the middle of the track right before the end of the race, eventually ruining your race as you don't have any time to react and crash into him.
    Because of these issues, I've spend more time restarting races than making progress and making this my the most irritating NFS game so far.

    All in all, I recommend this game to every NFS fan, even though it can be irritating at times, I still had fun playing it. Great amount of cars, car customisations, tracks and events will probably keep you entertained for a while.    … Expand
  14. bar0yka
    Dec 9, 2022
    7
    zamanında oynasaydımm yine çok daha yüksek puan verebilleceğim bir oyun .
  15. Gorbunov2004
    Mar 25, 2021
    5
    Игра конечно не плохая но у меня нет стимула проходить её дальше я прошел 60 гонок и мне надоело.
  16. Torgall
    Dec 12, 2020
    7
    My first racing game, and one that still brings up good memories. I loved the variety of car customization, especially after watching Fast and Furious movie :)
  17. vova22379
    Jun 21, 2022
    5
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  18. shoma-
    Apr 2, 2021
    7
    Игру проходил 2 раза. В игре ужасно сделан искусственный интеллект, ты отстаёшь на 4 секунды, и тебе понадобится 3 круга, чтобы его догнать (играл я на высокой сложности), а он же в свою очередь, отставав на 8, может догнать тебя за полтора круга. Такое наблюдалось особенно в гонке с Мелиссой, которая была самой сложной в игре (+ ещё и на высокой, фулл зардкор) запомнилась. Ставлю 7, заИгру проходил 2 раза. В игре ужасно сделан искусственный интеллект, ты отстаёшь на 4 секунды, и тебе понадобится 3 круга, чтобы его догнать (играл я на высокой сложности), а он же в свою очередь, отставав на 8, может догнать тебя за полтора круга. Такое наблюдалось особенно в гонке с Мелиссой, которая была самой сложной в игре (+ ещё и на высокой, фулл зардкор) запомнилась. Ставлю 7, за ИИ, линейность гонок (нет выбора, надо играть всё), музыку (мне она здесь не так зашла, как в Underground 2, Most Wanted, Undercover и т.п)… Expand
  19. kndr
    May 15, 2021
    6
    Doesn't matter how well you drive if you make one tiny mistake opponent pass you.

    Car handling is great though. Tracks are repetitive. You can't fill nitrous like in ug2.
  20. dikii_hohol
    Jun 6, 2021
    7
    дота 2 крекер дота 2 крекер дота 2 крекер дота 2 крекер дота 2 крекер дота 2 крекер
  21. Giero
    Jan 4, 2023
    7
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  22. zNeverSleep
    Aug 15, 2023
    7
    Great game.

    It's enjoyable to play, especially if you're not accustomed to playing racing games with a proper sense of progression anymore. While I'm a fan of Forza games, I have to admit that I genuinely missed this kind of experience. Starting with a seemingly "underpowered" car and progressively becoming faster through your own skill and effort is an incredibly satisfying feeling.    Great game.

    It's enjoyable to play, especially if you're not accustomed to playing racing games with a proper sense of progression anymore. While I'm a fan of Forza games, I have to admit that I genuinely missed this kind of experience. Starting with a seemingly "underpowered" car and progressively becoming faster through your own skill and effort is an incredibly satisfying feeling.

    In terms of gameplay, considering it's a game from 2003, it remains impressive. However, there are certain aspects that haven't aged well. I wasn't particularly fond of the gimmick NPCs. It becomes evident at some point that the game employs calculations to position cars conveniently along your route. Beyond the sixtieth event, the game introduces some monotonous six-lap circuits that can become quite tedious – a single mistake hitting a curve or colliding with a gimmick car can lead to failure.

    Nevertheless, the cars themselves are impressive, and their customization options are noteworthy. On the other hand, the soundtrack is terrible. Regardless, if you're a fan of racing games, it's definitely worth giving this game a try.    … Expand
  23. Silv3rGT
    May 25, 2023
    7
    It a great start to an unforgettable era, but playing this game in the modern day WILL BE A PAIN IN THE A$$.
  24. Comodore01
    Jul 22, 2023
    7
    Good game with a bad AI, literaly broken. One of the best racing games for it's time but some aspects aged like a milk. Playing is fun but frustrating at same time. DON'T PLAY AT HARD DIFFICULTY. IT'S NOT HARD, JUST PLAIN UNFAIR. Not the **** mention it's have worst rubberbanding i've ever seen. You can't even win againts it unless it's turned off. EVEN **** SPEEDRUNNER LOST AGAINST IT ONGood game with a bad AI, literaly broken. One of the best racing games for it's time but some aspects aged like a milk. Playing is fun but frustrating at same time. DON'T PLAY AT HARD DIFFICULTY. IT'S NOT HARD, JUST PLAIN UNFAIR. Not the **** mention it's have worst rubberbanding i've ever seen. You can't even win againts it unless it's turned off. EVEN **** SPEEDRUNNER LOST AGAINST IT ON **** EASY DIFFICULTY GOD DAMN IT. You can search video of it on youtube.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Best PC Game of 2003
12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
43
#43 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Computer Gaming World
    90
    Racing doesn't get much better...unless you're in a real car. [Mar 2004, p.75]
  2. GameSpot
    80
    With just a bit more variety to its tracks and a slightly better career mode, it definitely could have been better, but it has great graphics, solid sound, and the sort of easy learning curve that makes it a driving game that anyone can excel at.
    Read full review
  3. Yahoo!
    90
    That break-the-mold game that longtime players of the franchise have been waiting for. And if you're already a street-rag reader, you have permission and reason to drool - just keep it off the AirFlow controller, please.
    Read full review
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