Retro Racing February 2022 – Need for Speed Underground 2 – 2003

Join the OCAU Retro Driving Club in a different retro driving game each month and see who can lay down the fastest lap!

The Game of the Month:

Long story short, I chose ANTZ EXTREME RACING and it turned out to be ass (whodathunk?!)

This quote from IMDB is all you need to know about that game:

You take a movie not necessarily made for kids all about communism, propaganda, individuality, the politics of war, and exploitation of the working class for the benefit of the self-proclaimed strongest and then turn it into a kart racer for toddlers.

so - with all that horribleness behind us lets get into:


Need for Speed Underground 2 2004 PC, PS2, GC, Xbox, PSP, GBA, DS










The Game Description

This game needs no introduction. Here it is:

Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a 2004 racing video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It is the eighth installment in the Need for Speed series and the direct sequel to Need for Speed: Underground. It was developed for Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions were developed by Pocketeers, and a PlayStation Portable version, titled Need for Speed: Underground Rivals, was developed by Team Fusion. Another version for mobile phones was also developed. Like its predecessor, it was also commercially successful, selling around 11 million copies worldwide and breaking sales records in the United Kingdom.[2]

The game entails tuning cars for street races, resuming the Need for Speed: Underground storyline. Need for Speed: Underground 2 provides several new features, such as broader customization, new methods of selecting races, set in a city known as Bayview. Brooke Burke is the voice of Rachel Teller, the person who guides the player throughout the game. The game's storyline is presented in a comic book strip. The Nintendo DS port introduces a new feature in which the player can design custom decals to adorn any vehicle in the game.

The game was followed by Need for Speed: Most Wanted in 2005, featuring a plot unrelated to the Underground games.


The How To

I'm baffled that EA dont have this available to purchase on their EA store.
So - off to the bowels of the grey area immorality that is abandonware downloads.

My Abandonware has the PC version.
Coolrom has the PS2 Version.

I recall playing the PC version on windows 10 semi recently. But there is a bit of faffing around with cracks and patches. the PS2 version is probably the easier one to quickly launch using the PCSX2 emulator, but it doesnt look as good as PC.


The Race

Quick Race

2 Circuits and a Sprint are unlocked from the start.

Resort Loop Circuit
Outer Ring Circuit
Wall Center Sprint






The Car

I couldnt resist the black civic from the opening scene in the Fast & Furious.



For the purposes of "keeping it fair" make sure you leave the car stock please.

Dont forget - you can always throw down a challenge for everyone if you find a particular track/car that you like. There's quite a few different modes in this game such as drift and drag which could also be fun.


The Entry Fee

A $5 Donation to a legitimate charity of your choice. This is not mandatory. If you cant afford it don't worry. I just figure we may as well have some “greater good” come out of this!
This month I’ve put in $50 to Unicef for their Tonga Recovery Appeal.
https://www.unicef.org.au/appeals/tonga-recovery-appeal


The Rules
• Post your best lap time in the thread for the nominated car & track. Please copy the existing leader board and insert your time to make for easy updates.
• Its basically the honour system and just for good fun.
• Dont forget a photo of your retro setup so that we can all drool over the cold cathodes and tower coolers
• An uploaded video will get you bonus points.
• Stating your donations will secure you a spot on the leader board with a gold star and many likes.

The Prize

The glory of telling your family and friends that you beat some strangers on the internet in some random old racing game you played as a kid.


The Leader board

Resort Loop Circuit
ivekilledem -- 3:44.08 (stock civic)
Pierre32 --- 3:44.95 (stock civic)
WuZMoT-----3:47.31 (stock civic)
power-------3:51.91 (stock civic)
jimbogimp---3:55.95 (stock civic)
---------
---------

Outer Ring Circuit
ivekilledem -- 5:34.14 (stock civic)
Pierre32 --- 5:35.82 (stock civic)
WuZMoT----5:43.36 (stock civic)
power------5:57.56 (stock civic)
jimbogimp---6:14.38 (stock civic)
---------
---------

Wall Center Sprint
ivekilledem -- 1:37.74 (stock civic)
Pierre32 --- 1:39.19 (stock civic)
jimbogimp -- 1:41.28 (stock civic)
WuZMoT-----1:44.50 (stock civic)
power-------1:47.47 (stock civic)
---------
---------

Attached Files:


I love a driving game where a hot babe tells you to obey traffic laws as the intro.

 

This is a truly, truly awful game, but I managed a 1:03.88 before my HD6850 decided it had enough.

Edit: 1:00:79

 

Ha ha, yeah it's pretty bad. I think we might be on for our first early month game change

 

I'm thinking possibly a change to Need for Speed Underground.

Should be better than this pos ha ha!

 

I haven't had a chance to try this Antz game yet... but if pwlm1975 and you think it's terrible it probably is, so I'd be quite happy with this change.



JSmith

 

NFS with a side challenge ?

 

It's like some elaborate early April fools situation



*notes down to do it again in April.

 

I feel like there's a reason I didn't know this existed.

 

What antz, what are you talking about?

 

... pantz, "sic 'em Rex".

Ok a bit of NFS U2, sounds good, always keen on the NFS series.



JSmith

 

Don't keep us hanging on, we need our retro racing fix, man. I mean, real bad, y'know?

C'MOOOOOOOON, MAAAAAAN!!!

Edit: oh s*#t I just saw that the OP was changed. Carry on.

 

It looks like Coolrom only has the Euro version (Underground Rivals) for PSP, unless I am mistaken.

 

I downloaded the iso last night from cool rom. I just searched for underground and found it that way.

It's Underground 2 by the way. Purely because I couldn't find an OG underground PS2 iso.

 

Seems to be available here as a trial and then paid version for $30... unsure how legit;

https://download.cnet.com/Need-for-Speed-Underground-2/3000-7513_4-10331372.html



JSmith

 

aw yeah, nostalgia boner.

 

This looks potentially interesting;

NFSU2 REDUX 2.2 DOWNLOAD Page - Need for Speed Underground 2 Remastered Ray Tracing Graphics Mod 2021 ULTRA GRAPHICS RETEXTURE TEXTURE MOD RESHADE RTGI (ktmx.pro)





JSmith

 

unfff, nostalgia tingling hard with the mention of this one, ill try and find some time to give it a run

Also if anyone in melb has a ps2 copy they're willing to sell... i recently found my ps2 memory card with my old save game... so this would be perfect!

 

this game plays super good on a modern PC with widescreen mod.

 

XP build is still in progress, but XP laptop with Geforce Go 6200 is good. Very slick at 1024x768 at default settings. Steering with a DS4.



+ $20 to Unicef Tonga fund.

 

Laying down some opening times.

Resort Loop was my second run, the others were first runs. Outer Ring is big high speed fun! I felt like I was beasting it, then I faceplanted a jersey barrier on the home stretch. Pretty much pinballed around Wall Center.

The Leader board

Resort Loop Circuit
Pierre32 --- 4:05.69
---------
---------
---------

Outer Ring Circuit
Pierre32 --- 6:17.05
---------
---------
---------

Wall Center Sprint
Pierre32 --- 1:54.58
---------
---------
---------