‘Need for Speed’
is just one step short
of perfection

The race to be the best racing game has been rather crowded lately.

"Need for Speed Underground 2" (EA Games) PlayStation 2 (reviewed), GameCube, Xbox Rating: Everyone

EA Games certainly knows this. Just a few months after bringing out what's considered by many to be the pinnacle of arcade-style racing action, "Burnout 3: Takedown," it turned around and released the latest installment of its flagship racing franchise with "Need for Speed Underground 2."

While "Burnout 3" excels in providing high-speed thrills and spectacular crashes, "NFSU 2" takes a different approach, focusing on the street-racing, car-tuning culture popularized in "The Fast and the Furious."

Much of the game plays out in the sprawling fictional metropolis of Bayview. The city is quite impressive, from the glowing neon of the downtown area -- where you begin the game -- to the houses and mansions of the suburbs to the grittiness of the industrial district. Different areas are unlocked as the game progresses.

Racers can enter six different race types as they cruise the streets of Bayview. Circuit races are standard "drive around a course for several laps" fare, while sprint races take contestants from one point in the city to another. Drag races test players' ability to shift properly; drift races award skill points for proper drifting, either on closed courses or a downhill street.

Finally, there are Street X and Underground Racing League Series races -- the former being similar to circuit races run on tighter tracks, the latter being similar to a series of circuit races run one after another.

For once, the computer AI in single-player races is set just right -- difficult enough to provide a challenge, but not so much so that you'll be flinging your controller because a computer-controlled opponent somehow came from far behind to win.

Credits earned from winning races can be used to transform your car from a plain-Jane clunker to a finely tuned machine worthy of MTV's "Pimp My Ride."

Gearheads will have a field day tweaking their cars for peak performance in certain race types, although casual racers can do just fine in races without getting too dirty under the hood.

The only element keeping "NFSU 2" from being arcade racing perfection is the frequent and sometimes lengthy load times. Any time the player enters or exits a race or car modification shop, the game pauses to load data, breaking up the game's natural flow and frustrating anyone who just wants to get on with racing or modifying their car.