Play Need for Speed: Underground 2 Online

Summary

Need for Speed: Underground 2 on the DS turns the handheld into a mini‑arcade. The top screen shows the race while the bottom screen acts as a live map, so I never lose sight of the next turn. A tap on the touch panel triggers nitrous, and the built‑in paint program lets me spray custom decals with the stylus. Up to four friends can join wirelessly, turning a quick commute into a street‑racing showdown.

The game drops me into Bayview, an open‑world mash‑up of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the customization options are insane. I can tweak everything from spoilers to under‑glow neon, and the new dyno‑tuning lets me fine‑tune ECU, turbo and suspension settings on the fly. SUVs like the Hummer H2 and Cadillac Escalade appear for the first time in the series, and they’re fully tunable. Nitrous now refills after stunts, so drifting or near‑misses keep the boost flowing.

Critics gave the DS version a solid 65/100, praising the length, graphics and endless mod possibilities, while noting the lack of fast‑travel and police chases. Product placement and hip‑hop slang drew some flak, but the soundtrack earned a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack. By the end of 2004 the title had sold over 8 million copies worldwide, eventually topping 11 million, cementing its place as a fan‑favorite in the series.

Storyline

Need for Speed: Underground 2 drops you back into the world right after the events of the first game. After crushing Eddie’s Eastsiders in Olympic City and winning a race in a blue Nissan Skyline GT‑R, you receive a threatening invitation to join an unknown team. The call ends abruptly when a Hummer H2 barrels out of a dark alley, rams your Skyline and a scar‑tattooed man confirms he "took care of a problem." Six months later you board a plane to the fictional city of Bayview, clutching a good‑luck note from Samantha and a key marked ‘Rachel.’ At the airport Rachel leaves you her Nissan 350Z and directs you to a dealership, where you can either ignore her and race three events or obey and buy your first car with insurance money from the totaled Skyline. Rachel becomes your Bayview liaison, teaching you the city’s layout, the sponsorship system and the Underground Racing League (URL). As you rack up wins, sponsors flock to you, drawing the ire of Caleb Reece and his crew, The Wraiths. Caleb, revealed as the driver of the Hummer that destroyed your Skyline, tries to sabotage you by inserting his member Nikki Morris into the same URL tournament. Nikki eventually defects to your side, warning of Caleb’s plan to monopolise Bayview’s street‑racing scene. The climax sees Caleb pitting his remaining Wraiths against you in a final URL showdown. After defeating him, Caleb is left penniless while you celebrate with Rachel and Nikki, cementing your reputation as Bayview’s top underground racer.