Need for Speed Underground Rivals
- March 22, 2005 10:57 AM PST
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A toned down version of a cool game is still a cool game.
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This latest incarnation of the now classic Need for Speed series is certainly a hot ride. In a supercharged tuner, you race the city streets in competitions that are all too familiar with Underground fans. You'll need to avoid careening into oncoming traffic, keep the steering wheel tight after a jump, and of course, bump your...well, rivals out of the way in the goal to becoming the top honcho on the streets.
On your road to glory, you'll need to upgrade your auto with performance parts and visual panache to keep up with the tougher crowd. And your custom job pays off as the thrill of flying at over 100 mph down a street is nicely replicated in the game. The sense of speed, the slick look--this is true Underground mechanics.
But somewhere in the garage, Rivals doesn't quite meet its console counterpart's standards. The big feature missing, which also made Underground innovative, is the ability to draft other cars. Without it, Rivals is just another racing game. Additionally, the Drift mode, which was addictively fun on the consoles, is now water downed to a flat, frustrating way of trying to skid your car in an unfashionable manner.
Once the green light flashes, however, you won't hesitate to fasten your seatbelt once you get behind the wheel of Rivals.
