Need for Speed: Underground Rivals

Need for Speed: Underground Rivals
Developer	Team Fusion
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Directors	Brad Fulton Tony Lam Richard Seaborne Michael Crump Tina Merry
Producers	Warren Wall David McCarthy Matthew Tomporowski Sandra Delaney Al Harding Julie Elliot Julia Knot Jessica Robinson
Designers	David Seymour Tony Lee
Programmers	Trenton Shumay Alan Bucior Tony Chu Jun Fu Jacques Lebrun Desmond Lee Shaun Mahoney Lance Wall Brian Chan David Hiscock Jaysen Huculak Gaz Iqbal David Mercier Michael Percy Andrea Schiel Gerry Shaw Steven Silvester Brian Stafford Steve Watson Thomas Wilson Alban Wood Owen Goss Patrick Major Taylor Stewart Eugene Lau
Artists	Terry Chui Steve Braski Daniel Bullock Sophie Gagnon Clint Harris Fiona Mok Elliott Roessler Fred Simpson Jeff Timothy
Series	Need for Speed
Platform	PlayStation Portable
Release	JP: February 24, 2005 NA: March 14, 2005 KO: May 2, 2005 EU: September 1, 2005
Genre	Racing

Need for Speed: Underground Rivals is a 2005 racing video game developed by Team Fusion and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation Portable. It is the first Need for Speed ​​title released for the PlayStation Portable. It is a PSP spin-off of the Underground titles and follows a very similar gameplay style.

Gameplay

Race events take place only at night, and players cannot access free roam. Tuning is a major aspect of the game; to unlock more performance and visual upgrades, players must accumulate 'Upgrade Points'.

Players can play in both Underground (Career) and Quick Race modes. Underground mode is available on four difficulty levels. Statistics can be viewed on the driver status screen in My Underground.

Game Modes

• Circuit Race: This mode is divided into four classes: Master, Novice, Pro, and Car Spec. The first three are simply race events with power restrictions, while Car Spec allows only the required cars to participate in specific events.

• Drag Race: In a long, straight race, players accelerate their car to top speed. This mode can only be played with a manual transmission.

• Drift Attack: Players must drift through various markers placed on the ground. The winner is the one who accumulates the most drift points.

• Lap Knockout Race: Any player who completes a lap in last place is eliminated. This continues until only one player remains.

• Nitrous Run: To win the race, players must pass from one checkpoint (called a "gate") to another. Passing through a gate adds time and nitrous.

• Street Cross: Racers will drive on a tight inner circuit that mainly contains 90° and 180° turns. Street Cross is heavily based on Street X.

• Rally Relay: Players complete two laps around a circuit. After completing the first lap, the player must change vehicles.

Customization

Players don't gain any advantage from visually customizing their car since there's no star rating system. Visual parts aren't sold separately, but only in body kits. However, players can now write their own lettering and place it on the windshield, taillights, and hood.

The most important feature is performance modifications, which allow players to alter acceleration, top speed, and handling. Any car in this game can be upgraded to be highly competitive, even against the strongest production cars. After purchasing a performance part, players can install it on other vehicles without having to buy it again.

Performance upgrades are divided into 10 categories for a total of 46 upgrades:

• N20 System (2 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Intake & Exhaust (4 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Engine (5 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Turbocharger (4 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Powertrain (3 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Chassis (3 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Suspension (3 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Wheels & Tires (2 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Brakes (5 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)
• Controls (5 regular upgrades / 1 bonus upgrade)

There are 3 different levels for each upgrade in each category (except for the N20 System upgrade). Bonus):

• Level 1: 3,000 Upgrade Points
• Level 2: 4,000 Upgrade Points
• Level 3: 6,000 Upgrade Points
• Bonus Upgrade: Free

Soundtrack

The soundtrack retains the same songs that appear in Need for Speed: Underground 2 , as well as six new songs.

• The Donots - We Got The Noise
• No Warning - Breeding Insanity
• DJ Tiesto - Breda 8pm (DJ Montana Edit)
• My Chemical Romance - Thank You For The Venom
• Hot Water Music - The End Of The Line
• Soulwax - Any Minute Now

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	77.32% (45 reviews) [1]
Metacritic	74/100 (36 reviews) [2]

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	8/10 [3]
Eurogamer	6/10 [4]
GameRevolution	B- [5]
GameSpot	7.9/10 [6]
GameSpy	3.5/5 [7]
GameZone	8/10 [8]
IGN	7.9/10 [9]
Play	86/100 [10]

References

1. "Need for Speed Underground Rivals". GameRankings . Retrieved 2010-12-12.
2. "Need for Speed Underground Rivals PSP". Metacritic . Retrieved 9 May 2012.
3. "Need for Speed Underground Rivals - (PSP)". 1UP. 2005-03-18. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
4. Ronan Jennings (2005-10-03). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
5. Dodson, Joe (2005-04-14). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals - PSP". GameRevolution . Retrieved 2010-12-17.
6. Jeff Gerstmann (2005-03-17). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 9 May 2012.
7. Bryn Williams (2005-03-25). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals (PSP)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
8. jkdmedia (2005-04-18). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals - PSP - Review". GameZone . Retrieved 2010-12-17.
9. Tom McNamara (2005-03-21). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals". IGN . Retrieved 2010-12-17.
10. Martin Drury (2005-11-09). "Need for Speed Underground Rivals". Play. Archived from the original on 2011-01-13. Retrieved 2010-12-17.

External links

• Need for Speed: Underground Rivals at MobyGames