Whereas Need For Speed: Underground was a largely abstract series of events, number two embraces the current trend for so-called emergent gameplay', placing the action in a living, breathing' city, with even a vague storyline to back it up. In a break with EA tradition, this sequel does actually differ slightly from the previous game. The bestselling racing game of 2003, it was no surprise to learn that a sequel would follow, and you can bet your modified camshaft that as you read these words, an anonymous game factory is currently slaving away on number three. A shrewd move by EA - it's a huge market, with top-selling magazines featuring a winning combination of neon piss-flaps and impressionable young girls exposing their breasts. Last Year's Need For Speed: Underground pretty much came out of nowhere, resuscitating a flagging brand while simultaneously kickstarting the whole car modification genre. 'We're trying to anticipate where the tuner scene might be in a couple of years, not just follow what's already out there,' claims Chuck. More licensed cars will be on offer, but the selection of car types has also been broadened far beyond the traditional Hondas and Toyotas.

This time, the number of potential car modifications has been massively expanded, and now embraces performance tuning as well as visual changes. The core aim of the game is to grow and develop your reputation as a street racer, earning new parts and upgrades along the way to hot up your ride and hopefully impress some chicks. 'We're making sure this is a proper sequel and not just a kind of 'Underground 1.5',' says Chuck. NFSU2's go-anywhere urban sprawl is three times the size of the original, with five distinct neighbourhoods to unlock and a much wider variety of race types. This is a significant shift from the original Underground, which presented the illusion of a coherent city but was really just a series of interconnecting tracks. 'You have to explore the city to find out where the races are, how to get the best cars, how to find the best races and how to get all the best parts for your car.' 'The game is all about discovering the tuner culture,' says executive producer Chuck Osieja.

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