Need For Speed Underground 2 How to Play

Description

Screenshots

How to Play

FAQ

Key Commands:

OK - Selects the highlighted option
Up - Auto Accelerate/Change Gear Up
Down - Brake/Reverse if stopped/ Change Gear Down
Left/4 - Steer Left
Right/6 - Steer Right
1 - Change camera view
2 - Nitrous
3 - Look behind
5 - Accelerate
8 - E -Brake/Reverse if stopped
9 - Quick Race
0 - Activate Hotspot
# - Map Screen
* - Pager

GAMEPLAY

Pre-Game

Once the player has loaded the stub application for the first time there is a short pause while the first section of the movie is streamed onto the handset. The introduction movie then starts to play while the rest of the game content is downloaded on the player's handset in the background.

When all the required game content has been downloaded and the movie has finished playing, the player is taken to the login screen where they have to create a unique identification name. Once they have chosen a name and it has been verified they are shown the welcome screen before being taken into the game's free roaming environment.

Introduction

The player is initially given control of Rachel's car and allowed to drive around the free roaming environment for a short period of time. The free roaming environment is an open ended section of the city that the player can roam at will without having to participate in races. All of the other aspects of the game are represented in the free roaming environment as "hotspots", areas of the map that are brightly highlighted.

After thirty seconds the player is taken to the map screen along with help screens explaining how it works. The map screen shows an overview of the player's current area of the free roaming environment with all the hotspots marked clearly. The player can select hotspots directly to avoid having to travel long distances round the map.

When the map screen is displayed for the first time four hotspots are available to select. Three of these are race challenges that the player can attempt using Rachel's car and the fourth is the car lot where the player can purchase their own vehicle. If the player attempts any of the races a piece of audio from Rachel is played expressing her dislike of the player for using her car. If the player successfully completes any of the challenges they receive a small cash prize but no additional hotspots are added. Eventually the player is left with no choice but to head to the car lot.

First District

The first time the player arrives at the car lot they are shown a movie before being given a limited selection of three cars to choose from. They have just enough funds to purchase one of the cars. After buying a car they are taken back to the map screen where more hotspots become visible on both the map screen and in the free roaming environment.

The player has a new set of race challenges to complete in order to progress through the game, these are marked as crosses. Non-essential challenges are marked as circles, these can be attempted for additional money. There are also two new hotspots available, these are the two types of shop that the player can buy car parts from in NFSU2. There is always a car lot, visual performance modifications shop and performance parts shop in every district that the player visits.

Performance parts allow the player to increase the top speed, acceleration and handling of their car. Upgrades are unique to each car so when the player changes their vehicle they have to re-purchase all modifications. In order for the player to complete challenges they have to continually upgrade their car to keep up with the increasing difficulty of their opponents.

Visual upgrades are required for the player to get sponsors. Sponsors are needed for the player to progress through the game. At several points during each district the player will have to reach a certain visual rating for their vehicle to be considered worthy for sponsorship. As with performance parts, visual upgrades are not carried from one vehicle to another and must be fitted again when the player buys a new car.

Once the player has completed all the hotspots marked with a cross they have completed the first district. The game is made out of six districts spread across three separate free roaming environments. Once a district is complete a location switch hotspot is displayed, by selecting the hotspot the player can switch between districts freely.

Remaining Districts

The game continues in this fashion with the player heading from district to district completing the challenges to progress and earn more cash. The plot unfolds through movies and special one on one challenges between the main characters. As they continue more parts and cars become available for the player to buy and use as their character becomes the champion of the Bay View racing scene.

Hotspots

A hotspot is a marked area in the free-roaming urban environment and on the world map that allows the player to interact with other aspects of the game. For example to commence a race or go into a shop. Hotspots are brightly colored with a unique color code indicating its purpose to the player.

Hotspots either activate as soon as a player enters one (tips, pickups etc) or a small icon is displayed on screen indicating that the player can hit a button to activate the hotspot.

Hotspots may be removed immediately (e.g. info hotspot) or only be removed later (e.g. when a player completes the associated challenge).

Activating/Completing a hotspot may unlock new hotspots in the world providing non-linear game play. The following hotspots are available for the player to visit.

Challenges

A player hitting a button (the "0" key by default) when they are within the hotspot or selecting a location on the world map activates challenge hotspots. The game is then switched to the pager screen (based on the NFSU2 "SMS" PS2 UI), which offers a brief overview of the type of challenge and offers the player the chance to accept or decline the challenge.

If the player declines the challenge they are returned to explore mode in the same position; if the player accepts the challenge then they are switched into race mode with the parameters specified by the challenge (i.e. race type, number of laps, opponents, etc).

At any point during the challenge they can quit and return to 'explore mode', although this will count as a loss in terms of the overall challenge statistics that are maintained as part of the player's profile.

If the player wins a challenge, they receive the appropriate cash reward and are returned to 'explore mode'. The challenge is then marked as complete and new hotspots may be unlocked as a result of this. Once a challenge has been completed, it cannot be replayed unless the player resets their profile to start the entire game over.

If the player loses the challenge they can either return to 'explore mode', retry the challenge later, or retry the challenge immediately.