Electronic Arts has been literally on a roll as of late since they've decided to take their Need For Speed series in a direction along the lines of The Fast and the Furious. This came with the birth of Need For Speed Underground in 2003, which became one of the hottest racing games for that year. The series has since advanced with last year's Need For Speed Underground 2, and this will obviously be the year that it comes around to handheld consoles. The Nintendo DS will see an edition sometime this summer, but in the meantime, we have the series' debut on the PSP with Need For Speed Underground Rivals.

The theme remains the same, focusing on the thrills of nighttime, illegal street races against the heated competition, but the game's been tightened to focus more on the general nature of racing. In Rivals, you won't find any kind of deepened story mode, but rather a choice between two modes- Circuit Mode and Quick Play Battle. Circuit Mode, as you might guess, is a series of races strewn across three levels (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) where you earn cash that allows you to "pimp", or redesign, your ride with stylish new bling. The Quick Play Battle is a more customized set of events to race through, with everything from drag racing to working out your nitrous. Both modes feature a beautiful amount of cars to choose from, all of which you can add your own personal touch to through customization.

The fact that the game has so much to offer just with the variety of races in itself sets it ahead of the somewhat disappointing Need For Speed Underground 2, and not having to go through the story loops helps it move along. The customization options are aplenty, with everything from rims to paint design, so you can give your vehicle a personal touch as it leaves opponents in the dust.

Racing against the computer opponents is actually pretty nice, as they use a balanced AI system that assures they won't fall like two minutes behind. They're keeping right up with you, even if you've tricked out the components in your car to top level. This might frustrate some, but not to worry. You can challenge other friends in wi-fi multiplayer and keep up with the best of 'em that way. The multiplayer's not a revolution by any means, but it is engaging.

One other thing that took me by surprise with Need For Speed Underground Rivals was its wonderful use of audio- for a change. The EA Trax option in games usually results in a lackluster soundtrack that you wish went the way of the dodo, but, I have to admit, the track selection for Rivals isn't too bad, fitting the game just right. The sound effects aren't as loud as they could be, but that means less distraction on the music tracks, so that's not too bad. And there's also a custom EA Trax Player that looks pretty sweet, so you can play the tracks on the go if you're not playing the game.

Now, how about the controls? Well, if you're using the directional pad on your PSP, you'll get along fine with Rivals' control system. The way that each car handles is pretty smooth, right down to the cornering and being able to come off a jump without swerving out of control. And, yes, the upgrading in parts actually feels like it makes a difference. So it sounds good, right? Well, try using the analog nub on the system and you'll find some problems. It seems with the analog control, the handling of the cars feels a bit too loose for its own good. I expected to take a smooth left turn and too often found myself swerving as a result. It's touchy when it's supposed to be tight, which I found a bit awkward.

And then we come to the game's appearance. It's a shame that the game doesn't feature any daytime tracks, but I guess that's the Underground nature for you. The courses look like a lot of fun, with shortcuts, building detail, and plenty of opportunities to use the nitrous that's provided to you as you proceed. However, EA once again falls backward in terms of frame rate. They've packed plenty of details, to be sure, but the problem is that the game chugs from time to time, throwing off the overall performance and knocking it down a level below Namco's awesome Ridge Racer and even Sony's own Wipeout Pure. If EA cleaned this up, this would be nothing but an elite ride. But they didn't, and that, combined with the analog control issues, keeps it from being a must-have for all.

However, enough work did go into Need For Speed Underground Rivals to get a recommendation from me. It is an improvement over the somewhat disappointing NFSU 2, especially in terms of soundtrack, Wi-Fi support, and losing the story mode. Hopefully, with Rivals 2, we'll get the ride we truly deserve, a high definition of what street racing should look and feel like. As is, this is a good enough warm-up.

Our Final ScoreGood

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