I don't think Electronic Arts expected their Need For Speed series to be as insanely popular as it has become. The series originated back on the 3DO as a real-time driving simulator, one that had a good deal of potential (not to mention a licensing deal) but sadly came up short in terms of offering enjoyable play control. Over the years, however, they've gotten better with each effort, capping off the series nicely last year with the release of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 across the board for new consoles, all three ports offering a great deal of the excitement of pursuit and nice presentation. (How real is it? You actually flatten your tires running over police spikes. Imagine that.) Now, this time around, the series takes another direction and hops right into the frill of underground racing with Need For Speed Underground.

Need For Speed Underground has no doubt been bitten by the bug that is Fast and the Furious, and even has a little bit of Rockstar Games' Midnight Club thundering inside its very engine. But it has a distinct flavor all its own, an excitement that brews every time you get behind the wheel and race for high stakes. The game has an absolutely killer presentation, putting you in the shoes of an up-and-coming underground street racer being aided by a particular brunette hottie, who gladly walks you through the ropes of handling these kinds of races. She also forewarns you about a particular blonde who's caught your eye, as she's the girl of one of the top racers in the circuit. This creates some uneasy tension...which in turn leads to a great rivalry between you and him.

The game's best features lie within its customization. Midnight Club II focused on finding challenges and going right at it in a race, but NFS presents you with the ability to design your ride from the ground up. You pick out a basic vehicle from a number of selections (you can upgrade to nicer models with each win you accomplish, as you build up your cash flow), and then you can trick it out with all sorts of design tweaks, like paint jobs, vinyl (YES!), stickers, and more. You can also customize the way the ride handles, checking out particular parts for best results and keeping an eye on those particular things that cause problems with your speed. It's really nicely done, a feature that Need For Speed should have focused on to begin with. Oh, well, better late than never.

There's a wide selection of tracks here all across a number of places to race, from the mean streets of Los Angeles to the even more mean streets of Tokyo. The tracks look fantastic, with a great amount of detail (check out the shimmering of street lights on the wet street below), if not the smoothest of frame rates. The game is built entirely around speed and definitely gets the job done here. The cars look great, if not outstanding, and the dramatic camera angles for when you pull off a fantastic jump or stunt are back, to add effect to your race.

If the regular racing mode isn't your thing, give Drag Mode a try. The game has you racing down a straight-up busy street while trying to maintain the highest possible speed you can. It's not the most enthralling mode put into a video game, but it is interesting, and puts a twist on the typical twists-and-curves driving scene. Arcade mode is in full effect, but you'll really want to get into the game's deep Story mode and see what kind of street racing legend (or, ahem, chump) you can become. Two-player versus mode is fun, but online play is sorely missed. It exists in the PS2 version, but not here. Oh, well, can't have everything.

Pack in a good soundtrack featuring a mix of artists, including the hit song "Get Low" by Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz and a number of other rock and rap tracks (but no ability to add your own- even though it was present in Hot Pursuit 2...weird), some good (not great) voice acting, and plenty of challenges to complete, and you have a winner. The game comes close to unseating Midnight Club II as the champ of underground racing, but the lack of online play hurts its chances somewhat. Regardless, Need For Speed Underground is a mean ride that wins the day with its customization items from the heavens and its slick presentation. If you're not too busy racing the streets with Project Gotham Racing 2 and MC2, you'll definitely want to give it consideration. Hey, at least Paul Walker's nowhere near it, right?