Need For Speed Underground 2 PC Game version Archives

Need for Speed: Underground 2
Developer(s)	EA Black Box Pocketeers (GBA)
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Composer(s)	Tom Salta
Series	Need for Speed
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
Release	NA: November 9, 2004 (PC) NA: November 15, 2004 EU: November 19, 2004 AU: July 27, 2005 PlayStation Portable[1] NA: March 14, 2005 EU: September 1, 2005 Nintendo DS
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a cross-platformracingvideo game and the eighth installment in the Need for Speed series, the direct sequel to Need for Speed: Underground. It was developed and published by Electronic Arts in 2004, for Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and mobile phones. Upon its release, the game received critical acclaim. Need for Speed: Underground 2 is considered to be one of the best entries in the series. It was also commercially successful, selling around 11 million copies worldwide and breaking sales records in the United Kingdom.^[2]

The game entails tuning cars for street races, resuming the Need for Speed: Underground storyline. Need for Speed: Underground 2 provides several new features, such as a broader customization, new methods of selecting races, the "explore" mode in a large city known as "Bayview". The City Center was based on Philadelphia, Beacon Hill was based on Beverly Hills and Coal Harbor was based on Camden, New Jersey, and the Stadium area was based on Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Brooke Burke is the voice of Rachel Teller, the person who guides the player throughout the game. The game's storyline is presented in a comic book strip.

The game has been ported to PlayStation Portable, under the title of Need for Speed: Underground Rivals. The Nintendo DS port introduces a new feature in which the player is able to design custom decals to adorn any vehicle in the game.

The game was followed by Need for Speed: Most Wanted in 2005, featuring a plot extraneous to the Underground duology.

Plot[edit]

The story begins after the player has beaten Eddie and his street gang - "The Eastsiders" along with Melissa in Olympic City and is now revered as the best street racer in Olympic City. After a race, the player is called by an unidentified man with an "invitation" to join his team and that he "is not taking no for an answer." The player ends the call without giving an answer and starts driving to a party but is ambushed by a Hummer H2 that rams his Nissan Skyline GT-R, wrecking it (the previous game utilizes a chosen car to beat Eddie rather than the actual one). A man with a scythe tattoo on his hand calls to confirm that he "took care of a problem."

Six months later, the player boards a plane to Bayview with a good luck note from Samantha that also refers to her friend, Rachel Teller. The player arrives in Bayview, buys his first car using the money provided by the insurance on his totaled Nissan Skyline, and starts racing again. The player soon gains fame and sponsorship deals from winning races and gets the attention of "The Wraiths" and their leader, Caleb Reece. Caleb is revealed to be the driver of the Hummer that wrecked the player's car in Olympic City.

Rachel reveals to the player that Caleb is attempting to take control of the racing scene in Bayview by manipulating the sponsorship deals in his favour, threatening the player's livelihood, and Rachel's liaison with the sponsors. Caleb attempts to have the player lose an Underground Racing League tournament by placing Nikki Morris, a Wraith member, in the same tournament as the player's. This ultimately fails, and Nikki leaves the Wraiths after Caleb berates her for losing; she then joins Rachel and the player's side. Nikki warns them of the consequences of Caleb's plan if he takes over the city's street racing scene.

Desperate to stop the player, Caleb eventually puts all of the remaining Wraiths members in an Underground Racing League tournament against the player, which fails and after losing another sponsor, Caleb challenges the player to a final showdown. The player wins the race and celebrates with Rachel and Nikki while Caleb is left insolvent and defeated.

That event solidifies the player's status as the best Underground racer in Bayview.

Should the player lose the race, Caleb mocks him that he's nothing and laughs maniacally.

Gameplay[edit]

In-game Need for Speed: Underground 2 screenshot using a modified Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII in a circuit race, in which races are roughly similar to that of Underground and still revolve around import culture.

Racing modes are roughly similar to Underground; one racing mode was dropped, this being the Knockout competitions. Yet, a Lap Knockout option is available when racing Circuit in non-career races.

• Circuit race is a standard race that involves up to four cars driving around a track that loops back to the start line of itself. A circuit race has typically a minimum of 2 laps to a maximum of 5 laps.

• Sprint race is a point-to-point race involving a maximum of four vehicles.

• Drifting is one of the technical aspects of Underground 2. On the "parkade" tracks, the player drifts with up to 3 other competitors at the same time on the parkade tracks. Points are awarded when the player successfully slides the car and finishes each drift without hitting any walls or traffic. No nitrous oxide is allowed. There are also downhill drift events where the player drifts the car while progressing down the course from top to bottom. In the downhill drifts, there are no other racers, but there is normal city traffic. Players increase their points by sliding past city cars.

Unlike Underground, time plays a crucial role here, especially in parkade tracks; if the opponents end up crossing the finish line way before the player, a 30-second timer will start within which the players will have to accumulate drift points until the timer runs out or they cross the finish line.

• Drag racing is another technical aspect of the game; a straight-line race that forces players to use manual transmission. Like Underground, steering in this mode is simplified to simply allow for lane changes, while the game handles the steering along the lanes. The Nitrous Oxide meter is enlarged and displayed on the left side of the screen. The players' positions will get forfeited if they collide into traffic or barriers, or overheat their engine due to prolonged redlining.

Apart from these, four new race variations have also been provided in Underground 2:

• Street X mode is similar to circuit races, except that they take place in closed and tight tracks. A maximum of 4 racers participate in this event. Like drift mode, this mode disables the use of nitrous oxide.

• Underground Racing League (URL) is a set of tournaments which takes place in a specific set of closed tracks outside city streets - either actual racing circuits or airport runways. URL tournaments typically consist of one to three races, with up to six cars (both in career mode and online). In tournaments with two or more races, a points system is used. At the end of each race, drivers receive a specific number of points according to their standing in a race. The total score at the end of these races determines the winner of the tournament.

• Special events - these are similar to sprints, with the goal to reach a target point on the map, which is a "photographer", and the player needs to reach the target within a specific time limit. Achieving this will reward the player with a magazine cover.

• Outruns - while in free roam, the player can challenge specific opponent cars (an outrun opponent car will have bright tail lights, similar to the player's cars when they use nitrous oxide) in an "outrun", where the goal is to start an outrun and then distance their car from the opponent's car by 300 metres (1,000 feet). The player can choose when to initiate an outrun, and can take any path and/or use tactics to achieve this goal, provided they are in the lead. Each stage, including stage 1, has a limited number of outruns a player can win. For example, in the intro stage where the player is driving Rachel's car, 3 outruns can be won. After winning the number of outruns allowed for a stage, the outrun opponent cars cease to appear. After completing career, there is no limit to the number of outrun wins allowed. Depending on the stage, after winning some number of outruns, the player is rewarded with a unique part. Some stages allow a player to do a series of outrun sequences, rewarding the player with multiple unique parts (one for each series of outruns won). The outrun mode is similar to that of Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Wangan Midnight video games, which uses health bars instead of distance to determine the winner.

The races are divided into 5 "stages". Once any stage is completed, the race locations of that stage will be replaced by the counterparts of the next stage. A "World Map" feature includes a menu of races for all prior stages, denoting races that have been completed and yet to be completed. After completing stage 2 through stage 5 (these stages require completing some number of "DVD" events), there will always be 8 sponsor races that will not be completed, since a player has to choose a single sponsor per stage and can only run 3 out of 11 unique sponsor races, leaving 8 sponsor races incomplete at the end of each stage. These can only be run using World Map. Due to a game bug (at least on PC version), if running a non completed race from the World Map, no credit (cash or rep) will be awarded unless the player restarts at least once after the race starts.

Underground 2 is unique in the Need for Speed series in the sense that it requires a player to drive to a certain place in the city in order to begin a race (other games allow the player to select a race from a menu). Most races are marked on the in-game radar, but some are hidden and the player must search for them, should they decide to play them. The following features aid the players in this regard:

• Cell phone / SMS system - During game play, the players will occasionally receive phone calls or text messages. The game maintains a list of messages and game info that can be reviewed via a menu system.

• Cash and info icons - Each stage, including the intro stage, includes a set of hovering icons scattered throughout the game world. As the player explores the map in free roam, the player receives a cash reward and/or info as the player discovers and drives through each of the icons.

Vehicles[edit]

As in Need for Speed: Underground, Underground 2 continues to offer similar vehicles for purchase and modification, most of which consist of Japanese models such as Nissan 240sx, Nissan GTR R34 or Mitsubishi Eclipse, with some European and American models. In addition, Underground 2 is the first game in the Need for Speed series to offer three SUVs as racing vehicles. Also, it is the second game in the Need for Speed series after Underground to offer a Korean-made car (Hyundai Tiburon) as a racing vehicle. There are two versions of the game, US and EU, where each version has 29 of 31 possible cars: the US version has an Acura RSX and a Honda Civic, while the EU version instead has a Peugeot 106 and a Vauxhall Corsa, the rest of the 27 cars in both versions are the same.

SUVs, also known as sport utility vehicles, were a new element added to Underground 2. The SUV's can be upgraded and tuned in the same manner as cars. Some of the events in career mode are SUV only events and only appear when a player is driving an SUV. In career or any offline mode, if the player is driving an SUV, the computer opponents also drive SUVs. However, after completing a stage, the World Map allows a player to run any event from prior stages in either a car or an SUV.

Customization[edit]

Customization in Underground 2 was significantly expanded compared to previous iterations from the series. Visual customization has expanded with the ability to customize the car's front and rear bumpers, side skirts, spoiler, hood, exhaust tips, doors, roof scoop, wheels (including the ability to put on spinners), headlights and taillights, side mirrors and paint. Vinyls and decals can also be added, as well as car stereos (speakers, amplifiers & subwoofers), hydraulics, nitrous bottles and under glow neon. Most visual modifications to the car have no actual effect on vehicle performance. The sound systems, for example, could be put in the trunk of cars, but served no purpose other than visual cues. Hydraulics can be used in combination with nitrous at a start of a race which can cause a car to do a wheelie and for some cars get a better launch. The performance and handling of the car is affected by cosmetic modifications^{[citation needed]} like spoilers and hoods, which affect the downforce of the car - better spoilers allow better tuning of the downforce management both in front and in the back of the vehicle. Visual upgrades increase a cars visual rating, up to a rating of 10.0. At least one car in a career garage needs to be visually upgraded to a 10.0 rating in order to unlock all 10 DVD events (completing these rewards the player with a DVD cover), and each stage has a required number of DVD events.

A car's performance can be enhanced by upgrading the car's engine, engine control unit (ECU), transmission, suspension, tires, brakes, reducing the car's weight, and adding a turbo and/or nitrous. The player has the ability to either upgrade the performance through upgrade packages or by purchasing individual parts of each performance category. NFS: Underground 2 also introduces a dyno-tuning system which allows players to specifically tune certain aspect of the car such as ECU, turbo, suspension springs, front and rear shock absorbers, gear ratios, aerodynamics, brake bias, individual tire grip, etc. The player can test the settings via a dyno run which will display a torque and power versus rpm graph, and an estimated 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) time.

Multiplayer[edit]

Underground 2 had online multiplayer capability on PS2, PC, and Xbox, however by 2010, EA Games had shut down their servers, rendering the feature inoperable.^[3][4] The PC version has a multiplayer LAN mode, and multiplayer races over the internet can still be run using the games LAN mode and a virtual LAN (virtual private network).

Reception[edit]

Need for Speed: Underground 2 received positive reviews. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 86% for the Mobile version;^[62] 83.50% and 82 out of 100 for the PC version,^[48][56] 82.61% and 83 out of 100 for the Xbox version,^[49][55] 80.77% and 82 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version,^[50][57] 79.98% and 77 out of 100 for the GameCube version,^[51][58] 76.44% and 74 out of 100 for the PSP version,^[52][59] 69.45% and 72 out of 100 for the Game Boy Advance version^[53][60] and 65.44% and 65 out of 100 for the DS version.^[54][61]

The game was widely regarded as the one of the best games of the series and is remembered for the quality of the gameplay, the length, the endless customization, the interesting side-missions, the graphics and the addition of "Free Roam".^[63] However, some of its elements were criticized as well, such as having to drive excessive amounts to get to specific races, bland voice acting and strong product placement for companies with no connection to auto racing, such as integrating the logo for Cingular, an American wireless communications company, into the game's messaging system and displaying it on-screen for much of the gameplay.^[64] The GameCube version was also criticized for its unstable frame rate and inferior graphics, the hip-hop slang used by the characters (such as calling the money "bank"), the comic book styled cutscenes, and lack of police also garnered criticism.

GameSpot gave the mobile phone version a score of 9.2 out of 10 and said that it "isn't just the best racing game ever made for a mobile phone; it's also a much-needed showcase for V Cast technology. This game boasts game length and replay value so many orders beyond the mobile norm that it calls for a total paradigm shift. Simply put, mobile gaming just got a much-needed kick up the evolutionary ladder."^[65]IGN gave the same version a score of eight out of ten and called it "a big step for mobile gaming, in my opinion. While there are things I did not like about the game -- loading and some control issues -- I cannot deny that this is one hell of a package. If you want a game that maxes out your 3D handset, Need for Speed Underground 2 is the game to get."^[66]

Detroit Free Press gave the Rivals version all four stars, exclaiming, "The racing here is just flat-out fun, with growling engines, jumps and shortcuts that allow you to smash through fences. But there are thoughtful additions, including Party Play."^[46]The Sydney Morning Herald, however, gave the Rivals version three-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "While not PSP's best driving game, Rivals is an entertaining street racer that offers quick thrills."^[67] On the other hand, the same newspaper gave the GameCube, PS2, PC and Xbox versions a score of four stars out of five and said, "While the driving action isn't quite as satisfying as the superb Burnout 3, it's still strong enough to keep you playing through the 150 or so races."^[68]The Times also gave the game four stars out of five and stated, "The courses in this game are just as much the stars as the cars. The dazzling downtown locations are massive, dominated by skyscrapers whose light bathes the streets in a radiant glow."^[47]

Sales[edit]

According to Electronic Arts, Need for Speed: Underground 2 sold above 8.4 million units worldwide by the end of 2004.^[69] The PlayStation 2 version of Underground 2 received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),^[70] indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.^[71] The game ultimately sold around 11 million copies^[72] and entered the "best-sellers" of each console PS2's Greatest Hits,^{[citation needed]} Xbox's Platinum Hits,^{[citation needed]} and GameCube's Player's Choice.^{[citation needed]}

References[edit]

Need for Speed Underground 2 was released on November 9th, 2004. All those years on and it is still regarded as one of the best racing games of all time. I remember the day vividly. It was a Tuesday and I was given the game as a gift from a friend of the family.

I was only 12 years old so the hype was real. All those years on. Never did I think I would be downloading the game again. Although now I can play Need For Speed Underground 2 Widescreen.

It’s actually quite straightforward. To play Need For Speed Underground 2 Widescreen. You need to download the Need For Speed Underground 2 patching software. The patching software enables you to change the in-game resolution. However, you can only patch the game if you have a cracked version of Underground 2. Cracked means the game has been altered by somebody so it can be played on any computer. Essentially, you don’t need a product key to play the game.

Table of Contents

Free Cracked Copy of Need For Speed Underground 2

I’ve updated this post since making it a while back. I’ve since found a free copy of the game complete with 1080p compatibility. It also has both graphics mods by Dragozool and High Visions. I highly recommend using the High Visions Mod because it gives the best visuals overall, in my opinion. Try both and see what you think.

Minimum PC Specs to run Need for Speed Underground 2

The best thing about it is that the game is really old. So you don’t even need a high spec computer to play it. Take a look below at the minimum specs required to run the game.

• CPU: Pentium III or Athlon XP. CPU SPEED: 933 MHz
• GPU: AGP Video Card with 32 MB and a DirectX 8.1 compatible driver (GeForce2+ /Radeon 7500+)
• RAM: Minimum 256 MB
• OS: Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP
• Disc Space: 2 GB

But I don’t have a cracked Need For Speed Underground 2

But how do I get a cracked version you say? Don’t worry I have compiled everything you need to make the process as streamlined as possible. Follow the step by step guide below. To patch NFSU2 to widescreen.

How to Patch Need for Speed Underground 2 to Widescreen

Step 1: Download the Need For Speed Underground 2 Widescreen ZIP File Below

The first thing you should do is download the files below. Do this by clicking on the download link below. The file you download will contain a cracked version of NFSU2. It will also include the software you need to patch the game.

I have also included other cracked versions as a backup. This is in case the first one doesn’t work. Finally, you will find an EU car file and a US car file. I will explain more about that later. After you download the file move on to Step 2. 

Step 2: Extract the folder to your Desktop

When you have downloaded the ZIP folder. Create a new folder on your Desktop and name it “NFSU2 Widescreen”. It doesn’t really matter what you name it honestly. Just name it something you will remember so it is easy to find.

Next, go to the ZIP folder and open it. Extract the files inside the ZIP folder to your new folder “NFSU2 Widescreen”. After you have extracted the files to your new folder. Step 3 will tell you what to do with them. 

If you can’t open ZIP files I recommend downloading WinRAR. They’re the compression tool I use all the time. I love it because it’s free to use. 

Step 3: V1.2 Patch and Backup your files

Take a look in your new folder. You should see 5 folders and 2 other ZIP folders. The folders are:

• Cracked Speed2.exe
• EU Cars
• US Cars
• V1.2 patcher
• Wide Patcher
• Speed 2 (X2)

Firstly, open the V1.2 patcher folder. Here you will find the patcher for the US version of the game and the UK/EU version of the game. If you’re not from the EU. Use the US version and run the patcher. This will update your game files to the latest version of NFSU2. If you’re from the EU use the UK patcher to update your game files. 

Secondly, Go into the “cracked speed2.exe” folder. Here you will find a speed2.exe file. This is a cracked version of NFSU2. You need to copy this file into your Need For Speed Underground 2 root folder. 

However, before you do this. Please go to your Need For Speed U2 root folder. Find your original speed2.exe file and copy and paste it somewhere else. This is a backup file in case the patcher doesn’t work. Whatever you do. Do not replace this file with the cracked file. You could end up breaking your game. 

Step 4: Boot up UNIWS tool and Find speed2.exe

After you have replaced the original speed2.exe with the cracked version. Go back to the NFSU2 Widescreen folder and open the folder called widepatcher. Here you will find the uniws tool and patches file. 

Right-click and run as administrator. The widescreen patcher will boot up. At the top menu, you will be given the option to choose which game you want to patch. Click on Need For Speed Underground 2. 

When you do that. Click the “Find it for me” button. The tool will find the speed2.exe file in your NFSU2 root folder. 

Step 5: Set your Resolution and Patch the Game

Finally, type in the resolution you want to play the game on. In this case, it will be Screen Width: 1920, Height: 1080. When you have done this click the Patch button at the bottom right of the tool. 

You should be able to play the game on widescreen monitors now. Remember to set the screen resolution in-game to 640×480 to use this feature. 

Troubleshooting Need for Speed Underground 2 Widescreen

I cannot set the resolution to 1080

If you cannot set the resolution from inside the UNIWS tool. It means the speed2.exe file is not cracked. You need to go to the other speed2 files in the folder you downloaded from here. Extract them and repeat the process from step 3. However, you do not need to patch the game to v1.2 again.

My game keeps crashing when I exit shops and garages in free roam

This is annoying, isn’t it? Happened to me too. Fortunately, I have a solution. This is where the US and EU car files come into use. If you have the US version of the game. Go into the car directory in your Need for Speed Underground 2 root folder and copy and paste the EU car files in. Follow these steps:

• Step 1: Go back to your NFSU2 Widescreen folder and find the EU cars folder. There you will find the folders for the Peugeot 106 and Corsa. Copy these two folders
• Step 2: Locate your Need for Speed Underground 2 root folder
• Step 3: Open the root folder and find the cars folder. Open the car folder.
• Step 4: Paste the Peugeot 106 and Corsa folders in here.

That should stop the game from freezing when entering and exiting buildings in free roam. Repeat the same steps if you have the EU version of the game. Except, copy and paste the US cars into the cars folder.

The game is stuck on a black loading screen when I try to play it

For this bug, I searched around and found various solutions. So I will share them all with you here. The first solution is to always boot the game as an administrator. The second is to boot the game in compatibility mode especially if you are using Windows 10.

To set the game to always run as administrator and in compatibility mode. Follow the steps below:

• Step 1: Find the speed2.exe file in your Need for Speed root folder
• Step 2: Right-click on it and select Properties. Look for the Compatibility mode option.
• Step 3: Select the Compatibility tab at the top right
• Step 4: Click the option “Run this program in compatibility mode for”. This will be selected when you see the tick in the box.
• Step 5: Click Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Step 6: Scroll down and select the option to run this program as administrator

Boot up your game and try it out. The crashes should be gone.

Other pesky bugs

If you insert the UK cars into the US game. And vice versa with the US cars. You may run into some freezing issues. If you are playing the US version of the game and select an EU car.

Sometimes the game may freeze during load screens. This same thing occurs if you select a US car when playing the EU game. I have yet to find a solution to this. The only way to get around it is to not use the foreign cars. Let me know if you have found another way around this.

Conclusion

If you have followed the 5 simple steps. You should be able to play Need For Speed Underground 2 in widescreen. Make sure to reach out in the comment section if you have any issues or questions. If you enjoyed the guide. I recommend you check out more gaming guides here. Trust me you’ll like them.