Just when NFS reached its peak, EA threw it into the gutter...
Gameplay: The gameplay of UG2 is different from previous NFSs. You now have a free-roaming city like in Midtown Madness, in which there are races and "special events" (which aren't so special at all, just the same races with bigger cash prizes or to get a picture of your car on a magazine). So you go to the race, and enter it. There are several types of races, there is Drag, where manual shifting is mandatory, then there's Drift, where the physics have been overdone to make you able to drift around 50 turns, there's a Speedtrap, in which you must try to go as fast as you can at certain points where they capture your speed, and then there's the usual point-to-point (called Sprint), lap and bordered races, all of them are fun, for a while, until they get boring to race 5 miles just for 800 Cr. (which is very low compared to the expenses you'll need). Perhaps the star of the gameplay is the customization, but I not being a fan of modifying won't give a good score for it, so 5/10. Graphics: Graphics aren't bad in UG2, but they aren't a big improvement either, better than its graphics are Hot Pursuit 2's. The textures of the buildings just seem to pop up as you get closer. The loading times are long, and the framerate hitches here and there. The only good aspect of the graphics are the lighting effects, but thanks to the fact that the graphics aren't a huge leap from past installments, the looks get only a good 7/10. Sound: Sound is pretty good, each car has its own great tone, however, I don't like rap, and thus hate the soundtrack, 7/10.
Value: The game will last quite a while, so long that before you can finish it you will get tired of it. 6/10
Just when NFS reached dominant status, EA had to dump the series into a pile of garbage with the introduction of Underground, and it decomposed even more by Underground 2, at least in my eyes.