Whilst Electronic Arts were never likely to tamper too much with the formula that made their first Underground title such a commercial success, they seem happy to slowly accept new ideas to refine and expand the lucrative new arm of their Need For Speed franchise, doing so with varying degrees of success.

Most of the changes in the series’ second outing are in the presentation of the game’s career mode: gone are the endless menus backed by faceless voices and in their place sits a freely-roamable city backed by faceless voices. Whilst trying to instil a Grand Theft Auto-esque sense of freedom, the city simply elaborates the menu process by giving it a pretty face and a few knobs to play with. Instead of selecting an event from a menu it is necessary to drive to it instead. That being said, the city does provide a very pretty façade to its utilitarian operation. Whilst the game is not as visually or sonically impressive as its predecessor with a less successful combination of effects, there are some wonderful sights to be found and wandering the streets does provide some essential downtime between races to just play with the handling of each car. It’s just a shame that the city’s lack of character makes its streets far less memorable than they should be.

The handling of each vehicle does feature a pleasant degree of individuality and the handling model in general makes NFSU2 far more playable than its predecessor. Sliding and drifting can be controlled to a greater degree and cornering techniques have a marginally greater influence on speed than before. The Street X races accentuate these developments in the greatest manner, ironically more so than the actual racing circuit settings of the Underground Racing League. The compact nature of each Street X track demands that apexes be hit and braking points be met in order to retain any sort of speed through them. However, in a nod to accessibility, wall-riding is still a regretfully valid racing technique here. Though the opposition will not leave mistakes unpunished, clattering into walls provides an unsatisfying way to win whereas driving properly presents by contrast a more satisfying experience that is more likely to end in a loss.

Whilst the cars featured don’t lack character, their modifications do. For all that their unique handling models provide, a powerful counter-argument exists in the identikit add-ons that you can strap onto each vehicle which act to suppress any distinctiveness on offer. As only a handful of these will appeal to each individual, all cars in a player’s garage are likely to look very similar with the same body kits fitted to each. The necessity to upgrade to even more extravagant accessories in order to earn more respect remains from the series’ first title. This creates a watchful eye and an unnecessary shove in the back to usher players along the linear upgrade ladder that is often frustratingly limited by arbitrary barriers (as are many other aspects of the game) rather than pecuniary limitations.

Despite this controlled selection of upgrades and events, the formula remains oddly compelling. The mystery of what will come next adds a lot of allure to the game’s proceedings and whilst this magic lasts, it is enjoyable. However, the lack of real variation in tracks and add-ons is not and this slowly tears the experience apart. The winding mountain passes make a neat alternative to urban street racing but drifting is not quite refined enough to make any changes to racing tactics worthwhile. Whilst NFSU is enjoyable to some extent, it is inevitably held back by it simplicity, both in design and execution.