Having slapped a PC ZONE Essential sticker on the bonnet of Need for Speed: Underground back in issue 137, imagine the hysteria on finding its multiplay offers PC versus PlayStation 2 duels. We dream daily of tackling our console cousins online with Pro Evo, but this is a most welcome aperitif.
How on earth does EA do it? Well, here's the catch. The only way to play any NFSU game online is via its dedicated servers. Yes, that means no modem-free LAN play at all. You've got to log on to EA's 'lobby', open an account by setting your user name and password, choose up to four opponents to race (harder than it sounds), and then log back on to post results. The machine which set the race up becomes the server during the actual race. All clever stuff, but it doesn't hide that fact that console spods at least have the option of single-telly, split-screen, whereas we get chuff all. Charming.
Ea-Sy Does It
Ironically, EA's big brother approach hasn't stopped the cheating. A rolling message in the lobby apologises for the lack of a current league table, due to hacking. Could disgruntled LANsters be behind such stunts?
On a positive note, there's a reliable system in place to grade players by ability. The temptation to take on some punk rated 'impossible' proved too great, but we were soon to regret such impudence as he sprayed our windscreen with gravel and then proceeded to lap us three times - in a two-lap race. Understandably, there was more fun to be had toying with 'easy' and 'even'-rated racers, although inexperienced drivers did seem to be a little thin on the ground.
It's nigh on impossible to tell whether you're playing against a console jockey or a PC racer, so congratulations must go to EA's men in white coats for pulling off such a feat. Interestingly enough, developer Black Box reckons the two versions are nigh on identical, with both using exactly the same cars, scenery and AI. PS2 gamers do tend to suffer a blurring effect at high speeds (an anti-aliasing trick to compensate for lower frame-rates), but the advantage of those sublime dual analogue controllers over our coffee-stained cursor keys more or less evens things out.
You'll also be pleased to learn that cherished vehicles which have been tuned, modded and nitro-ed to high heaven in single-player can be used in ranked races online, where you can choose any course and number of laps. What's more, unranked races use some powerful predetermined marques.
Feel The Need
We're pleased to see that drag and drift races are available when you're burning rubber with friends, alongside the demanding circuit loops. The drag racing sections truly capture the magic of the recent The Fast And The Furious flicks, and these one-on-one cock-fights make for a refreshing change after endless laps of spittle-covered urban wasteland.