"Why this game is so popular I'll never know..."

You see them everywhere. Cars that have been modified to look 'cooler', and possibly to improve performance. It's all been going on since the success of the film 'The Fast and the Furious', and then the game 'Need for Speed: Underground', which happens to be at #10 in my top 10 racing games list.

This game, based on the film of the same name, has become really popular in arcades. I know, because in the last two weeks before doing this review, I was staying in Orlando, Florida for a holiday and I saw this game in all but two of the arcades that I went to.

However, I had little idea why, as the game itself is pretty poor. Just about the only reason I can think of is that it's a street racing game, with potential to modify the car. This sort of thing has become popular recently, but with the game NFS: Underground mentioned earlier, there is little point in other such games existing.

This game is a perfect example. It is probably the most stereotypical game I have ever seen, both in street racing and how arcade games now work.

Graphics

Quite good quality, but the frame rate sometimes stutters. This gives the impression that the game isn't quite polished. NFS: Underground easily has far superior graphics to this game. The graphics are in no way bad, but are not great.

Sound

The sound isn't a masterpiece either. The music has little variety and does not feel special at all. The announcement of 'Ready, Set, Go' is annoying once you've heard it a few times. I would sooner listen to the droning of some music in Daytona USA which can be annoying to some people (admittedly, not me) than the 'ready, set, go' of this game.

Gameplay

Some games can be ruined by poor graphics or sound. This isn't, because it isn't a very good game to start with. The game is very clumsy, with the feel of the car as though it is in a cartoon. The so-called 'rubber-band effect' is vastly overdone, the skill level you have has absolutely no effect on your finishing position whatsoever.

Races are too short, after two minutes the race is over and you only get another race if you finish first (which is rare). The time limit is useless, you're going to finish the race anyway. The idea of entering a code to keep track of progress is poor, the game is too expensive to play frequently ($1 for two minutes of play, or £1 where I live in England) and it just doesn't work in arcades. This game simply does not belong.

Lifespan

You WILL stop playing this game after a (short) while, unless you devote yourself to playing this game until you master it (in which case you haven't listened to me). The game will not hold your interest like other arcade racers can, even if this one has more tracks and cars than them.

Overall

Avoid this game. It's a complete waste of money when you could buy NFS: Underground for $20 or so. If you only play NFS for an hour, you'd have received more money's worth than playing The Fast and the Furious for the same amount of time (it's also probably cheaper).

There are worse racing games, and I mean MUCH worse racing games, but this game is much further from being the best than the worst. I actually hate this game for having more popularity than it deserves.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/07