I have taken an inner journey through my being of late. I have discovered the many potentials and possibilities of the human spirit, and in doing so, I have embraced even the darkest aspect of man's heart… the inner ricer. I am referring, of course, to one of the latest titles in EA's "keepin' it street" campaign, Need For Speed Underground. Much as it might conflict with my personality the other six days of the week, today I will be endorsing two things I normally deplore: riced-up street racing, and the genres of music which accompany it.

Despite my natural aversion to street racing and the genres of rap/numetal music, I did dutifully enjoy this game, which is overtly gifted in both respects. This means that either A) the developers did an exceptionally good job in the production and presentation of the title, or B) they go so far off-track from what the racing genre fanbase usually enjoys that the game will be an unmitigated failure with race game fans. I'm banking for the former.

The actual gameplay of NFSU is fairly basic. Assuming one chooses automatic transmission, the most they have to worry about is turning left and right, acceleration, and braking. Hand-braking and nitro boosts are relegated primarily to Drift and Drag race modes, respectively. Where the game becomes more involved and challenging is where the player learns that it is not always so important to plant a lead weight on the gas and steer around obstacles so much as it is to learn when to brake, how to turn, and who to run into the walls. Often, the game comes down to less of a "whose engine is bigger" and more of a "who can navigate more proficiently". There is a certain elegant vicious nature inherent in the game, as the best way to get ahead of the pack is to ensure the pack is plowing into a cement barrier or oncoming traffic at 180mph. Getting through oncoming vehicles during rush hour on the wrong side of the highway spells the difference between those who cross the finish line into the waiting arms of their disco bunny admirers, and those who spend the evening hacking up exhaust fume-flavored phlegm.

The race tracks in the game are all based in a single cityscape, but can vary nicely as each is comprised of different segments that the designers mixed n' matched with the use of strategically placed barriers. Track reversals are also common, and while at times this does lend an air of "seen it done it" to the whole affair, you'll appreciate knowing that the next curve coming up at breakneck speeds requires a drift to successfully negotiate. The adventurous gamer can often be rewarded with shortcuts, which not only reduce lap time, but also award style points. Which brings us to the keystone of the whole game. At certain stages, you will be awarded vehicle upgrades, but you can constantly be gaining visual upgrades, in respect to body and appearance changes for your vehicle. The non-performance upgrades also increase your reputation rating, or style points, which go towards unlocking sequential series of non-performance upgrades. The more styling your car, the more people admire you, the more you can style it out again tomorrow. It's a vicious circle.

Representing the 'hood aside, even the most proficient road raging gamer will often be stymied by several aspects of the AI. Firstly, the game has a "catch-up" mode (which can be disabled in Free Ride gameplay, but not Underground, or "story" gameplay), one that brings no end of grief when the player's eight second lead suddenly drops to two seconds for no apparent reason whatsoever. Second, when approaching an intersection, particularly during drag racing, the game will time a vehicle to cross into your path, taking it to the ridiculous extreme of stopping, slowing, or accelerating to better intercept and disable the player. This can be incredibly frustrating at later drag stages in the game, where a single scrape or impact will instantly total your car and force a restart. AI aside, the sheer power of the cars when fully upgraded often seems to be beyond control, resulting in wild fishtailing, unpredictable reactions to impact, and power drifts beyond the ken of mortal man. Often during gameplay, something as seemingly insignificant as an embedded railway or low curb could launch a car into the air at ludicrous speeds that inevitably resulted in spine-shattering closure.

The only other unfortunate aspect to the game is the multiplayer. Few races reach completion without a player being accused of cheating, and racers with certain brands of car with be labeled cheap and locked out of races. Delightful torrents of vulgarities and abuse in the lobby signal the successful closure of another battle for street rep. But then, that more or less describes every multiplayer game ever, so your online experience may vary. From a technical perspective, there do not appear to be any issues, aside from a slight presence of latency at the unpatched retail release.

These aspects aside, the experience NFSU delivers is largely enjoyable, with ridiculous speeds, overtly shiny graphics, and car customization taken to an extreme that only an enthusiast could hope to fully appreciate. All the vehicles in the game are licensed brands, as are the varied parts and upgrades the player can install. When it comes down to not only installing new parts, but then choosing part brands that have no impact on your car's performance in any means other than knowing their tires come from Toyo and their rims from Enkei, you know they're catering to the hardcore community. But don't let that discourage the layman from approaching this title. Even a novice enthusiast can customize their vehicle's visual presentation with dozens of body upgrades, from bumpers to hoods, roofs to mufflers, rims to spoilers. Moreover, these parts and more can be custom painted, decaled, or applied with hundreds of custom vinyl combinations. The ideal Christmas gift for all those charming lads with too-large, too-low jeans who've always wanted to pimp out dad's Saturn with a pulsing pink neon underbelly and chromed headlights.

Getting down to the details, the game incorporates several racing styles, including: Circuit - a simple series of laps, Knock-Out - where the last car in each lap is removed from the race, Sprint - a single lap race from point A to B, Drift - where the player attempts to slide around corners at odd angles to score big points, and Drag - where the racer frantically attempts to multitask accelerating, timed-shifting, nitro, and avoiding oncoming traffic.

Overall, I found this game to be surprisingly addictive, though incredibly frustrating at later stages in the game. I'd recommend it to most people, with the qualifying mention that the physics are not terribly grounded in reality, and the repetitive scenery can wear a little thin by the halfway point.