Two decades ago, a fiery sense of indignation consumed my 10-year-old self. The reason behind this was the release of Need for Speed: Underground (NFSU), a game that, at the time, clashed with my aspirations of evading the law in a Lamborghini Murciélago. Instead, it insisted on compelling me to meticulously craft a Civic Coupe destined for the cover of Super Street.
However, the dissenting opinions of my younger self were inconsequential, for Underground became an unparalleled sensation. It capitalized on the burgeoning mainstream enthusiasm for tuner culture and street racing ignited by The Fast and the Furious movie two years prior, steering the course of the genre for the entire decade. Now, after two decades, it proudly stands as one of the most pivotal racing games in history.
Depending on your age, this game might be the reason you and your comrades could effortlessly rap along to "Get Low" by Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz—the censored version, naturally. Or, it might be the catalyst for your familiarity with brands like HKS and DC Sports, or your fond memories of Import Tuner Magazine. NFSU proved to be the perfect game at the perfect time, a sentiment reflected in its exceptional market performance. While estimates in this domain can be somewhat ambiguous, the decision to reboot NFS in the realm of street racing resulted in a sales surge of at least double or, depending on your data source, potentially up to tenfold.
Underground's triumph demands respect, while there were games with a vague resemblance prior, such as Rockstar's Midnight Club or Genki's Tokyo Xtreme Racer series, they failed to seize the zeitgeist in the manner that NFSU effortlessly accomplished. Consequently, the ensuing years witnessed a flood of imitative attempts from various publishers hoping to capitalize on the trend.
Street Racing Syndicate and Juiced joined the fray, while established arcade racing titles like Test Drive and Rush underwent a tuner-themed rebranding, albeit without matching the critical or commercial success.
EA continued to explore the street racing theme for several years. Underground spawned an open-world sequel, followed by the beloved Most Wanted, Carbon, ProStreet, and Undercover, before the series underwent a transformation with the sim-like NFS Shift and the 2010 Hot Pursuit reboot— the first NFS entry developed by Criterion Games, creators of Burnout. It's fair to say that the franchise never quite recaptured the lightning in a bottle it had in the mid-2000s.
Most recently, EA effectively put NFS on hold after the release of NFS Unbound in December, a game that blended Underground's streetwise theme with cel-shaded flair.
