Uncover why EA’s newest racers could fall in need of capturing the charming expertise of Want for Pace Underground 2. Our evaluation delves into the important thing parts that made Underground 2 a fan-favourite and why the brand new video games could not fairly replicate its magic.
RELATED: The 12 Finest Video Video games of All Time
Fashionable gaming is a radically completely different pastime compared to the video games we liked twenty years in the past. The prevalence of “downloadable content material” introduced a brand new era of so-called “video games as a service”, which have remodeled the artistic course of as a complete. Maybe the very best instance of that is EA’s Want for Pace collection – which occurs to be almost unrecognizable nowadays.
Should you ask any fan, they’ll more than likely inform you that the collection peaked in 2004, with the discharge of Want for Pace Underground 2. This entry epitomized the rebellious teen spirit of the early 2000s. It resonated with gamers via a carefree perspective, hip-hop soundtrack, and arcane customization techniques that allowed for limitless tweaking of import tuner vehicles. It grew to become a mainstream hit that also maintains a devoted cult following at the moment because of its anti-authority ethos and nostalgic fashion.
Nevertheless, the trendy triple-A recreation trade is dominated by large budgets, franchises, and secure artistic bets. Growing a $60 recreation now prices $100 million or extra, requiring enormous publishing investments and return on funding. Authentic concepts are uncommon, as most video games search to exploit current IP for continued franchise income.
Creativity is stifled by concentrate on monetization, predatory microtransactions, huge business attraction, and maximizing gameplay hours, relatively than coronary heart or persona. That’s one of many most important the reason why the Want for Pace collection has sort of misplaced its edge. By comparability, take the unique Want for Pace: Most Wished from 2005 and distinction it with its 2012 counterpart. The distinction is evening and day.
RELATED: These Are the High 13 Finest Anime Video games of All Time
One thing comparable occurred lately with the discharge of Want for Pace Unbound. Although the title aimed to recapture the rebellious perspective of Underground 2, the reality is that it felt pressured, and downright synthetic in doing so.
It’s additionally price mentioning that it might merely be unattainable to seize Underground 2‘s lightning in a bottle. The occasions had been completely different again then. With the large reputation of the Quick and the Livid collection, tuning import vehicles had been thought-about the last word image of rebellious standing. A recreation like Underground 2, with its almost limitless customization, was simply the sort of factor gamers needed to see in a online game.
Right now, tuning vehicles like they used to do in Pimp My Experience is a relic of the previous. It might be laborious to promote a racing recreation merely on its customization high quality alone. If gross sales titans like Forza and Gran Turismo are struggling in at the moment’s market, think about what’s left for one thing like Want for Pace. Arcade racers have gone almost extinct on this gaming era – save for some Italian plumber and his go-karting antics.
RELATED: Every little thing We Need To See In A MDK Video Sport Reboot
Nonetheless, even when we’d by no means get a recreation with such simple top quality as Want for Pace Underground 2, we’d have the subsequent neatest thing coming our method. Lately, EA launched its Lifeless Area remake – and it’s completely good. If they’ll sustain this pattern, and remake Underground 2 on a contemporary engine – capitalizing on its nostalgia issue – EA may at the very least discover a solution to pay tribute to what’s undisputably the very best Want for Pace ever made.