Modern gaming is a radically different hobby in comparison to the games we loved two decades ago. The prevalence of “downloadable content” brought a new generation of so-called “games as a service”, which have transformed the creative process as a whole. Perhaps the best example of this is EA’s Need for Speed series – which happens to be nearly unrecognizable these days. If you ask any fan, they’ll most likely tell you that the series peaked in 2004, with the release of Need for Speed Underground 2. But with gaming evolving so dramatically, can EA ever recapture the magic that made it legendary? Sadly, for many, the answer is clear: Need for Speed is dead.
Why EA’s Business Model Killed Need for Speed’s Soul
Need for Speed Underground 2 epitomized the rebellious teen spirit of the early 2000s. It resonated with players through a carefree attitude, hip-hop soundtrack, and arcane customization systems that allowed for endless tweaking of import tuner cars. It became a mainstream hit that still maintains a dedicated cult following today due to its anti-authority ethos and nostalgic style.
However, the modern triple-A game industry is dominated by massive budgets, franchises, and safe creative bets. Developing a $60 game now costs $100 million or more, requiring huge publishing investments and return on investment. Original ideas are rare, as most games seek to milk existing IP for continued franchise revenue.
Creativity is stifled by focus on monetization, predatory microtransactions, wide commercial appeal, and maximizing gameplay hours, rather than heart or personality. That’s one of the main reasons why the Need for Speed series has kind of lost its edge. By comparison, take the original Need for Speed: Most Wanted from 2005 and contrast it with its 2012 counterpart. The difference is night and day.
Something similar happened recently with the release of Need for Speed Unbound. Though the title aimed to recapture the rebellious attitude of Underground 2, the truth is that it felt forced, and downright artificial in doing so.
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Car Culture Has Changed And Arcade Racers Are a Dying Breed
It’s also worth mentioning that it would simply be impossible to capture Underground 2‘s lightning in a bottle. The times were different back then. With the massive popularity of the Fast and the Furious series, tuning import cars were considered the ultimate symbol of rebellious status. A game like Underground 2, with its nearly limitless customization, was just the kind of thing players wanted to see in a video game.
Today, tuning cars like they used to do in Pimp My Ride is a relic of the past. It would be hard to sell a racing game simply on its customization quality alone. If sales titans like Forza and Gran Turismo are struggling in today’s market, imagine what’s left for something like Need for Speed. Arcade racers have gone nearly extinct in this gaming generation – save for some Italian plumber and his go-karting antics.
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Fans are still customizing Need For Speed Underground cars on TikTok:
Could an Underground 2 Remake Be the Answer?
Even if we might never get a game with such undeniable high quality as Need for Speed Underground 2, we might have the next best thing coming our way. In 2023, EA released its Dead Space remake – and it’s absolutely perfect. If they can keep up this trend, and remake Underground 2 on a modern engine – capitalizing on its nostalgia factor – EA might at least find a way to pay tribute to what is undisputably the best Need for Speed ever made.
That said, it’s 2025, and we haven’t seen a new Need for Speed game since 2022. The only title on the horizon is Need for Speed Mobile (or Need for Speed: Assemble in some regions)—a free-to-play mobile game that hardly inspires confidence. Has the franchise finally stalled out for good? Many fans think so. A Need for Speed: Underground 2 remake could be the jumpstart the series desperately needs to escape the scrapyard and win back its audience. But at this point… is it already too late?
Below is a 4K modded version of the game that features ray tracing, showing us just what it could look like:
Tell us, do you think the Need for Speed franchise is dead, or could EA resurrect it with an Underground 2 remake or a new game with a similar style?
All they REALLY had to do was make the driving fun and stop rubberbanding. I absolutely destroy in the realistic physics in the sim games including horizon. I gave a solid shot to a couple of the later NFS games and kept getting wrecked by AI that shouldn’t have been able to catch back up or by the driving that felt like I was playing an arcade cabinet. That’s why their games sucked.
Underground 2 resurrecting NFS?? Not a chance
But remake of Highstakes or Underground 1 or Mostwanted surely will.
Lol NFS was dead by the late 90s. The Underground games were pure and utter trash. The cars handled like shopping trolleys. Only low IQ, Fast and Furious loving morons like this particular spin on the series, always did.
Criterion were the only ones that shined a bit of hope on the entire series again with their two games. But every garbage Frostbite engine powered NFS game since, has Underground mediocrity running through their veins.
I was in my early 20’s when Underground 2 dropped, and was into not only the games, but the music, culture and cars (of course!). I’ve played a few games in the series since then, but eventually gravitated into the world is sim racing quite heavily.
I recently wanted to play one of the newer Need for Speed games, and picked up NFS: Heat dirt cheap during the Winter sales. I’m thoroughly impressed with this game to be honest, so far. In my research, many reviewers felt that his game is the closest that EA has come to finding the magic that was in the Underground series and Criterion’s Hot Pursuit – I agree with this sentiment. The car handling is great for this style of racing, and the lack of rubber band AI is fantastic. I’m early into the game, but so far I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen of the world, characters and story.
I’ve not played Unbound, so I can’t comment on it. I would say that it does seem that NFS: Heat breathed some much needed life into the series. I’m not sure that I say the series is fully dead at this point.