Need for Speed: Underground
| Need for Speed: Underground | |
|---|---|
Cover art featuring Eddie's Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR34) | |
| Developer(s) | EA Black Box Pocketeers (GBA) |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Series | Need for Speed |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | November 17, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Need for Speed: Underground is a 2003 racing video game and the seventh installment in the Need for Speed series following Hot Pursuit 2 (2002). It was developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. Three different versions of the game were produced: one for consoles and Microsoft Windows, and another for the Game Boy Advance. An arcade version developed by Global VR and co-published by Konami came out two years later.
Unlike previous Need for Speed games, which featured sports cars and exotics, Underground featured vehicles associated with the import scene. It was the first game in the series to offer a career mode that features a comprehensive storyline, and a garage mode that allowed players to fully customize their cars with a large variety of brand-name performance and visual upgrades. All races take place in the fictional Olympic City.
Underground was critically and commercially successful, selling around 15 million units and receiving positive reviews. It was followed by Need for Speed: Underground 2 in 2004.