“ | Welcome to Underground Mode! Your racing career starts here. Take on the toughest drivers on the street and prove you are the ultimate racer. Winners earn cool unlocks and upgrades. Losers go home. | ” |
— In-game description
|
Underground Mode in Need for Speed: Underground, also referred to as "Go Underground" in the main menu, is a single-player career mode.
It follows the player's character as they rise through the street racing scene in Olympic City, a fictional interpretation of many cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Paris, and London.[1]
As the player progresses through Underground Mode, the selection of events offered may be given as single invitations or in batches, and once all events in a batch have been completed, a new batch is unlocked, as well as increase their placement in the various ranking leader boards and earn opportunities to have their car featured on magazine covers.
They will also unlock courses for Quick Race, cars for purchase, improved performance parts, visual customsiation options, and decals.
Throughout the career, the player can earn Style Points as they compete in events, which accumulates towards unlocking rewards. The amount earned from an event can be increased by equipping visual parts to the car used in Underground Mode, as the reputation level tied to it equates to a points multiplayer applied after an event has concluded.
Difficulty[]
Easy[]
- Opponents rarely dodge traffic or use shortcuts
- Opponents rarely brake entering corners or block passes
- Opponents make more mistakes and drive slower
- Lowest Bank rewards
Medium[]
- Opponents can dodge traffic or use shortcuts
- Opponents may brake entering corners or block passes
- Opponents might make mistakes and drive fast
- Moderate Bank rewards
Hard[]
- Opponents are very likely to dodge traffic or use shortcuts
- Opponents will almost always brake entering corners or block passes
- Opponents rarely make mistakes and drive very fast
- Highest Bank rewards
Career[]
Prologue[]
The player is put behind the wheel of a custom 2000 Acura Integra Type R just as a street race is about to start.
After the race, it is revealed the prologue race was the player explaining their street racer fantasy to Samantha, a fellow street racer versed in Olympic City's illicit racing scene, but she quips at the player's fantasy before pointing out Eddie, the leader of The Eastsiders, and describes him as a well respected racer with a winning attitude matching his custom 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R.
After Samantha asks to see the player's car, they notice Eddie's girlfriend, Melissa, in the crowd before being pulled away by Samantha.
Samantha takes pity on the player and decides to help them gain their footing in the street racing scene by showing them how to access events hosted by other racers. She also explains beating other racers in events is the only way to succeed or else they'll be shut out from the scene.
Chapter 1[]
Sam helps the player with their first steps towards the top of Olympic City's illicit racing scene. She contacts Jose to vet the player's skill and ability behind a steering wheel, which helps them earn enough respect to be invited to drift events with Dirt and drag events with Klutch.
Eventually, the player is invited to their first tournament against other rookie racers, and leave such a impression they're contacted by TJ - a mechanic offering the best custom parts - for a chance to gain a performance advantage.
Events
- #1: "Jose's Got Your Back"
- #2: "Last One There Is A Rotten Egg"
- #3: "It's All About Style And Finesse"
- #4: "The Perfect Shift"
- #5: "Last Place Is A Bad Place To Be"
Tournament
- #6: "Rookie Tournament"
Event
- #7: "TJ's Time Trial"
Event
- #8: "Atlantica Challenge"
Tournament
- #9: "All Go, No Show!"
Events
- #10: "Olympic Knockout"
- #11: "Drop The Klutch!"
- #12: "Cross-town Hustle"
- #13: "Time To Get Dirt-Y"
Tournament
- #14: "Downtown Series"
Chapter 2[]
The player has proved they know how to race, having won the "Rookie Tournament", "All Go, No Show!", and "Downtown Series" tournaments. Now they've established themselves within Olympic City's illicit racing scene, they can start progressing through the ranking leader boards and take Eddie's spot as the top racer, although he's not going to just let the player take their top spot.
As the player continues to build their reputation, beat more events, and get their car featured on magazine covers, they'll be introduced to Todd and Chad - two members of Eddie's crew: The Eastsiders - as they make themselves known as the player reaches the fifth tournament: "Dead Calm".
Event
- #15: "Jail Break"
Events
- #16: "Style Guide"
- #17: "New Kids in Town"
- #18: "A Glowing Reception"
- #19: "The Only Way to Go Is Up"
Tournament
- #20: "Saturday Night Drive"
Events
- #21: "Gut Check Time"
- #22: "Sprint Challenge"
Events
- #23: "Steeltown Sprint"
- #24: "One Down, Two to Go"
Event
- #25: "A Little Dirt Won't Hurt"
Event
- #26: "Keep Them Coming"
Events
- #27: "Wrong Place, Right Time"
- #28: "Loud And Proud"
- #29: "Scouting Report"
Tournament
- #30: "Dead Calm"
Chapter 3[]
The player has begun to set themselves up as a racer worth taking seriously in Olympic City's illicit racing scene, having already shown tot hold their own against Todd and Chad - two members of Eddie's crew: The Eastsiders - as well as taken their fifth tournament win in "Dead Calm".
Having already taken on The Eastsiders' sprint and drag specialists, the player is introduced to Kurt, their circuit specialist, and he doesn't want them progressing any further.
As the player becomes a real force within the scene, Jose challenges them to a race for old times sake, but Dirt and Klutch also do the same as a means to bump up their own credibility for a chance to take on The Eastsiders.
Events
- #31: "Outtasite!"
- #32: "World of Hurt"
Event
- #33: "Drift to the 9's"
Events
- #34: "Sleeper Shootout"
- #35: "Earn Your Stripes"
Event
- #36: "For the Ladies"
Event
- #37: "No Love From Kurt"
Tournament
- #38: "Import Tuner Drift Event"
Events
- #39: "Inner City Knockout"
- #40: "Play the Spoiler"
- #41: "Crosstown Dash"
Event
- #42: "The New Muscle In Town"
Events
- #43: "Where There's Smoke, There's..."
- #44: "Get Sideways"
- #45: "No Way, Jose"
Event
- #46: "Double Klutch"
Event
- #47: "Blue Light Special"
Tournament
- #48: "Get The Point!"
Events
- #49: "National Rail Knockout"
- #50: "Sliding Made Easy"
Events
- #51: "Deal Yourself a Straight Hand"
- #52: "Lucky 7"
Events
- #53: "Go Jose"
- #54: "Mad Dash"
- #55: "All The Eyes Are On You"
Events
- #56: "Kick Out That Tail"
- #57: "Chad's Back"
- #58: "And Then There Was One"
Event
- #59: "Friendly Competition"
Events
- #60: "Bright Lights Big Spoiler"
- #61: "Stadium Sprint"
- #62: "Glow, Baby, Glow!"
- #63: "Straight Up"
- #64: "Free Style"
Event
- #65: "Drift Mania"
Tournament
- #66: "Art Center Sprint Tourney"
Chapter 4[]
The player is now seen as a legitimate racer with a winning attitude and successfully established themselves within Olympic City's illicit racing scene, having beaten their eighth tournament.
As the player has now become a notable racer in the scene, but before they can take on Eddie, they have to take on one of the other well established racers: Samantha.
Having challenged the player time and time again, The Eastsiders are outmatched in every event, to which Chad, Todd, and Kurt each eventually realise, leading to them each to get a new car for the sole reason of stopping the player from reaching the top.
Event
- #67: "Legit"
Event
- #68: "Dead of Night"
Tournament
- #69: "Rush Hour"
Events
- #70: "Mano e Mano"
- #71: "Who's Got Endurance?"
- #72: "Draw Bridge Blitz"
Events
- #73: "Drift for Fifth"
- #74: "Late Night Rush"
- #75: "Bring It"
Event
- #76: "It's Klutch Time"
Event
- #77: "Samantha's Big Tease"
Event
Event
- #79: "Enjoy the City Skyline"
Tournament
- #80: "First Dibs"
Events
- #81: "Round And Round And Round We Go"
- #82: "Moving On Up"
- #83: "Dragging On"
- #84: "Skirt the Issue"
Events
- #85: "High Profile"
- #86: "Four Play"
Events
- #87: "Top 3"
- #88: "Three-Three-Three"
- #89: "Hoods Are Slippery When Wet"
Events
- #90: "Special Preference"
Tournament
- #91: "Eddie's Posse Part 1"
Events
- #92: "Drift Duel"
- #93: "Chad's New Toy"
Event
- #94: "Into the Fire"
Event
- #95: "Kurt's Killer Ride"
Event
- #96: "Mods to the Max"
Events
- #97: "Draggin' Slayer"
- #98: "Circuit Dustoff"
- #99: "Mistakes Are Costly"
Event
- #100: "Extra Innings"
Tournament
- #101: "Eddie's Posse, Part 2"
Chapter 5[]
The player is become a heavyweight within Olympic City's illicit racing scene, having beaten the members of The Eastsiders twice in two separate tournaments, and is gunning for Eddie - their leader - and his top spot as the best street racer in Olympic City.
There's only a few other heavyweights standing in their way, as the player will need to claim the #1 spots for each of the ranking leader boards before they get a shot at Eddie's title, and there's a chance to take on TJ as to give Sam back her car.
All of which culminates in Eddie taking on the player in "Wrath of Eddie" as Eddie's last chance to stop the player from taking his title - "Let's do this! It's on!".
Events
- #102: "Toughest ‘n Roughest"
- #103: "Enduro Street Circuit"
Event
- #104: "Drift Devil"
Event
- #105: "Rotary Engine Drag"
Events
- #106: "#1 Racer"
- #107: "Drag King"
- #108: "Drift Champ"
- #109: "Sprint Supremacy"
Event
- #110: "Good Samaritan"
Event
- #111: "Wrath of Eddie"
Epilogue[]
The player has beaten Eddie and taken his spot as the best street racer in Olympic City. There's one problem though, a mysterious racer that's been shadowing them throughout building their reputation challenges them to a race.
After the race, it's revealed to be Melissa - Eddie's girlfriend - as she walks towards the player from her car. Although as she's walking towards the player, Samantha utters "is that your fantasy?"
- #112: "Legend of the Street"
Trivia[]
- In Underground Mode, the narrative starts with the player explaining a street racing fantasy they had to Samantha, to which she retorts "is that your fantasy?". After she explains why Eddie is the top racer and the player picks their starter car, they lock eyes with Melissa through a crowd, although Samantha pulls them out of their trance. In a cutscene following the final event - "Legend of the Street" - Samantha utters the "is that your fantasy?" line again, leaving the epilogue event against Melissa ambiguous as to if it occurred or if it was a fantasy.
- In the introduction cutscene for the career mode in Need for Speed: Underground 2, it is retconned that the player did race against Melissa as Samantha says "You took out Eddie; scored the babe. Have you thought about what's next?".
References[]
- ↑ Irish, D. (2003). Need for Speed Underground: Primas Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games, p.82.