By Jassi Rea Bacha on June 23rd, 2004

You probably remember the fast-paced street racing thriller Need for Speed: Underground made by EA Games, well now there’s two. Yeah that’s right, two. The amazing graphics and awesome cars have come back, and now they’re even better. You’d expect that a second version would be better, right? Try unbelievable. There’s more tracks, and some gameplay improvements, plus a ton more car customization options.

The most talked about fact of the game seems to be that the tracks will be longer.. about 5 times it’s original size (200km). It also features five cities. In the videos I’ve seen it seems to have LA and New York in it, I also saw a Burger King in the footage.

One of the cooler things in the game is that challenges are continually unlocked during gameplay, and you’re notified of these events on your Cingular Wireless cell phone. Accepting races from other drivers and winning gets you cash, allows access to more races, opens stores that give you access to more parts, and can grant you discounts at certain stores for temporary amounts of time.

One of the new challenges available is an "outrun" race. You can start either behind or in front of your opponent, and the goal is to get 300 meters ahead of the other driver, if you get 300 meters behind.. you’re out.

Not much has been revealed about the plot.. what’s known is that you’ve been forced to flee the city and must make your name known all over again. Luckily a girl anmed Rachel’s there to help you along your way. She serves as your guide and provides tips about making it big. Best of all she’s played by the beautiful Brooke Burke, the model/actress that’s quarter-anually in MAXIM.

The developers have listened to complaints more than 30 cars. Tuners will be able to tweak them out more than ever before. Thankfully, there are simplified kits and packages that are easy for noobs to use.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Need for Speed Underground 2 makes it huge this year. It’s got a great look so far, amazing technical aspects, more variety than its original version, and Brooke Burke! I’ve no doubt that the game is going to totally own and I can’t wait to learn more about it.