Proto:Need for Speed: Underground

This page details one or more prototype versions of Need for Speed: Underground.

PS2 Demo

A demo version of Need for Speed: Underground was featured in the Winter 2003 Jampack, as well as in the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine Europe Demo 40. This build is from slightly earlier in development, probably from around July 2003.

Title Screen

OPSM2 Demo	Final

• The game's logo is different.
• The backgroung image is larger. In the final version, it is scaled down vertically with the final logo being repositioned up a bit.
• Due to the background image's scaling, the "Press Start" and copyright text were also moved up.
• The copyright info is white instead of light blue and also misses the © logo (The text "Copyright" is used in its place).

License Screen

• License screen mentions the cut Fabolous song "Young'n (Holla Back)" which plays while paused in the demo.

Cars

Removed Cars

• The Mini Cooper was meant to be featured in the game, but only its logo files remain here. The car's texture and model files don't exist, however.

• The demo also features a red traffic van and grayish-green sedan, which have different skins in the final version.

Cars

• The stock color for the Mitsubishi Eclipse was originally blue but was changed to black in the final release.
• The stock color for the Toyota Celica was originally red but was changed to yellow in the final release.
• All vehicles present having their manufacturer missing from the logo, with only the secondary logo present.
• Many manufacturer logos were different in the demo, and they were originally a solid color while in the final they look more realistic.
• Intercoolers and grill meshes use different textures.
• Cars lacked license plates.

Customization

• Paint uses different colors and has a much more limited selection.
• All vinyls featured in the demo came in a preset color with more elaborate designs and were mostly removed with only a few remaining as Unique vinyls in the final game.
• Front bumpers originally had no intercoolers or grill meshes which are also missing from rear bumpers. Widebodies have grill meshes but no intercoolers.
• Storm, Crank, Frenzy, and Rage rear bumpers originally made cars dual-exhaust.
• Many bumpers and widebodies that remove manufacturer badging from the car in the final still have badging present in this version, resulting in frequent clipping.
• The Shadow front bumper originally lacked texture mapping for the lights present in the final version.
• The Tri-Slot custom hood was originally named "Carbon-R".
• The Supernova spoiler was originally fully carbon fiber on the Eclipse and Celica, while on the Supra it looks the same as it does in the final game.
• Carbon fiber uses a different texture that is slightly darker.
• The stock engine originally showed when being highlighted on the engine upgrade screen.
• Custom engines and brakes are missing.
• Most exhausts are missing.
• Bright neons were present instead of pulse neons.
• Window tint was much more limited and only available in one level of green, red, and blue.
• The player was originally going to be able to paint the trim of the vehicle.
• The player could originally choose multiple rim sizes which was a feature later added in the sequels.
• Decals come in two sets as opposed to being individually chosen.

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  Paint selection

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  Widebody with grill mesh and no intercooler

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  Shadow Front Bumper with missing lights texture and no intercooler/grill mesh like all front bumpers

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  Crank with dual exhaust

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  Frenzy with dual exhaust

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  Rage with dual exhaust

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  Storm with dual exhaust

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  Tri-Slot (referred to as "Carbon-R")

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  Darker carbon fiber texture

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  Stock engine

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  Supernova on Eclipse with fully carbon fiber texture

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  Supernova on Celica with fully carbon fiber texture

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  Supernova on Supra with same look as final game

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  Blue window tint

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  Green window tint

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  Red window tint

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  Different rim sizes

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  Decal set 1

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  Decal set 2

Car Sounds

• Shifting, turbo spool and blow-off valves have different sounds.
• Tire squealing uses a different sound.
• NOS has a completely different and less audible sound effect.
• The Mitsubishi Eclipse's modified engine sound was higher pitched.
• The Ford Focus has a stock engine slighting differing from the final sound.
• The Toyota Supra has a stock engine sound that's more reminiscent of the 4-cylinder sounds present in the final version.

Menus

• The background was different on the main menu, showing a bumper cam of Chinatown.
• The clicking sounds on the menus were different.
• The icons in the car customization UI showed realistic pictures, while in the final it used a Mitsubishi Eclipse diagram. A similar fate goes for the race selection icons.
• English language strings in the final release use American spelling whereas the PS2 demo used Canadian spelling, clearly seen as "colour" is used instead of "color".
• The early track selection screen features an icon of a flag girl at the start line.
• The loading screens were very different.

OPSM2 Demo	Final

• In the final version the cars are driving down an endless tunnel, but here they are parked in a dark space.
• The car stats meters are different. A similar and larger design of the demo's meters are used in the Trade Car comparison screen in the final.

Visuals

The removed starting grid.

• Shaking effects were much more intense during drag races.
• The HUD looked slightly different from its final counterpart. Some elements used a different font, the "Laps" text was next to the lap counter instead of underneath it, and some elements which are orange in the final version are blue here.
• The road reflections have been downgraded since the early screenshots, but are still noticeably brighter compared to the final version.
• The turn signs behind the track were originally yellow. The track barriers were different as well.
• A completely different stormy gray skybox is used on all maps whereas in the final the maps use a mixture of a recolored blue, brown, and greenish-yellow sky.
• Maps are less detailed with different environmental textures and are less colorful.
• A different fog effect was present.
• A starting grid that was displayed at the bottom of the screen before races was removed.

Unused video

A placeholder cutscene video called "CarSel" which used for Underground mode, however it is only present in the PS2 demo.

Ps2 Prototype build

A beta build for the Ps2, dated September 5th, 2003.Same GameCube Prototype build but different a bit.

GameCube Prototype Build

A beta build for the Nintendo GameCube, dated September 10th, 2003, however files of the build date back to August 16th. This build was used for a French gaming magazine at the time, and still has quite a few differences compared to the final version.

Cars

• Most cars lack texturing for badges and logos on the vehicle.
• Tires have "BLACK BOX TIRES" written on them, this texture still exists in the final game.
• While driving, rims use a texture called "speedblur" depicting a rim in motion, this texture still exists in the final game.
• The VW Golf GTI and Peugeot 206 GTi, the only cars in Underground of European specification, are both RHD while they are LHD in the final version thus leaving Skyline as the only RHD vehicle in the final release.

Customization

• Paint options are expanded since the PS2 demo, but there's less options and colors still vary compared to final.
• Weight reductions, brake kits, and ECU / fuel systems were cut from the performance upgrades.
• You could select vinyls of story characters, such as Eddie, Samantha, and more.
• Decals exist in a primitive state; only three decals are available for use. Some other decals can be obtained via hex editing.
• The player could originally use decals depicting the vehicles manufacturer - this feature is broken as the decals do not load, and was cut from the final game entirely though decal textures for each vehicle brand still exist in the final game.

Menus

• Some menus still used a slightly different version of the PS2 demo background video.
• The main menus use an early version of the endless tunnel in the background, the tunnel here looked quite different.
• The icons in the car customization and track selection screens have changed, but appear smaller than the final version. Some icons were still different as well.
• The Style Points results screen was different.

Sounds

• The clicking sounds are different. Some are unique to this build while others are just higher pitched sounds from the PS2 demo.
• There was a different sound effect when you used nitrous.
• The only song in the build is the Fabolous song "Young'n (Holla Back)", which was removed from the final game. However, on the EA Trax menu 30 songs are listed, while in the final there's only 26, meaning three other songs were cut as well. Unfortunately, we might never know what these three other songs were, since on the EA Trax menu there are only placeholder names such as "Song 1", and the only song in the sound files is Young'n.
• Many voice files including a very high number of ones unused in the final game often play when navigating through the menu.

Removed Races and Game Modes

Two races exist in this build which were cut from the final version. Both of which were one make races, the first was a Miata race and the other was a Civic race.

Two game modes present in this build were also cut. Both of which have leftovers in the game's final version. First is the Tournament game mode, which is basically the same as the final version, except here it has its own quick race entry. The Theater option is also present in this build, before being removed in the final version.

Misc.

• The HUD looks similar to the PS2 demo, except Style Points are now present. However, on the HUD it simply says "SP", and the font used when earning Style Points were different.
• Road reflections are much more intense.
• The color of the turn signs behind the road have been updated, except they're now blue.
• The sky uses a completely different orange/brown skybox with a bright moon present.
• A video message system called VidCon was cut. Messages for drag and drift tutorials exist, however the drift message doesn't work.
• When you hit a wall during the Drift mode, you would've lost 500 points.
• Headlights and taillights would break when crashing in a drag race.
• The EA Trax popup looked completely different and had a different animation.