Proto:Need for Speed: Underground 2/PS2 Demo

This page details one or more prototype versions of Need for Speed: Underground 2.

A demo version of the PS2 Need for Speed: Underground 2 was featured on multiple demo discs, including the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine Europe Demo 53 as well as a promotional demo in Burnout 3: Takedown.

The demo was built on May 26, 2004, five months before the final build, resulting in quite a few differences. It also strangely contains some old leftovers from Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

General differences

• The logo is different.
• The PSA is different.
• The intro is completely different.
• The title screen is different.

Interface

• The menus use "The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame" (2003) by Atmosphere, while in-game, it uses "Switch/Twitch" (2003) by Fluke and "Notice of Eviction" (2003) by The Bronx.
• The background is different. This same background can also be found in GLOBALB.BUN in Most Wanted, albeit unused.
• The option menus have a black background.
  • Additionally, Sound Effects Volume is placed above Menu and Game Music Volume, and the option to adjust Speech & Movie Volume is not available.
  • Only Dolby Pro Logic and Stereo audio options are available.
• The loading screens are slightly different.
• The shop icons are shown as squares on the minimap instead of circles in the final game.
• The shop backgrounds are completely different and are reminiscent of certain concept art. They are shown as simple 2D backgrounds instead of 3D backgrounds.
• In the performance upgrades screen, the car's weight would have been shown. "Power" is also referred to as "Horsepower".
• When upgrading cars, the color of the stat bars was blue.
• On the main menu, Dyno Mode is referred to as "Test Track".
• The race layout is highlighted in light blue.

Cars

Removed cars

• The Acura NSX (NA2) was conceptualized for the game, as its logo and menu entry remain here.
• The Honda S2000 (AP1), Acura Integra Type R (DC2), and the Dodge Neon from Underground were likely planned to appear but removed from the final release. Each have logos and menu entries leftover in the demo.
  • However, one concept art depicted a yellow Integra Type R driving around in a warehouse.
• The Mitsubishi Lancer ES and Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS from Underground remain in the demo files, but unlike the other cars, their menu entries don't exist, although their car ID slots still remain. They were likely replaced with their performance trim variants, the Lancer Evolution VIII (CT9A) and Impreza WRX STi (GDB-D), which were both already present in the demo.
  • All removed cars were eventually restored for the PC version through the Olympic Imports mod.

• 

  Acura NSX Logo

• 

  Honda S2000 Logo

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  Acura Integra Type R Logo

• 

  Dodge Neon Logo

Customization

• Bumpers, skirts, and hoods are generally missing on most cars. The 350Z has all parts from Underground along with some new designs, whereas new additions to the roster have a smaller selection of newer and older parts.
• Each car present has its own set of vinyls with a very limited selection for each car.
• The demo still has hood decals enabled, they can be seen on some AI Imprezas and a Lancer Evolution VIII preset. This option still exists in the final game, and can be enabled through the debug menu or scripts.
• Originally, there were only four options for custom headlights and taillights, like in Underground, but a lot more were added in the final game. Additionally, only the 350Z and Lancer Evolution VIII have custom taillights and headlights available, whereas all others are missing.
• Most rims in the demo were ported from Underground with a few new options present.
• Tire size can be chosen in debug customization when selecting rims with three different sizes per inch, this is still available in the final debug menu.
• According to the debug car customizer, fenders were originally going to be customizable.

Vinyls

• 

  350Z Octo Vinyl (Side)

• 

  350Z Octo Vinyl (Hood)

• 

  3000GT Skull Vinyl (Side)

• 

  3000GT Skull Vinyl (Hood)

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 1

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 2

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 3

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 4

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 5

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 6

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 7

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 8

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 9

• 

  Evo VIII Vinyl 10

Car Damage

Underground 2 was originally going to have an option for car damage, but it was removed similar to Underground. The option can be enabled in the demo. In this build, the damage consisted of your mirrors falling off, and a broken front windshield.

In a later pre-release video, you can also see that your trunk would've opened up and bobbled around.

File paths

The 350Z model, unlike the other car models in this demo, has a CDMW (CD Most Wanted) path. This indicates it was originally a Most Wanted asset.

Audio

Music

• The Atmosphere song "The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame" is featured here, but was removed from the final game.

Vehicle audio

• The turbocharger sounds are reused from the previous Underground installment.
• The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII (CT9A), Nissan 350Z (Z33), and Subaru Impreza WRX STi (GDB) all use different engine sounds.

Police radio chatter

The file copspeech.big includes many leftover voice files from Most Wanted 2004. None of these were used in the final 2005 build of Most Wanted, however; they were all re-recorded.

Unused police siren sounds

The file SIREN_MB.ABK includes unused siren sounds. These would later be added in the 2005 version of Most Wanted.

Gameplay

• The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII (CT9A) is the only drivable car available, with four pre-customized presets to choose from.
• Likewise, Beacon Hill and a part of Bayview's (confusing) highway system are the only playable areas available.
• The only available magazine is the fictional Need for Speed: Underground 2 magazine.
• The car specialty and performance shops are not available in this build.
• The race introduction sequences are slightly different.

Map differences

To do: Add more pictures.

General differences

• Every area had color-tinted fog. Beacon Hill was green, Jackson Heights was blue, City Core was orange, and Coal Harbor was brown.
• Only one night skybox is present whereas the final game has three skyboxes depicting various times of day.
• The barriers during a race were different. They had a different animation, and they also moved faster here. There are also concrete barriers, like the first game, however in the final they don't exist.
• The barriers of the URL tracks were different.
• The highway system was a lot more complex and confusing here.
• Hot air balloons were cut.
• The tunnel with the construction was different here. The tunnel didn't exist, neither did the construction.
• Motel Inn was originally known as Morgan Inn.
• A closed off parking lot was originally present at the spot where the Megalow shop is in the final.
• A weird shaped building towards the outskirts of the map was removed.
• Market had a highway entrance / exit.

City Core

• The airport originally had only 1 entrance and exit.
• A parking garage in City Core was closed off, while in the final it is open. A green sign at the entrance was also removed.

Beacon Hill

• A big neon sign reading LOUNGE, located at a parking garage in Beacon Hill, was removed.
• The paint shop had graffiti on the door.

Jackson Heights

• The control tower in Jackson Heights had a different texture, and the road leading to the tower is missing.

Parkade Track 4

• All billboards have a lease billboard as a placeholder. Additionally, some billboards are missing.
• The cityscape is different, as the track it is based on, Drift Track 8, was directly ported from the previous Underground game with minimal changes.
• There is no start/finish line, and as such, is not marked on the minimap.

Differences between demos

The PlayStation 2 Magazine Demo Disc has an unlimited timer and uses "The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame" by Atmosphere as the music in the shops, while the Burnout 3: Takedown demo instead has a 10-20 minute timer, then will exit the player back to Burnout 3: Takedown, and uses "Switch/Twitch" by Fluke in the car shops.