Need For Speed Underground 2 remaster gets surprise release, available now

Somehow, Need for Speed: Underground 2 has returned, and it looks better than ever.

Well, this is awkward, because less than a week ago I was waffling about how the original Need for Speed: Underground just got a fresh new coat of paint… only for the sequel to get an equally impressive update less than five days later.

That’s because a very talented team of modders has decided to do what Electronic Arts clearly cannot, with the release of the version 0.4 update of Need for Speed: Underground 2 Remix.

Don’t take the version number as an indicator of a small-sized update though, as the team behind the mod has revealed an impressive number of changes in the 0.4 update (as noted by DSOG’s John Papadopoulos).

This includes (but is not limited to): new models for all vehicles (except for the delivery truck vehicle, for some reason), a new main menu lobby with fresh assets, texture replacements for stuff like walls, grass, and pavements, completely remade skyboxes, texture updates for "glowy surfaces", and so many more lighting updates that it has its own dedicated section in the patch notes.

If you want to try out the mod for yourself, head on over to the Need for Speed: Underground 2 Remix mod page and give it a download. Just keep in mind that this, as stated by the mod authors themselves, is an unfinished project, so keep your expectations in check.

Y’know, I get that EA are gonna run into a lot of licensing issues remastering either of the Need for Speed: Underground games, but stuff like this makes me wonder why we haven’t gotten a Need for Speed: Underground 3 yet.

The market is clearly there, considering how incredibly popular mods like this are. C’mon, EA. The people are waiting.