History VideoGame / NeedForSpeedUnderground

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The ones]] where ''NFS'' becomes ''Film/{{The Fast and the Furious|2001}}''.

* UnexpectedRealisticGameplay: Happens in both games.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In the Drag mode, if you don't shift properly, your car's engine will explode, resulting in the player being disqualified.

* MoodWhiplash: In ''Underground'', Samantha gives two messages before the race against Eddie. Her first race message can have her talk about her race against the player in a pensive tone, only for her second message to excitedly tell the player about a magazine cover opportunity.

* SwallowedWhole: The fate of a particular silver and purple Nissan [=350Z=] in the [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs mindscrew]] that is the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CLXi1al9zA older intro movie]] for ''Underground 2''.

* PermanentlyMissableContent: In ''Underground 2'', unique upgrades (from winning Outrun races in Stages 2-5) can only be acquired in the stage in which they were unlocked. If you progress to the next stage without winning the unique upgrades, you won't get another chance to win them.

* GuideDangIt: In ''Underground 2'', while Rachel advised that you'll earn some reputation for winning a race based on your certain distance from the 2nd placer, however you'll need to win most races with average rep close to 300 to unlock a secret 5th sponsorship, otherwise it won't show up when you received an offer.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Underground 2'', if you missed any available and hidden races from previous stages, it'll showed up with uncleared time or score on the World Map in your Garage. You don't get rewards for clearing it however, but winning these races will unlock new tracks for quick race and multiplayer mode.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Underground 2'', if you missed any hidden races from previous stages, it'll showed up uncleared in the World Map in your Garage along with the races from other sponsorship contracts so you can clear remaining races to claim the rewards and unlock new tracks to be used in Quick Race and Multiplayer modes.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Underground 2'', if you missed any hidden races from previous stages, it'll showed up uncleared in the World Map in your Garage, along with the races from other sponsorship contracts.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Underground 2'', if you missed any hidden races from previous stages, it'll showed up in the World Map in your Garage along with some races from other contracts you never signed up.

In ''Underground 2'', set no long after the first game, a mysterious bald man calls you to try to force you into joining his crew, but you hang up on him. En route to a celebratory party, you are rammed in your blue Skyline GT-R R34 by a black Hummer H2 driven by a man with a scythe tattoo on his hand, calling someone to say that he "took care of a problem." Six months later, you take a flight to Bayview with Samantha recommending in a note that you meet her friend, Rachel Teller. After arriving at the airport, you drive Rachel's green Nissan 350Z (the car on this game's cover) to get your first car from Bayview for free as insurance payment for the totaled Skyline (although [[ATasteOfPower you do have the option to race in three events in her car]], though she won't like it). From there, you race around the city, winning events and collecting sponsorships. Eventually, you cross paths with The Wraiths, led by Caleb Reece, and as you win races against them, you hear more about their shady work in their attempt to control Bayview's racing scene, such as manipulating sponsorships against both you and Rachel. It's also revealed that he knows something about the accident you suffered in Olympic City. Later on, after you win a series of URL (Underground Racing League) races, a female Wraith member named Nikki Morris defects from them and joins your crew. Infuriated by your constant winning, Caleb eventually challenges you to one last race against him in his 2004 Pontiac GTO.

** In ''Underground'', Melissa is clearly the main source of eye candy. At one point, the player looks at her while choir-like music plays, implying that the player became enthralled with her; Samantha catches on this and snaps the player out of it, calling them a "loser". Speaking of which, this is actually averted with Samantha who, while very lovely, has no obvious moment of fanservice, with her relationship with the player being strictly platonic, as they remain just friends.[[note]]That being said, the game's marketing did feature the models for both Samantha and Melissa's likeness [[http://carsmedia.ign.com/cars/image/nfsuGirl_111303_10.jpg appearing on photoshoots]].[[/note]]

* SinisterScythe: While nobody actually wields one, the members of the Reapers gang in ''Underground 2'' all have black scythes tattooed on the back of their hand, as a visual shorthand for "these are people you don't want to mess with".
* SoreLoser: Almost everyone you beat in an Outrun race in ''Underground 2'' will either accuse you of getting lucky, or come up with some [[BlatantLies blatantly false excuse]] as to why they lost.

* WhamEpisode: Actually a Wham Race in the first ''Underground''. The race known as "Friends Are Easy To Make, And Easier To Lose" has you racing against [[spoiler:Samantha, who's been your guide throughout the first two-thirds of the game, in order to get her pink slip and selling her car to The Junkman for engine upgrades]]. [[BlamedForBeingRailroaded Later, the other racers will call you out on this]].

* WhatTheHellPlayer: At the beginning of ''Underground 2'', Rachel lends you her ride and tells you to meet her at the Car Lot, but you can participate in a couple of races along the way. After the first one, she asks if you've gotten lost and reiterates that you need to meet her at the Car Lot ASAP. After the second one, she's utterly furious, and threatens to have you blacklisted unless you get to the Car Lot ''right now''. If you choose to compete in a third, albeit hidden race, she will warn you that racing's now over (which is true, as that's all the races available while in Rachel's car, outside of Outruns), and that she isn't calling you again.

** [[OlderThanTheyThink While they're not the first games in the series to feature aftermarket parts]] [[invoked]] (that honor goes to ''Need for Speed: High Stakes''), they are the first to make them a main feature.

* GuideDangIt: In ''Underground 2'', while Rachel advised that you'll earn some reputation for winning a race based on your certain distance from the 2nd placer, however you'll need to win ''every'' races with a perfect 300 rep to unlock a secret 5th sponsorship, otherwise it won't show up if you won a race with just 200 rep.

* GuideDangIt: In ''Underground 2'', while Rachel advised you'll earn an extra reputation for winning a race with a great distance from your opponent, however you'll need to win ''every'' races with a perfect 300 rep, otherwise you're barred from unlocking a 5th sponsorship if you won with 200 rep just once.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/need_for_speed_underground_covers.jpg]]

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The ones]] where ''NFS'' becomes ''''Film/{{The Fast and the Furious|2001}}''''.

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The ones]] where ''NFS'' becomes ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious''.\\\

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one]] where ''NFS'' becomes ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious''.\\\

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: After defeating Eddie in ''Underground'', you'll get a new magazine cover featuring "Melissa". She ends up being the "mysterious" opponent for the next (and the absolute last) story event.

* TheBusCameBack: The Mazda RX-7 and the Toyota Supra appeared in 1994's ''Film/TheNeedForSpeed'', then disappeared from the series until ''Underground''.[[note]]Although the Supra did make an appearance in the online ''Motor City Online''.[[/note]]

In ''Underground'', [[PlayerCharacter you]] are an [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] [[FeaturelessProtagonist racer]] in Olympic City with your friend, Samantha. After being awoken from a daydream by Samantha, she shows you the ropes around the city's underground street racing scene. You race around the city, meet a mechanic named TJ, and beat competitors left and right until you could come up to [[BigBad Eddie]]. Eddie is the best racer in the city, and also is the leader of The Eastsiders who drives a customized orange Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (the car seen on the game's cover). He also has a girlfriend named Melissa.

When you finally do so, he challenges you and Samantha to a sprint race that leads to her wrecking her Hello Kitty-esque Honda Civic Si in the process, which TJ takes for himself and repairs (and redesigns) it afterwards. Eddie tries to get rid of you to no avail, as you win back Samantha's car and beat Eddie and his crew. Finally, a mysterious driver in a silver Nissan 350Z challenges you to compete in one more race. After you beat the driver and they reveal their identity, you are deemed the best racer in the city.

However, your time of celebration will not last long. Leading into the events of ''Underground 2'', a mysterious bald man calls you to try to force you into joining his crew, but you hang up on him. En route to a celebratory party, you are rammed in your Skyline by a black Hummer H2 driven by a man with a scythe tattoo on his hand, calling someone to say that he "took care of a problem."

Six months later, you take a flight to Bayview with Samantha recommending in a note that you meet her friend, Rachel Teller. After arriving at the airport, you drive Rachel's green Nissan 350Z (the car on this game's cover) to get your first car from Bayview for free as insurance payment for the totaled Skyline (although [[ATasteOfPower you do have the option to race in three events in her car]], though she won't like it).

From there, you race around the city, winning events and collecting sponsorships. Eventually, you cross paths with The Wraiths, led by Caleb Reece, and as you win races against them, you hear more about their shady work in their attempt to control Bayview's racing scene, such as manipulating sponsorships against both you and Rachel. It's also revealed that he knows something about the accident you suffered in Olympic City. Later on, after you win a series of URL (Underground Racing League) races, a female Wraith member named Nikki Morris defects from them and joins your crew.

Infuriated by your constant winning, Caleb eventually challenges you to one last race against him in his 2004 Pontiac GTO. Once you beat him, The Wraiths are dissolved, Caleb is forced to leave town, and you are (again) deemed the best racer in the city.