NFSU - Cars Part 1

Cars are the most important aspect in a racing game. With 20 cars to choose from, this game keeps the player enticed well after the story is complete.

This is part-1 of 3 the part about cars in the Need for Speed: Underground game on the iPhone.


Pagani Zonda F: The Pagani Zonda F is the fastest car in NFSU. The car has been designed by Italian manufacturer Pagani with aerodynamics in mind. The speed of this car in real life reflects in this game. Due to the nature of the style point requirements, it would be hard to unlock this car before the game finishes. Takes some perseverance to unlock and helps improve the time taken for each of the races. This is now my favorite and is definitely a must have car for the hardcore racer.

For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagani_Zonda

Style points to unlock: 400,000
Money to Buy: $400,000

Porsche Carrera GT: The Porsche Carrera GT is a mid-engine sports car manufactured by Porsche. This car is second only to the Pagani Zonda and can crush the competition in the game. The car's acceleration is the only reason the car stands second. With the style point requirements this is one of the few cars that will be towards the tail end of on the gamer's checklist.


For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Carrera_GT


Style points to unlock: 300,000
Money to Buy: $300,000

Porsche 911 GT2: The Porsche 911 GT2 is based on the 911 turbo series and is the third fastest car on the game. The acceleration and handling does elevate the standing of this car. This speed demon can crush tough competitors and was one of my sought after cars. Fortunately or otherwise, the car does not have a high style point requirement but does require the racer to complete 90% of the game to acquire.

For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911_GT2

To unlock: Complete It's a knockout in Palm Harbor
Money to Buy: $200,000



Lamborgini Gallardo: The Laborgini Gallardo is one of the many fast cars in this game. This sports car is the most produced model from this manufacturer selling 10,000 cars in 7 years. This car can help win some tough races but the unlock rules are the same as the Porsche 911 GT2. The Porsche 911 is a better buy, don't spend your money on this car. The incentives to buying this car are not as good. The car itself is quite fast and many of the competing racers in the game use them. Go repeat a couple more games to buy the Porsche 911 GT2.

For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Gallardo


To unlock: Complete It's a knockout in Palm Harbor
Money to Buy: $160,000



Ford GT: The Ford GT is hard to unlock but is a good fast car. Most competitors in Palm Harbor use this car. One disadvantage is that by the time you've loaded up sufficient style points, you've possibly unlocked the Porsche 911 GT2.


For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_GT


Style points to unlock: 200,000
Money to Buy: $139,000





Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG: The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG is not a good car at this stage and is pricey from the dodge viper, skip to the Porsche 911 GT2. This car has poor speed but does pack a punch with the handling and acceleration. A good car to drive on roads with heavy traffic and roads with twists and turns. The price of the car is quite high and not worth the effort.



For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_SL-Class


To unlock: Complete Hornet's Nest in Palm Harbor
Money to Buy: $190,000

Ford 67 Mustang: The Ford 67 Mustang is a fairly fast car but the Dodge Viper does overpower the need to buy this car. The style points for this car does set a high expectation but the car is out of place in this sequence.

For more details about the car in real life, check out the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang



Style points to unlock: 120,000
Money to Buy: $110,000

Continue to part 2/3: The cars that make the cars in part 1 achievable (coming soon)

NFSU - Gameplay

Need for Speed - Underground for the iPhone is a single player game with a good storyline. The story on this device is abridged when compared to the game on other consoles like Xbox & PS2.

The game has a training mode to help walk through some of the basics of gameplay. This training if skipped can be replayed from the options menu and typically takes 5 to 10 minutes. The highlights are also available in the help to skip past the training.

Drifting is a valuable attribute especially when striving for style points but can be a little hard to find.

The cars right from the first race are quite responsive. This is one of the best car games on the iPhone due to the gameplay.

The tracks range from 1 minute to 4 minutes with a few exceptions.

This game on other consoles have a free roam feature that is missed by most.

The storyline is abridged and has only 6 to 12 hours of game play.

The graphics is good but could be better with improved antialiasing.

All that said this game is quite enticing and with the cars being responsive, gives the player the feel of actually being behind the steering wheel.

A 4 year old started playing this game and even won a few. This game kept him busy for 2 hours at a stretch and I had to trick him to return my smartphone. Believe it, he did not go through the training mode and has never played this game before.

I am yet to find a better car game in terms of gameplay on the iPhone making it one of the most addictive car games on the device.



The legal stuff:
• Xbox & PS2 are trademarks of Microsoft & Sony Corp respectively.

NFSU - Style points and Money

Need for Speed Underground on the iPhone uses two strategies that must be understood by the player.

1) Money as usual will buy new cars and help upgrade cars that have been bought.

Money can be attained by winning races. I would recommend repeating the races to help buy better cars. Once purchased, spend money on upgrades.

To complete the game, buying 3 cars will suffice.

2) Style points to unlock the cars so they can be bought.

Style points are a little more complex, they are obtained by performing certain actions during the race. Some easy ways are:
• Drifting
• Nudging passing traffic
• Close call with passing traffic
• Max speed achievement
• Lap winner achievement

Players usually don't miss the style points till the last 5 cars need unlocking. Focus on them early to ensure you get the best value for the money.

NFSU - Tips & Cheats

At this time there are no cheats required for this iPhone game and considering you've just paid $2.99, do take the time to unlock all the features of the game.

Duration: 6-12 hours
Gameplay: Single player (story based)
Learning Curve: 5-10 min
Difficulty: Default
Unlockables: Cars, maps, drift mode

Tips 1:
Cars unlock with style points. Play the same game a few times to achieve style point targets and more money. Refer to the section on style points & money (Click here).

Tip 2:
New arenas will unlock as old ones are complete to help progress the storyline.

Tip 3:
Drift mode will unlock when the game has been completed.

Tip 4:
Buy a new car only when the game becomes impossible. Don't be impatient, repeat a couple of tracks to afford better cars. Ideally, you will need only 3 cars fully upgraded to finish the game.

Tip 5:
Play Road Rage in Port Crescent for quick money. Makes $25k in 12-20 seconds. You need a fast car but if you've unlocked this track, you probably have a fast car.

Introduction

Need for Speed is a franchise by EA (Electronic Arts) games that has gained a lot of fame and recognition amidst the gaming community. There are many titles that have been released under this banner and this blog is dedicated to the title Need for Speed - Undercover on the iPhone 4/4S.

This game can be purchased from Apples app store for $2.99 and has been my best purchase till date on the iPhone.

The iPhone has become a device of choice for the general public. There is always some time to kill while waiting for a friend or in many cases to unwind while loved ones are shopping. Whatever the reason, the iPhone has moved up the chain from a smartphone to a portable gaming device.

Need for Speed - Undercover (NFSU)
takes the gaming on the iPhone to a new level and many argue the game is better on the smartphone than the PSP.

This blog will serve as my very own wiki for this game. Leave your thoughts and recommendations in the comments.


The legal stuff:


• EA games, Electronic Arts, Need for Speed, Need for Speed-Underground are registered trademarks of Electronic Arts.


• iTunes, iPhone, App Store, Apple are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.


• Sony, PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Corp.