Tuning, tuning and more tuning!
On the title screen you see cars and a hot girl, also "Riders on the Storm" starts playing. This already should be an indication that you've purchased a great game. Now, you might be disappointed that the game doesn't have cut-scenes. In fact it kind of looks like the graphic novels from the Max Payne games, but this is more like a comic book. I think it worked out okay.
All the fun starts when you finally start driving. At first you get to roll in a nice 350Z, but then you get to pick your own car. Well, that was tedious. You start off with a nice ride and then you need to choose a stock set of wheels, like a 240SX or a Civic. Other than that, the game is friggin' sweet. When you win a race, you get some cash and then spend it on tuning your car. There are so many tuning options, I think more than double the amount from the previous game. Also, the performance upgrades are very important for winning races.
The graphics are very nice for a 2004 game. All the cars look very good. However, the city could have used some more detail. The music is pretty good. It seems that Electronic Arts always includes a good soundtrack.
All in all, Underground 2 is clearly one of the best of the Need for Speed series and will always remain one my favorite racing games of all time.