The formula for this series has remained relatively unchanged through the years. Pick a car and drive it really, really fast in order to win races. Many other racing games have come and gone and none of them seem to have the longevity, or popularity, of the venerable Need for Speed series.

Need for Speed Underground first hit the major consoles a couple of years back and brought the once exotic sports car racing game into the tricked out, neon glow of the underground racing world. No longer are races confined to racing circuits and grandstands; instead, the city is the circuit and the cover of night provides for secluded viewing.

In NFSU:R, players are given a modest amount of money with which to purchase a "sensible car," as my mother would call it. After a few victories on the novice circuit, however, you can really unlock the potential of these "sensible" cars, and even afford some more exotic (and pricey) vehicles. All the cars in the game are fully licensed and are the same cars you would see driving down the road, although hopefully not at speeds in excess of 200 mph.

Each race pits you against three other racers - a rather small field, which I can only assume is a restriction of the handheld system. You start each race from the back of the pack, in fourth position, as the game seems to want to handicap you from the start. There are no time-trials or other means to advance your starting position, you'll have to pass your competitors on the track if you want to win.

There are actually a number of different race events available to choose from, including the traditional "circuit" race, which is simply a race to the finish line. Knockout races feature the last place competitor dropped at the end of each lap, and the winner is determined by attrition at the end of three laps around the course. Relay Races allow you to take two cars from your garage and race each of them for one lap, pausing mid-way to run to the other and floor the gas pedal to the finish line. Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on your skill level - there is only one other competitor in Relay Races, capping the total number of cars in the race at four - two for you, and two for your opponent.

In addition to single events for these races, there is also multiple event races, which are unlocked after winning previous races. These award you points for each race, depending on your position, and the winner is the one with the most points after three races are completed. The knockout mode knocks out one racer after each of the three races, whittling down a four car race into a final head-to-head matchup.

There are also the Quick Play modes. These are not races against other cars, but races against the clock and other trials. Drift mode requires you to race around a circuit and drift, also known as power-sliding, around a corner. This is achieved by hitting the emergency break, yanking the wheel to one side, and sliding around the bend. Each successful drift earns you more points, and you win if you successfully beat the pre-set point goal. Drag races are, obviously, a simple drag race, often decided by who is fastest off the line and who shifts the best to take advantage of their engines. Street Cross races involve a tight course and many tight turns, and can sometimes feel reminiscent of that old carnival classic, bumper cars. The final quick play mode is the Nitrous Run. This gives you a full boost of nitrous every time you pass through a nitrous gate on the course, as well as a time bonus. Pass through the pre-set number of gates and you're a winner! Finally, Drift Attack challenges you to drift through pre-set turns. The more consecutive drifts you succeed in doing, the more points you earn.

Each time you win a race or an event, you are awarded some prize money. You can spend this money on different part upgrades, such as turbo charges, more efficient breaks and nitro boosts. You may also purchase additional vehicles from your garage, which is required if you want to beat some of the faster cars out on the track. Each car is fully customizable in terms of paint scheme, decals, lights (head, tail and neon!) and spoilers. More of these free, and purely cosmetic, additions are unlocked the more races you win.

Sadly, the number of different circuits in the game is severely limited. It's only once you get into the higher end races that new tracks seems to be available to race on, but by that time I was so hopelessly bored with the same tracks I had been racing one for what seemed like forever that I really didn't care. Even though these new tracks offer different twists, turns and sights, the tracks really all look the same due to the designers using the same textures over and over. It seems virtually impossible to tell a corner on one track from that of another, as all the same buildings and lights seem to be everywhere you look. The racing is quite fun, but the tracks get stale very quickly, and I would have liked to see a lot more variety in them.

There are multiplier modes available, allowing you to connect wirelessly (but not over the internet) to race other players. In addition, there is a Party Play, or hot seat mode, that allows one player to race his laps and then offer up to 3 other players a chance to beat the time. This is a unique idea to offer a little competition over the standard computer controlled racers, but online play would have been preferred.

One major complaint that I have with this game is with the music. There are numerous licensed music tracks included that play during the races, and the music suits the game just fine. However, there is a little map displayed in the corner of the screen which you can glance at to get an idea of when the next turn is coming up, or just what is after that hair-pin you're drifting around at 180mph. Aggravatingly, each time a new music track is played, the song name and artist are displayed-right over the map! In a game that is all about speed, it's no secret that one wrong turn - such as one into a wall - can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Every time these song names appear I want to just throw the system against the wall. Sadly, if I were to do that I wouldn't be able to afford another, so I just have to grin and bear it.

The racing in the Need for Speed series has remained relatively unchanged over the years. Go fast. Go really fast. This game definitely serves the title well and, while the racing has never claimed to be realistic, it is still fun. A little more variety in the tracks and a few more of them would have gone a long way to make this the definitive racing game on the new PSP for quite some time, I feel, but as the game stands it really doesn't measure up better than average. It's fun to see the impressive graphics the system can churn out, but the same graphics get old after a while and this is an example of where a little more style to go with the substance would've gone a long way.