Virtual Cities : An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities (9781682686102) by Dimopoulos Konstantinos

Author:Dimopoulos, Konstantinos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

23

Olympic City

Need for Speed: Underground

One can’t help but wonder whether such sinuous streets were actually made for racing

GENERAL INFORMATION

City: Olympic City

Game: Need for Speed: Underground

Developer: EA Black Box

Publisher: EA Games

Release Date: 2003

Genre: Racing

Platforms: Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox

Olympic City, the major US port and flourishing coastal metropolis, is as decidedly unextraordinary as its climate is temperate. Olympic City, you see, never experienced a turbulent history, never starred in a movie, and the closest it ever came to overshadowing New York City was the construction of its most recognizable landmark, the one everyone keeps referring to as “the Empire State Building Halved.” On the other hand, life here can be modestly pleasant, simple, safe, and, on occasion, rather lively, too. Jobs are plentiful, violent crime a rarity, and the local economy is booming. Oil refineries and factories are thriving in the expanding industrial districts, while new corporate headquarters keep appearing around the gigantic stock exchange. This otherwise unremarkable city is a financial powerhouse of countless shops, bright lights, well-kept parks, fancy billboards and a high-tech new stadium.

What truly sets Olympic City apart, though, and what has given it worldwide fame among certain circles, is something entirely unexpected: car racing. Not the sort of racing mainstream press covers, of course, but underground illegal races without sponsors or checkered flags. Dangerous races in heavily tricked-out cars, on public streets, lend an unprecedented edge to this average city. Shockingly, and rather crucially too, local police do not seem to mind these races, whereas the subtly varied geography of the town—its few hills, river, and intriguing coastline—allows for a great variety of impromptu racing tracks. Long, straight stretches of road are combined with broad boulevards, freeways cutting across town, perfectly curved interchanges, and narrow park streets. Tunnels, frequent roadworks, river drawbridges (allowing for amazing jumps), and dry riverbeds add a dangerous touch of extra excitement.

Not that underground racers consistently keep away from the downtown avenues of meticulously gardened trees and easy-to-terrorize peaceable citizens. Pedestrians themselves may be protected by some of the sturdiest bollards and pavement railings worldwide, but wisely prefer the relatively safer options public transportation has to offer. The demand for decent alternatives to driving and walking alongside traffic has been strong across all classes for decades, and Olympic City now enjoys a thankfully extensive subway network, decent bus services, and efficient picturesque trams. The train station, harbor, and airport serve long-distance traffic, and admittedly, provide some intriguing thematic backgrounds for underground races too.

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