Need for Speed Undercover Review - Xbox 360

6.5

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 7
Audio: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Innovation: 6

"Need for Speed" seems to be the motto for the developers of the games lately, as we are seeing more Need for Speed games being pumped out than almost any other franchise. Need for Speed: Undercover is the latest title, which was released just before Christmas 2008. Already, EA has announced Need for Speed: Shift which is due out no later than September 2009. It looks like there’s no end to the Need for Speed franchise, and even with the series’ ups and downs, all gamers can appreciate the fact that Need for Speed is not a name in the world of video games that will be forgotten any time soon.

Gameplay

Undercover is a game that takes the Need for Speed series back to when it was most popular, in the age of the Underground games, except Undercover includes a story, new game modes, and a lot more cars. You take control of the main character that is written to be the player and has no name or face in particular. In the many cut-scenes, you find the actors looking in to the camera, which represents them talking to you. This doesn’t really work very well, but for those with the mentality to find the story in Undercover interesting, the cut-scenes would provide great entertainment. As you soon learn, you are an undercover cop, hence the name of the game. This never really holds much of a burden over what you can do around the city, it’s more just part of the story.

NFS: Undercover is an open-world game where you can roam around the nearly 200KM of roads. The roads vary from highways to alleyways, and there are plenty of shortcuts to locate which usually takes you off-road. If you press pause or press up on the directional pad, you can locate the GPS map which displays the entire city, and all events that you can compete in. This is a great way to choose what to do next, and fortunately you don’t have to drive to the location of the event to start it, you can simply scroll over it in the map and press A to start it. Also available on this map are shops to purchase new cars and upgrade existing cars. In the start menu you’ll also find your Garage which is where you can switch between cars and upgrade them at will. The whole game is designed for convenience, and players will be glad to know that you can race through from one event to the next faster than you can complete the actual events.

There are several different event types, most of which have been seen before. Circuit, sprint and checkpoint events are all common and need no explanation. Outrun and Highway Battle are two fairly similar events. In Outrun, you have to overtake your opponent and then stay in front of them for a set amount of time. In Highway Battle, you need to get 300 meters ahead of your opponent. As you work your ...