Electronic Arts is known for a lot of things: popular sports games,
trendy production, gobbling up smaller developers and being the root of
all evil. The most consistent of all its labels has to be EA's
incessant milking of popular franchises (The Sims anyone?). Need for
Speed falls into that category. Ever since Distinctive Software (EA
Canada) first released the title in 1994 for 3DO, a slew of sequels
followed. Last year's Need for Speed Pro Street took a break from the
all-pervading need to escape authorities while devastating innocent bus
stops, much to the chagrin of many fans, but for better or worse the
franchise is back to its roots.
Need for Speed: Undercover continues in EA's shameless tradition of
re-releasing virtually the same game with a few tweaks. At this point,
the franchise practically begs for something fresh in the "cops vs.
street racers" formula, but as it stands, this version is a
no-nonsense, straight-to-the-action experience without the metrosexual
undertones of Need for Speed Carbon. This time, it's all about gritty
racing with fewer Barbies and Kens in plastic toy cars arguing over who
is better "groomed". The game seriously lacks in originality so beware;
it's the same old NFS, albeit in a lighter package. This new street
racer is perfect for people dipping their toes in the world of Need for
Speed for the first time, but it may feel a bit exhausted for veterans
of the franchise.
MEET THE NEW NEED FOR SPEED "LITE"
The best way to describe Need for Speed: Undercover is by comparing it
to a new diet soda with cherry flavor and a zipping label... It's still
the same popular drink with an absurdly recognizable brand name and
taste, but it's apparent that the makers are too scared to try
something new. Similarly this new NFS installment offers what its
predecessor had, though in a corporately diluted kind of way.
Undercover is a good game, but the formula -- right down to the way
players find events -- has been used so much, EA is practically begging
its core fan base to stick with the old format, even though many would
rather move on.
Nevertheless, it's a slimmer, improved package. Gone are the "wingmen"
of Carbon. Also absent is the testosterone and artificial "attitude" of
previous NFS games. Players take on the role of an undercover agent
trying to infiltrate the world of street racing. Action is told through
decent cut-scenes with bearable acting. No Oscars here, but at least
things aren't as bad as in Pro Street and are less campy than in Carbon
from an artistic point of view.
Everything is trimmed to accentuated action. Players are thrown into
the thick of things at the intro with a race through a Tri-City highway
and an entire police precinct giving chase -- as clear a disassociation
from Pro Street's track racing as you can get. It's back to old
business with in a magnanimous police barricade collision at the very
beginning.
The tempo is what mainly sets Undercover from Carbon. The story is told
through a series of MTV-paced scenes depicting special agent Chase Linh
(ya, clever…) coordinating your undercover operation from dimly lit sky
rise offices. You are tasked with infiltrating the world of street
racing. The first missions revolve around getting the attention of
potential gangs. Players must ransack public property (bus stops) and
other drivers to get the attention of the police. Once cops give chase,
you run like hell in an open-ended city…
Missions eventually evolve into to more traditional street racing
events. Circuit races, Sprints and Checkpoints are back. Drift is gone
and Duel no longer begs the issue, having been revamped and
rechristened Outrun and Highway Battle, both offering a few
improvements while maintaining the "duel" quality. No more "quickies"
on the streets; no more annoying crew mates during events and gimmicky
skills, and no more turfs. Players are simply asked to burn rubber, and
burn it good and often. Controls are responsive and crisp, as usual.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING RED AND BLUE
Police chases have a more pronounced role than in Carbon, and unlike
the latter, players will have a much easier time getting away from the
men in blue, at least while free roaming. Most chases will last a
minute or two. This is mainly due to shaky police AI and destructible
objects available to slow cops down. Ramming destructible items like
construction material will always stop the law in its tracks, which is
an improvement from previous games, but unfortunately the effect needs
some tweaking as squad cars that can clearly pass or avoid debris are
usually stopped dead in their tracks. The feature feels a bit
unnatural.
The game features a variety of law-evading missions, the most common
being Escape and Cost to State and Cop Takedown. All three offer a
variation of destruction and evasion and give more experience points
than the standard racing missions. Experience improves various skills
-- tires, transmission, engine, breaks, earning bonuses, parts
discounts -- independent of physical car upgrades. Points are given out
after every race, depending on how well the player drives, but cop
missions are specifically designed for that.
A handful of complimentary "grand theft auto" Escape missions are
injected into the plot on occasion, breaking the monotony of roaming
the Tri-City area in your personal ride. Said missions are preceded by
a cut scene of you leaving a parking lot with a stolen car, only to be
chased by the law. Success is measured by evading the police and
reaching a mark on the map with the vehicle intact. A few variations of
the same game type exist, some of which don't have a "car damage"
meter, but more depth here could have done the game type some major
good. I'm not asking EA to have an "on foot" aspect similar to GTA, but
the ability to pick your cars before stealing them, or the option to
buy the hot car or its parts at a discount at the end of the mission
would have been sweet. Basically, a million things could have been
included, but weren't.
AS LONG AS THE ROAD DOESN'T END…
Outrun events put players behind a single opponent with the objective
to pass and stay ahead for a certain amount of time. The concept is fun
but needs improving. The car in the lead can drive anywhere it pleases
with the trailing adversary having a limited amount of time to take the
lead. Sounds good, but the free-roaming nature of the mission can be
head-bangingly infuriating. I personally experienced failing to pass an
opponent despite approaching at a speed that would normally put me in
the lead, simply because the opponent decided to turn at the last
second on an intersection while I kept driving forward. The rule of the
event is to stay ahead but that rule is blurred when opponents are neck
and neck and the leader simply decides to take another route without
the player's knowledge, since one can't glance to the sides, only to
the back. Who leads is also muddled when making u-turns. Doing so puts
AI into a knot with the computer always having to pass the incoming
player before itself doing a 180 maneuver and attempting to catch up.
Computer controlled opponents will also get stuck trying to pass
through solid objects to catch up.
Highway Battle resembles Outrun except players are asked to put a
maximum distance between their opponent. The game type is in first
perspective. Unequivocally, it's not the easiest of modes, because
after driving around in 3rd perspective the switch to 1st perspective
will leave more than a few drivers disoriented, especially since action
takes place in heavy traffic. Players will often misjudge distance
between passing vehicles and hit them, resulting in failed races. Such
missions can be a bit frustrating but they are often brisk and fun…
when things go well that is. Many later Highway Battles produce strange
results. I have had races where I was competitive throughout the event
and other instances (same race) where my opponent literally flew away
at warp speed from the start. The sight was downright comical, but it
left me scratching my head, since I didn't do anything different
between attempts. Having said that, at later stages players will often
rely on their opponents making a mistake in order to win.
A few missions will ask you to take down opponents or protect other
drivers. Here players will see icons above their aggressors and
colleagues. Overall such events are fun, but the game's AI again fails
the test on a few points. Computer opponents, like their police
counterparts, react to who is in their line of sight, regardless of
what is in front of them. I had an instance where three "black" cars
(bad guys) got stuck behind a concrete barrier around a building while
trying to get to me. All three idiots attempted to pass the solid
object for a few minutes even though the barrier was only a few feet
wide.
Like in previous Need for Speed games, cars accumulate "heat" points
that draw unwanted police attention. Players can no longer spend money
to remove "heat" off their rides, which is a downer. Money in Need for
Speed: Undercover is only used to buy cars, upgrades and visual
changes.
All of the aforementioned game types (except cop missions) give cash,
though Tournament races (the equivalent of circuit but more
"important") offer cars as prizes. Esthetic customization has been
clearly toned down. Players are no longer able to place art on their
rides anywhere they please, or reshape them for that matter. This
aspect clearly took a hit.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… WE ARE SPOILED
What can be said of the levels? Everything takes place in rather
impressive-looking cities and surrounding areas. They are on par with
what has been released in most driving games with open-ended elements.
Clearly, such designs should wow and awe anybody playing for the first
time, but they won't impress all the spoiled gamers out there (and
we're all spoiled at this point). It should be mentioned that unlike
Carbon, everything takes place in the day, which is disappointing
because cities would have really looked nice in neon, or any other
weather effects for that matter. Furthermore, after playing for a few
hours players will notice many familiar-looking areas during races. The
Tri-City bay only looks big on the surface.
Graphically Need for Speed: Undercover tries a bit too much. High
speeds cause blurring, like the ones found in many 70's soft-core porn
movies… But in general, everything looks very realistic. High speeds
will sometimes confuse players with all the details, especially on
sharp curves, but in general the game looks great. Now if only Need for
Speed would finally add some pedestrians.
Sound and music are a mixed bag. Some tunes are memorable while most
are downright forgettable. The tack list also seems a bit leaner
compared to previous racing titles. Players will notice the same
handful of tunes recycled countless times, maybe because few tracks
stand out. The ambient music in menus is quite good, though. As one
would expect from an EA game, sound effects are topnotch both in police
chatter and car engine noises. Different engine pitches when glancing
back or changing the camera view should have been added.
SUMMARY
Overall, Need for Speed: Undercover is a decent game but it is
disappointingly similar to its predecessors. It doesn't try to break
the mold, opting to trim things by focusing on racing rather than plot.
The story's pacing and mixture of plot-driven events is spread out
evenly. They always come at the right moment. This NFS is definitely
not boring, but it is stale production-wise. Gameplay is also in need
of a major shift. EA should focus on adding pedestrians and life on the
streets in future Need for Speed games, as well as more customization
options and all the elements leading up to races. The world of street
racing is complex from an underground point of view, and this
installment of the series does little to tap its full potential.
GRAPHICS 82
Realistic city designs and nice cars, though a bit overdone in some effects. Locations become repetitive with time.
GAMEPLAY 70
Numerous issues with the new game modes, but racing is crisp and responsive. Stupid artificial intelligence.
PRODUCTION 65
Game definitely took a major cutback in production, offering fewer plot
features. The underground street racing world is barely skimmed.
Meaningless plot.
SOUND 84
A few memorable tracks, but in general racing tunes are weak. Menu music is great. A colorful orchestra of sound effects.
LASTING APPEAL 73
Plenty of racing events puts game time at around 15 hours in single
player, with online play extending the action somewhat, but the formula
is getting old.
OVERALL 74
