Gameplay

In terms of actual gameplay, Undercover is again pretty predictable in its selection of game modes and mission types. The developers have been vocal about trying to get back to the same level of excellence as Most Wanted and that’s echoed a lot in the game design. Too much, maybe.

Much of the game is built around the idea that you’re an undercover cop – neither totally good nor totally bad. You do bad things, but only because you want to do a single, greater thing at the end. You’re not above ruining state property or stealing cars to get your man.

Likewise, you’re not above goading the police into high-speed chases. These chases form one of the more ad-hoc aspects of the game and works well to complement the linear routes of the usual races and sprint events.

Chases can be initiated in between missions by driving recklessly and so on, but they play a much more interesting role in timed missions. These jobs are usually handed out by your carjacking brethren and involve you stealing a car and getting it across town to the chop shop without wrecking it. You’ve usually got a good few minutes to do it – but you’ve got to lose the police first.



Normally of course you wouldn’t have a hope, especially in the later levels when the blue-and-whites call out the helicopters, roadblocks and so on. Thankfully though, this is a game so Electronic Arts has given you a few advantages, like Nitrous boost systems and a special slow-motion mode for pulling tight corners and dodging cars.

Unfortunately the slow-mo mode, which is powered up the same as boost in the Burnout games and mainly involves driving as if the car was full of hornets, is a bit difficult to use in practice as it enhances your abilities to superhuman levels. You can go from top speed to full reverse without skidding if you use it right, doing immediate right-angled turns practically on the spot.

Not that the physics throughout the rest of the game are especially reliable either, mainly due to the nearly impervious cars you drive which are tougher than a disgruntled X-man whose just had an argument with his mother in law. You can drive full-on into an oncoming truck and only take minor damage and it’s sometimes easier to drive your car on two wheels than it is to flip it.

Rounding out the cop chases are a few other game modes, such as highway battles which see you racing tête-à-tête with a challenger in an attempt to meet certain criteria. The objective is usually something like gaining a lead of X meters or holding first place for X minutes, though the later Master events do get a bit more taxing.


Either way, there’s some mostly irrelevant RPG mechanics built into the backend of Need for Speed Undercover and stats and bonuses are arbitrarily handed out as rewards if you manage to dominate in a particular event. There doesn’t seem to be any real logic to it – win this race to get +5 percent in your transmission skill – and there’s no real way to tweak it, but hey-ho. A “Wheelman Level Up!” message every once in a while makes everyone feel good, right?

Level up enough and win through enough races (oh, and there are no points for finishing second here) and you’ll eventually get the chance to buy the next tier of car types.

The selection of cars on offer is truly breathtaking too and there’s a good three or four dozen from Japanese, American and European territories. We were impressed enough with the Ford Elise we chose to start with, but soon enough we were zipping around in a sporty Bugatti, pimped out with a custom paint job and vinyl selection of course. It’s just a shame you can’t see an easy comparison between your current car and the one you want to buy.

Oh, and it’s worth being mindful of your thumbs when you buy a car or finish – the game gives you the option to buy parts or tuning packages with real money if you’re lacking in in-game cash. We don’t want anyone inadvertently spending their kids inheritance!