NFS: Undercover (PC Review)

NFS: Undercover (PC Review)

Navneet Prakash, Jan 15, 2009 1827 hrs IST

Undercover is the latest in the NFS series where you play an undercover cop who tries to work his way up the criminal ranks in a fictional city called Tri-city.

Huge area to explore, Great online multiplayer, Impressive car roster.

Bad engine, Really boring FMV sequences, Dull plot, Easy AI.

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Expert Review

There are a few series that need no introduction and Need for Speed is one of them. The legendary franchise has sold more than a gazillion copies and is often considered among the best racing games in the history of gaming. But to be honest, I am rather disappointed with the last few games in the series as they lacked innovation.

I had high hopes from Undercover, as it seemed to be a revised version of NFS: Most Wanted, the recent best in the series, and although it does go back to its "Most Wanted Roots", it still is disappointing from a technical point of view.

The concept behind the game is simple, you play an undercover cop in a fictional city called Tri-city and your job is to go up the criminal ranks in Tri-city. You have to take up petty crimes like stealing cars to infiltrate a group of car thieves, who are being controlled by a much bigger gang.

The car thieves enjoy street racing and you gain their respect by competing against them - a plot and idea similar to Most Wanted. The game has been presented like a movie, with drama driven plot and established actors (Not) like Maggie Q. The concept is great but the execution is mediocre at best, but I will come to the presentation a little later. First let's look at the core gameplay, the racing controls and the open world environment.

Unlike the last game, Undercover is an open-world game like EA's own Burnout Paradise, which gives the player more freedom. The entire Tri-City area is split into different zones and stretches over 100 miles, making it the biggest NFS city ever. These are basically three cities linked together by highways, hence the name Tri-City. Although the city size is commendable and really impressive, the gameplay isn't as liberating as Burnout Paradise. Let me elaborate on the not-so- burnout-like agenda. You see Burnout is an open world game, which means you can choose your own route in the city.