While EA has been undergoing something of a resurgence in form these last few years, reeling off one impressive game after another, things haven’t been going quite so well for its veteran racing franchise, Need for Speed. Sure, things got off to a pretty decent start this generation with Most Wanted, a game which may not have been the deepest or most technical racer ever, but nevertheless provided thrills and spills aplenty back in those early days of the 360. But since then, the series has managed to take a few wrong turns along the way. Carbon, although accessible enough, lacked the raw excitement of Most Wanted. And with even EA’s top brass suggesting that last year’s ProStreet may have been somewhat out of touch with NFS’ core audience, it’s fair to say that Need for Speed is sorely in need of a new direction.
Which is where Undercover comes in. Rather than trying to lavish it with technical depth it plainly doesn’t need, Black Box has taken the series back to its Most Wanted roots by delivering a cinematic-style seat-of-your-pants driving experience. While this statement is likely to be met with distain from hardcore racer fans used to the more technical charms of Gotham, Forza and the like, those looking for something lighter will almost certainly find Undercover’s brief to be music to their ears.
A prime example of this is Undercover’s cinematic styling. Sure, such things as a free roaming world and police chases are great assets in their own right, but Black Box has gone the extra mile to bring these elements together with a wonderfully cliched story. You find yourself assuming the role of an undercover cop, recruited by a predictably sexy federal agent (in this instance, the rather delightful Maggie Q) to infiltrate a crime syndicate and bring it down from the inside.
To highlight just how important the story is, EA has gone to great lengths to ensure that both the cutscenes and the in-game visuals are presented in a movie-esque way. The cutscenes, for instance, have been filmed at what Black Box refers to as ‘the magic time of day’, when the natural lighting is at its dramatic best. This same ambient lighting has then been used in the game itself, making the transition from FMV to gameplay more seamless. Likewise, while playing you will see the odd movie-like element as well, such as cutting to a dramatic camera angle when you jump off a ramp.
And much like the story, the gameplay isn’t short of spectacle. In order to progress the plot, you select a series of jobs that boost your notoriety. These utilise the game’s free roaming environment (which features 160 km of roads), with events dotted about the map. Unsurprisingly, these involve some sort of driving activity, such as street battles, where you’re tasked with overtaking a rival and staying ahead until the timer reaches zero. This being the real world though, you have other traffic to contend with. Fortunately, Undercover’s regular road users are a considerate bunch, indicating before swapping lanes to make those split second decisions on which way to jink slightly easier (and less likely to end in tears).
If this doesn’t have NFS fans smiling, then the return of cop chases to the series certainly will. These are set to be an important part of the gameplay, both by providing certain missions (such as stealing a patrol car) and acting as a general nuisance when you’re doing other things. Although they don’t start out too bright, the cops get tougher the more you progress, and aren’t afraid to use dirty tactics. That said, it’s not all about running from them; if you’re feeling particularly vengeful, you can actually engage in a spot of paint swapping with the rozzers, and it’s even possible to take down cop cars if you hit them hard enough.
Staging an ad hoc demolition derby on the streets also lets the Undercover showcase its damage modelling. While this is by-and-large cosmetic – there are some events where it’s possible to total you car, although for the most part you can bash up your motor and it’ll still handle like it’s fresh out of the showroom – the way the cars crumple and have bits fall off is worthy of mention.
Handling-wise, things are shaping up nicely as well. The cars retain that same rigid, slightly edgy feel we’ve become accustomed to from the series in recent times. For the most part the cars handle predictably enough, and the acceleration – even in something as comparatively sedate as an Audi S4 – is pretty quick, allowing you to weave in and out of traffic with ease. But given how the cars will hit you with some snap oversteer if you push them too much, you also know there’s a limit as to what they’ll tolerate. It’s not as unforgiving as ProStreet was in this sense, but it does keep you on your toes.
Granted, there will be those who say that Undercover is glitzy, over the top and indeed, perhaps a bit shallow – the gaming equivalent of The Transporter or The Fast and The Furious, perhaps. But in much the same way that there are those moments when such films are all you want to watch (or indeed can manage), so Undercover will hopefully find an audience when it’s released next week.
Having lost its way a bit with ProStreet and Carbon, Undercover looks like it should mark something of a return to form for Need for Speed when it’s released next Friday. Sure, its rather basic charms are unlikely to find much favour with hardcore racing fans. But if you’ve been longing for a ‘true’ sequel to Most Wanted, this may just be the game you’ve been waiting three years for.
