Need for Speed

With cop chases and tacky cut scenes, looks like this computer game is highly inspired by the movie The Fast and The Furious.

Electronic Arts released Need for Speed: Undercover last November, continuing a seeming tradition of releasing a new version of Need For Speed every year.

EA’s Need For Speed: Most Wanted was very well received when it came out and it looks like they have attempted to apply the same formula for Undercover too. Both games share the same exaggerated cop chases and tacky cut scenes and if you are the sort to enjoy these parameters, you are sure to love the game.

DON THE ROLE

You play the role of an undercover officer, in this very unimaginatively titled game and have to work along side Chase Linh, played by the gorgeous Maggie Q. Your aim is to intercept and thwart the nefarious smuggling and thieving activities of a group of street racers. The very predictable story line, unfolds in the form of cut scenes, at the end of every race.

The game features live action that is akin to what you would see in Hollywood movies and honestly seems very inspired by The Fast and The Furious. The game transports you onto the streets of the fictional open-world city - the Tri-City Bay Area. A new feature of the franchise is the very transparent system of levels that seems seriously motivated by role-playing games.

Every victorious conclusion of a mission enhances your stats. These stats allow you to level up your driving skills. As the levels increase, you get to drive more cars. You can also access more upgrades. The point is, if you’re not leveled up satisfactorily, you can’t buy a better ride, even if you have enough cash for it. The real issue with this whole idea is that there is no indication as to when you will be leveled up!

With 55 car upgrades, including fairly achievable cars like the Audi TT, as well as glamorous cars like the Bugatti Veyron, there are no dearth of good cars to play with. You however, start playing with an abysmal vehicle and work your way up to better rides. You will be greeted with choices of new cars from Nissan, Dodge, Cadillac, Ford, Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW, Aston Martin, Mitsubishi and many more manufacturers.

As you progress, either you can tune specific facets of your ride or you can buy an upgrade package. Menu options are not different from the other NFS games and choices like eliminator events where the last car in a lap gets eliminated, basic circuit races and sprint races, are not anything new. There are also one-on-one races in which you meander through traffic to impress the bad guys.

SOME FLAWS

One major flaw in the game’s design is the poor driving physics. Your car will seem impossible to turn when you stomp the foot brake and braking in a low-end vehicle is best performed with the hand brake. The driving physics may be based on real-life science, but it is apparent that the game is more geared for game play than practicality.

Playing against the computer highlights the ineptness of the artificial intelligence system. A race against the computer most often ends with the computer controlled car to pass you more often than not; even with the same-powered vehicle and without even using nitrous!

It can also make better turns, obviously reducing its lap times. The track design in itself is nothing new or grand.

There is nothing special about Need For Speed: Undercover, and the event-based game is seemingly lost in focus and design. Having said that, it may still have enough oomph to keep super-keen NFS enthusiasts engaged with its ordinary story that unfolds in between 180m/h races.