Need For Speed Undercover

Need for Speed: Undercover is a 2008 racing video game, and is the twelfth installment in the Need for Speed series. Developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts, it was released on November 18, 2008, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS,[4] and a number of mobile phone platforms.[5][6][7] An edition of the game for iOS was later released on April 27, 2009. The game sees players conducting illegal street races within the fictional Tri-City Area, with the main mode's story focused on the player operating as an undercover police officer to investigate links between a criminal syndicate, stolen cars, and street racers.

Need for Speed Undercover

In Career mode, players take on the role of an undercover police officer seeking to break up a syndicate operating within the underground street race world. Like Most Wanted, players achieve this by completing both Racing Events and Pursuit events - the majority of events in this mode include the opportunity to "dominate" them by completing them faster than a specified time record for domination. In Undercover, progress in the story involves completing events that not only earn money, but also experience (or Wheelman Rep) and a special performance bonus - these bonuses either improve the player's driving abilities with all cars or provide other bonuses to the player's playthrough (i.e. an increase in race earnings). Earning enough experience levels up the player's Wheelman level, unlocking a larger performance bonus, new cars and upgrade parts, as well additional events including Jobs - special story-based missions in which the player must complete a specific task such as taking down a criminal's car. Police pursuits in this mode function like in previous editions, though the player's Wheelman level directly impacts how aggressive the police are when in pursuit of the player; the higher the level, the more tactics and vehicle types used in the pursuit.

The player, an undercover police officer for the Tri-City Bay Police Department (TCBPD), is called in to Palm Harbor police station by their superior Lt. Jack Keller (Paul Pape). The player is informed that their current investigation into the region's underground street racing world is to be joined by Inspector Chase Linh (Maggie Q), a federal agent of the FBI, who wants to bring down an international criminal syndicate operating in the region that is involved in smuggling stolen cars. The player is instructed to pose as a new street racer and join in on major illegal street races, along with gaining infamy with the TCBPD, in order to secure entry into the syndicate. The player achieves this by being recruited into a gang that works with the syndicate, run by Hector Maio (Kurt Caceres) and his brother Zack (Joshua Alba). At the same time, they befriend Carmen Mendez (Christina Milian), a member of the gang. The brothers quickly assign the player to steal cars for them during their racing activities. Upon completing the jobs, Chase instructs the player to arrest the gang, including the brothers.

With Hector's gang out of action, the player is sent to Sunset Hills in order to get recruited by a crew operated by Gregory "GMAC" McDonald (David Rees Snell) - a former TCBPD police officer - Rose Largo (Heather Fox) - an honor student who turned to crime - and Freddy "Nickel" Rogers (Lawrence B. Adisa) - a former boxer. Whilst conducting races along with jobs for the crew, the player is instructed by GMAC to steal a car from Chau Wu (Jack Yang), the Triad leader of the syndicate the player is investigating. When the player finds themselves confronted by Chau, he offers to overlook the theft in exchange for the player's help in recovering a car he lost that he needs back, believing it was stolen by GMAC's crew; a meeting with Carmen suggests the theft was likely committed by someone else. Eventually, the player is instructed to arrest GMAC and his crew, though is unable to locate the stolen car in their possession.

The player is forced to flee from the TCBPD upon being wanted for the killings, but finds support from Keller. On his instructions, they proceed to take down Chase before she can flee the region, as it is the only way to clear their name. After successfully arresting Chase, Keller commends the player for their hard work at recovering the evidence and managing to not forget themselves during their undercover work, informing them that Carmen made a plea bargain with him in exchange for her testimony against the arrested crews. Some time later, the player meets with Carmen to give them a ride to the local university where she is studying as a med student.

The reception to the live-action cutscenes was almost universally negative, with many critics noting that the videos were poorly acted and lacked purpose.[22][28] Some compared the cutscenes to a Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich film.[22] The lack of connection between the crime fighting undercover cop story and the racing game play was particularly criticized by IGN who said, "You ... run missions where you steal cars, make 'special' deliveries and things like this now and again, but you never actually see any sequences that show how the cops are putting the evidence together or anything of that sort. Chase Linh will tell you [what] you need to do to get on the inside of a racing group in order to get dirt on them, and then after a race she'll say 'We have enough, let's move in.' [But you're left asking: How did that help at all?]"[34] Finally, the in-game frame rate received little praise, and GameSpot particularly criticized the PS3 version for this problem resulting in a lower score on the platform compared to the Xbox 360 and PC versions.[25][26]

After that your thrown straight into career mode, competing in numerous events that range from short sprint races, circuit races, timed races and other simple activities such as evading the police or setting a record on speed cameras.

Parents need to know that this is a racing game that encourages risky driving behavior. Because you play as an undercover cop who is trying to gain credibility with a street gang, you must do things that are bad, like ramming into police cars and others. The game may annoy those gamers who care about graphics as much as gameplay. The jittery graphics at high speed can even make you lose a race. Music and dialog can be a bit naughty. Many models and makes of real cars are featured. If you don't have the patience to play through the game to unlock some of these new models of cars, you can purchase them online for between $2-10.

The Need for Speed series, which has been around since 1994 and has seen 16 games so far, is a staple of the racing genre. Offering teeth-gritting action, high speed chases, and shiny, customizable cars, the game's popularity spans the ages from teen to parent. In NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERCOVER, you and a federal officer (played by actress Maggie Q) are sent into the seamy underbelly of the fictional Tri-City in order to break up a ring of race car thieves. There, you'll meet all manner of creeps and connivers as you speed through a faux San Francisco Bay Area with 80 miles of twisting, turning highways.

Interestingly, you don't choose from a myriad of customizable car to begin. You're thrown right into the story. A Nissan is your default drive, but play more and more, a dealership's worth of cars are unlocked. There are seven modes from which to choose in a fairly open world and a huge amount of mission. The big deal this year is something called the Heroic Driving Engine, which lets you pull of fantastic move like a 180 degree turn as you speed through the streets at up to a thrilling 180 miles per hour.

Developer(s): Exient EntertainmentPublisher(s): Electronic ArtsGenre: RacingWikipedia: LinkGame review links: GameRankings: 58/100, Metacritic: 55/100Game description: Need for Speed: Undercover has players racing through speedways, dodging cops and chasing rivals as they go deep undercover to take down an International crime syndicate. The game heralds the return of high-intensity police chases and introduces the all-new 'Heroic Driving Engine' -- a unique technology that generates incredible high-performance moves at 180 miles per hour during breathtaking highway battles. A mix of computer graphics and live-action movies immerses gamers in the rich world of the Tri-City Bay Area. The city's open-world environment features over 80 miles of roads, including an enormous highway system that sets the stage for highway battles. These high-speed, high-stake chase sequences push players to the limit as they fight off cops and opponents while whipping through traffic at 180 miles per hour. An intelligent new A.I. mechanic delivers a realistic and high-energy action driving experience. Going back to the franchise's roots, Need for Speed Undercover features more aggressive and intelligent cops whose sole purpose is to take down the player quickly and by any means necessary. Need for Speed Undercover also features the series' signature car customization, real-world damage and realistic driving physics. The game includes some of the hottest licensed cars such as the Audi R8, BMW M6 and Lexus IS-F.The player is set in the story as a police officer, who goes undercover into the criminal underground of Tri-City, a fictional city where the game is based. The player has to take on dangerous 'jobs' and compete in races in order to infiltrate and take down a ruthless international crime smuggling syndicate, consisting of illegal street racers and car thieves. The player's only contacts to the police are federal handler Chase Linh, played by Maggie Q, and later Lt. Jack M. Keller played by Paul Pape.

In the game, the Player Character is an undercover police officer for the Tri-City Bay Police Department (TCBPD), who is informed by their superior, Lt. Jack Keller, that their current investigation into the region's underground street racing is to be joined by Chase Linh, a FBI federal agent looking to bring down an international criminal syndicate operating in the region that is involved in car smuggling. The player is instructed to pose as a new street racer and join in on major illegal street races in order to secure entry into the syndicate. The player achieves this by being recruited into a gang that works with the syndicate, run by the Maio brothers, Hector and Zack. At the same time, the player befriends Carmen Mendez, a member of the gang. The brothers quickly assign the player to steal cars for them during their racing activities. Upon completing the jobs, Chase instructs the player to arrest the gang, including the brothers. 041b061a72