Much better than Pro Street, but in someways a step back
After playing the horrible Need for Speed: Pro Street I was ready to give up on the Need for Speed series altogether, but when I saw the first screen shots and trailer for Need for Speed: Undercover I was hopeful that the series would get back on track with this game. In some ways Undercover got right what Pro Street did wrong, but in other ways it's another step back for the series. First the story is Need for Speed: Undercover is actually pretty well done and there are a few twists and turns in it that makes it feel like an actual Hollywood movie. The cut scenes in the game are actually done by real life actors and it shows EA has gotten better since Most Wanted. Now story wise it's pretty simple, you're an undercover cop send in by Maggie Q to break up a street gang by trying to get tight with them and eventually take down the leader of the gang. As far as the story it will probably take you any where from 6-10 hours to beat the story or more if you want to go after stuff you missed the first time around. Now the big thing that makes Undercover better is the fact that the police are back in full force again and this time they are smarter and will try new tactics in their quest to arrest you. Don't be surprised if they catch you the first few times they are a lot smarter this time around. As for the racing EA thank goodness when back to the basics and now it's more arcade style then Sim like it was in Pro Street. That means you can take a corner at 90 mph and be okay. The racing in Undercover feel likes they took it straight from Most Wanted which isn't a bad thing, but I would of liked to see more original stuff. Races are the standard sprint, checkpoint, lap and cost to state. As for the graphics in general they look great, but they suffer from some serious pop up and general clipping and frame rate issues. I just hope EA can fix these problems with a patch. Now even with all the good things I can't help, but think EA rushed Undercover a little to much it feels unpolished in areas and could of used a little more time, but I give credit to EA for trying to fix the mistakes of Pro Street, but in some ways they made things worse in parts of the game and for the soundtrack it's pretty good, but not everyone will like it. All in all Need for Speed Undercover is a great step up from Pro Street and fans of the series will enjoy the game a lot.
Pros:
+ Better than Pro Street and tries to restore the series back to its roots
+ Story is well written and has a few twists and turns
+ Customization of cars is great
+ The 5-0 is back and better than ever
+ Online is solid and features a few new ways to play
Cons:
- A lot of graphical issues (i.e. pop-up, frame rate issues)
- Game feels like it was rushed in areas and could of been done better
- Doesn't do that much different to distinguish itself from past Need for Speed games
- Soundtrack may not be in everyone's taste
- Good old rubber band AI is still at it in some races
