Need for Speed Undercover

 Xbox 360
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 62
  3. Negative: 8 out of 62
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  1. Console Monster
    49
    The framerate is so shockingly bad, it effects the entire enjoyment of the experience.
  2. Gaming Nexus
    42
    Undercover doesn’t cover any new ground, and the campy cutscenes – which are a better motivator than earning higher-tier vehicles – lose sight of the game’s pace car. The police chases are knowingly the high point, but even those grow subdued through saturated exposure.
  3. Gaming Age
    42
    This port of Most Wanted that was a port of Carbon, which in itself wasn't good in the first place, is unforgivable from a team as financially stable as EA. Heck, Burnout Paradise, while not a great "Burnout-style" game, was a fantastic racing game, so how about counting your losses and just releasing one racing title and put all your money and focus on it.
  5. Kikizo
    40
    On the whole, Need for Speed Undercover is way below par and very disappointing.
  6. Boomtown
    40
    A huge letdown for a franchise that is yearning for its reinstatement at the top. EA really should have done so much better. Why not just use the Burnout Paradise engine, create a new city, slap in the NFS gameplay and call it...Most Wanted Hot Pursuit Porsche Unleashed? I'd buy it. In fact I'd buy two copies out of unadulterated joy.
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  7. D+PAD Magazine
    40
    It's not just that Need for Speed Undercover is a bad game; it's that it's a bad game with an incredibly erratic engine. The flaws, problems and issues that exist in NFS Undercover are virtually inexcusable for a popular franchise from such an affluent publisher.
  8. Giant Bomb
    40
    I'll admit that my fondness for Need for Speed Most Wanted colored my expectations for Need for Speed Undercover, but this game's general failure as a racing game ends up being so significant that its inability to recapture the fun of Most Wanted in particular is kind of a moot point. There's no shortage of street racing games on the market right now, and there's simply no room for a game that can't nail down some of the basics.
  9. Game Revolution
    16
    Unfinished, underdeveloped racing efforts like Need for Speed: Undercover leave the acrid taste of stale engine oil and greasy do-rags in my mouth. Luckily, it’s nothing that a little time spent with Grid or PGR4 can’t wash away. Undercover attempts to return the series to its former glory, but it’s obviously lost that loving feeling.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2008
70
#70 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 132 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 132
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 132
  3. Negative: 49 out of 132
  1. SpartanEdge
    Apr 18, 2011
    1
    Unlike alot of the other User reviewers on here,I'm NOT new to the Need for Speed games.I've play them since Need for Speed 1 on the 3DO,SegaUnlike alot of the other User reviewers on here,I'm NOT new to the Need for Speed games.I've play them since Need for Speed 1 on the 3DO,Sega Saturn & PS1.No 1 in my opinion,ws the best.Excellent pacing,handeling,& crash physics.You actually didnt want to crash,as you would have to wait for your car to stop rolling,before you could re join the race,so you were cautious not to crash.Made for great racing.So i know what can be done with the Need for Speed franchise,So Frankly expect more than the Abysimal Need for Speed-Undercover!.. Good examples of Need for Speed games,have been Nfs 1&2,Nfs Hot Pursuit 1&2(Not the one on the 360 & PS3),Nfs-Road Challenge,Underground 1&2,& Most Wanted.Possibly Shift 2,but havnt played that yet.But even as great as those are,none of them match the great gameplay of No1 all those years ago.Anyway,back to Undercover.Now where do i start?.. The Graphics are underdetailed,The handleing physics not very good,The game world is barren(it feels like some sort of Plague has killed off the worlds population,with the amount of other cats on the road,& no pedestrians).& yet,with the poor quality graphics & barren game world,theres that atrotious frame rate! What the Hell?! The frame rate renders the game practically unplayable! & i've heard its even worse on the PS3.. The races are far too easy,& these cust scenes seem to be put in to make the game seem more slick than it actually is,& they dont serve any purpose to the story at all.just a quick cutscene,& your in another race for some reason.. The other bad thing about this game is,they've created a free roaming world,but theres NO POINT WHAT-SO EVER to free roam.Great... Theres no random challenges to be had from it,& you dont even get to drive to get from race to race,as you have to choose it off the map,to 'Warp' there anyway.What the hell were Blackbox thinking?! No wonder they got took off the NFS games after this one.It was like they got the work experience guys to make the game,while they were on holiday(or maybe they actually did make THAT bad a game themselves).. But then,Criterion have since made the exact same mistake since,with Need for Speed-Hot Pursuit.A free roaming game,with literally no point to free roam! What a waste.. The only positive thing i can say about this game,is that the engine noise is good.But thats it.Whoopie.I'm normally fairly generous with my scores,& appreciate a good game,& the work thats gone into making it when i see it,but this is NOT good,& obviously no effort has gone into it.… Full Review »
  2. Broyax
    Mar 14, 2017
    4
    Une resucée du Most Wanted de 2005 dont il reprend les bons principes comme se tirer la bourre avec la maréchaussée très énervée par tous cesUne resucée du Most Wanted de 2005 dont il reprend les bons principes comme se tirer la bourre avec la maréchaussée très énervée par tous ces aigles de la route jackyfiés. A cet égard, ça reste efficace d'autant que les nouveaux modes sur l'autoroute ou les poursuites contre un autre jaja ne sont pas désagréables.

    Techniquement, c'est fort présentable et la fluidité est plutôt au rendez-vous, ce qui change très agréablement du Most Wanted. Comme de coutume dans les NFS, l'excellente ambiance sonore (sons de moteurs, effets et VF) n'en finit plus de faire mourir de honte tous les GTrons de Polyfiony. Cela va de soi mais ça va mieux en le disant comme on dit.

    Hélas, tout est tellement arcadisé à donf et simplifié à l'extrême, exagéré dans des proportions à peine croyables : collisions grotesques, vitesse délirante (si tant est que cela fût possible), l'impression que tout le jeu est en avance rapide comme dans un Wipeout à roulettes qui aurait sniffé trop de coke. La ville est peu variée, très mal foutue et constituée aux trois quarts de grandes courbes et de grandes lignes droites, une régression regrettable par rapport à Most Wanted et totalement incompréhensible.

    Enfin, ces vidéos "live" sont d'un ridicule qui n'a pas de nom. Avec pourtant de bonnes bases, quel gâchis que d'en être arrivé là, EA !    … Full Review »
  3. bradtheman123
    Jun 11, 2014
    6
    It was ok, but I do feel like they forgot a lot of things about the previous need for speeds. This just wasnt very satisfying when playing.It was ok, but I do feel like they forgot a lot of things about the previous need for speeds. This just wasnt very satisfying when playing. They sort of had a free roam thing which if, your a need for speed fan, is pretty cool. The racing experiences were cool at times but sometimes they just became ridiculous. They should have changed up a lot of things. I know its not that easy, but I feel like simple improvements could've been made.… Full Review »
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