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. WonderwallWeb
    88
    NFS Undercover is a return to form for this long running racer series, the inclusion of the cops really puts pressure on your racing and with the addition of the usual upgrade and tuning options it helps to make this a top arcade racer.
  2. HellBored
    82
    Moving away from the track and back onto the roads may have returned Need for Speed to where it belongs, but things aren’t perfect yet.
  3. TeamXbox
    80
    While Need for Speed Undercover delivers in the areas of cinematic production, audio, visuals and through its sweet vehicle roster, it falls a bit short in the realm of top-tier, arcade-quality handling models.
  5. 360 Gamer Magazine UK
    80
    While the gameplay feels simple and easy to interact with, there’s plenty of options and a decent array of customisation for your vehicles. A combination of arcade fun gameplay and a massive playground of a city to do it in should have you entertained for weeks.
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  6. Da Gameboyz
    80
    Need for Speed Undercover is the best NFS game since Most Wanted but there are still a few more areas which need to be improved before we call Undercover the Need for Speed champ.
  7. Cynamite
    80
    Adventure or racing? Definitely racing! The cut scenes are not suspenseful enough for an adventure. But I like Tri-City with its varied missions and the intuitive controls. Unfortunately the game sometimes drops to a low frame rate.
  8. Games Master UK
    79
    Nearly a return to form, but the new 'grown up' attitude takes away more than it gives. [Christmas 2008, p.62]
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  9. DailyGame
    78
    The police chases are fantastic, but the plot's bad and the gameplay is confined to an area that's much smaller than it seems like it should be.
  10. GameFocus
    76
    If you like action racing games this is a worth while rental at the very least. There is much to do in the game and even though it feels like the game is just missing some key factor to make it one of the best arcade racers around it is still enjoyable.
  11. Official Xbox Magazine
    75
    A good time can be had, but only if you're patient...and a really big fan of Most Wanted. [Holiday 2008, p.68]
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  12. 1UP
    75
    As a mashup of :Need for Speed: Carbon" and "Need for Speed: Most Wanted", Undercover is ultimately fairly successful. For many, though, in a post-"Burnout: Paradise" world, the question has to be raised: "What does this give me that Paradise doesn't?" The answer to that is "cops and robbers," a mechanic that has worked well in single-player since the days of Hot Pursuit, and works even better online when played in teams of 4-on-4 in Undercover.
  13. Kombo
    75
    Undercover is a great way for the NFS series to get back on track.
  14. Worth Playing
    75
    I had a lot of fun with the Career mode in Need for Speed: Undercover, and the easy-to-grasp controls really make this an accessible and fun title in the Need for Speed franchise. Don't expect a lot of innovation or new ideas, as a lot of the things that were implemented seem to be pulled from previous NFS releases, but I think race fans will be able to have some fun with this title.

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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