Need for Speed Undercover

 Xbox 360
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
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  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,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.MadeUnlike 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.… Expand
  2. BriabS
    Dec 18, 2008
    3
    Where is the story? I didn't know I was at the boss level till I beat the boss! What's with the girl, are you suppose to fell cool, and thats good that she is pre-med? Big surprise the women you are working for is working for the bad guy!!!! Why the @#$% can't you sell those shitty cars you inherit from other racers!!! And one more thing on art, can we change the color Where is the story? I didn't know I was at the boss level till I beat the boss! What's with the girl, are you suppose to fell cool, and thats good that she is pre-med? Big surprise the women you are working for is working for the bad guy!!!! Why the @#$% can't you sell those shitty cars you inherit from other racers!!! And one more thing on art, can we change the color pallette, don't fool us by just by changing the time of day to 7:55pm or 6:45 am. Plus a golden hour doesn't work when your caution walls are the same color as your lighting pallette!!!!… Expand
  3. McCully243
    Feb 1, 2012
    2
    Wow what a POS game. I have played need the need for speed series since High stakes which is from 1999. I loved Most Wanted and Carbon, because they made you feel awesome. True Undercover as those moments and the graphic look really cool. The two main problems that brought the score really down for me was this. One the story is way too short, i finished this game is 3 days without doingWow what a POS game. I have played need the need for speed series since High stakes which is from 1999. I loved Most Wanted and Carbon, because they made you feel awesome. True Undercover as those moments and the graphic look really cool. The two main problems that brought the score really down for me was this. One the story is way too short, i finished this game is 3 days without doing any side missions. So it is about maybe a total of 10 hours of gameplay, need for speed most wanted had at least 20-25 hours without doing the side missions. See the difference. The reason why it was so short too ties into my second reason. This game is way too easy. You can just put the pedal to the medal without even breaking crashing into stuff and you can still win about 90% of the time. In Most Wanted i am still having trouble to win races and it actually feels more satisfying to win. So in conclusion it is a cheap version of Most Wanted. You would be better off buying most wanted… Expand
  4. goldenaxe
    Jan 14, 2012
    2
    I gave it a two because I was able to get through it. Been a long time since I actually had to pull a game from my 360 and throw it across the room from terrible frustration. this game lacks a LOT but in general was one of the better NFS / EA titles. Most other NFS games are pure garbage.
  5. askewreviews
    Sep 20, 2013
    3
    Need for Speed Undercover may well be the most dumbed down Need for Speed game of this generation. Get the superior Most Wanted; both the original and the new one are far better than this trash and you don't have to put up with the awful story. Not even worth renting.
  6. 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. 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 IIt 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.… Expand
  7. 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 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    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 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 !    … Expand
  8. sinadoom
    Oct 24, 2011
    5
    Essentially this is a remake of NFS Most Wanted but with more events. However, EA Black Box have failed to capture what made MW so exciting: the cop chases. Instead, you play as an undercover cop and the focus is on racing against the stupidly easy-to-beat AI. Customisation is there but not as good as MW which is quite embarassing. And did I mention the driving physics? There aren't any.Essentially this is a remake of NFS Most Wanted but with more events. However, EA Black Box have failed to capture what made MW so exciting: the cop chases. Instead, you play as an undercover cop and the focus is on racing against the stupidly easy-to-beat AI. Customisation is there but not as good as MW which is quite embarassing. And did I mention the driving physics? There aren't any. The game's manual will tell you all about the new engine. It's horrific. There's literally no skill in the driving, and no exciting game physics. This game is not challenging nor rewarding. The multiplayer isn't particularly fun either. Avoid even if you're a fan. If you've not played most wanted, then this is worth a look. But the game hyas many problems and glitches with a flawed multiplayer and driving which isn't as exciting as MW.… Expand
  9. [Anonymous]
    Nov 22, 2008
    8
    Although it has bugs in psychics and control which makes the already unrealistic (cinematic) gameplay a bit further it is still an entertaining game. I've played all the NFS titles and (of course this isn't the best) I thought that a gamer who never played this franchise (or simply don't hate EA) can enjoy all the stuff in there and for him/her is much more than "60-70%" in Although it has bugs in psychics and control which makes the already unrealistic (cinematic) gameplay a bit further it is still an entertaining game. I've played all the NFS titles and (of course this isn't the best) I thought that a gamer who never played this franchise (or simply don't hate EA) can enjoy all the stuff in there and for him/her is much more than "60-70%" in score (and seeing the users' rating that's true). I really don't understand the majority of the reviews. If EA wouldn't be this strict in release dates thus letting the programmers correct bugs and fine-tune the game I would give it 9 points but this time let's say a strong 8.… Expand
  10. Tim
    Nov 23, 2008
    8
    I've been having fun playing it! I don't see why the reviewers have been so tough on NFS: Undercover. The core gameplay is fun, the world is huge, and visually it's solid. I haven't had any issues with framerate, at least nothing glaring. Sure, there isn't a lot of innovation here, and the story is cheesy, but I've been having a ton of fun with it. Overall,I've been having fun playing it! I don't see why the reviewers have been so tough on NFS: Undercover. The core gameplay is fun, the world is huge, and visually it's solid. I haven't had any issues with framerate, at least nothing glaring. Sure, there isn't a lot of innovation here, and the story is cheesy, but I've been having a ton of fun with it. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase.… Expand
  11. Daz
    Dec 19, 2008
    9
    it's a LONG time since i've disagreed so strongly with the proffessional reviews, but i really do with this game. i think this is ace and am realy enjoying it. it has a gentle learning curve and exciting races. It does suffer from slowdown but i can put up with that for a game this enjoyable. the prof. reviews are wrong in my opinion.
  12. TANK
    Jan 19, 2009
    9
    Maybe its because I am new to the xbox360 but, I loved this game. I haven't played many other need for speed games so I was not comparing it to anything else. The game is fun, exhilarating and made me keep coming back for more (until I completed the game). I got a real kick out of the one on one battles. The camera put itself on the lower bonnet, while speeding in and out of cars. Maybe its because I am new to the xbox360 but, I loved this game. I haven't played many other need for speed games so I was not comparing it to anything else. The game is fun, exhilarating and made me keep coming back for more (until I completed the game). I got a real kick out of the one on one battles. The camera put itself on the lower bonnet, while speeding in and out of cars. Fun stuff all the way. There was probably a few dropped frames along the way but I think the gameplay overshadowed any of that!… Expand
  13. JohnWiseman
    Nov 18, 2008
    10
    The driving physics are actually very good once you learn how to use its full potential. The new highway races offer a great sense of speed and fun by weaving through traffic. If you loved NFS: Most Wanted, then you will definately enjoy Undercover. Don't listen to the harsh reviews - this game is definately worth playing for fans before ProStreet.
  14. JimRandal
    Nov 19, 2008
    10
    Honestly, I don't know what the people doing the reviews are looking at. I have been a fan of the series since the old days and this NFS is a definite improvement. Having scores come in below 50 for an NFS title is just plain politics and this type of stuff just kills the video game culture. Rate the game for what it is and in saying that, i give this NFS a 9.
  15. Andyman
    Nov 22, 2008
    8
    Let's see... reviewers criticized Carbon and ProStreet for NOT being like Most Wanted... so EA makes a sequel that's similar to Most Wanted, but superior in virtually every way, and those same reviewers criticize Undercover for... you guessed it, being LIKE Most Wanted... WTF? The game isn't perfect, but it is FUN, period. I'll put one of these so-called "professional"Let's see... reviewers criticized Carbon and ProStreet for NOT being like Most Wanted... so EA makes a sequel that's similar to Most Wanted, but superior in virtually every way, and those same reviewers criticize Undercover for... you guessed it, being LIKE Most Wanted... WTF? The game isn't perfect, but it is FUN, period. I'll put one of these so-called "professional" review sites in perspective... IGN gave the God-awful Summer Athletics a 5.2, and NFS:U a 5.0... lay off the pharmaceuticals, guys.… Expand
  16. Tabitha
    Dec 29, 2008
    9
    Greatest in the NFS series behind Most Wanted (Most Wanted was my favorite!!). I was worried about buying another NFS because Carbon wasn't that great and Pro Street was the worst yet (glad I rented that one) but Undercover delivered a satisfying product. Fun to play and the cops are much harder to evade most the time than in Most Wanted in my opinion. Some quirky frame rate bugs but Greatest in the NFS series behind Most Wanted (Most Wanted was my favorite!!). I was worried about buying another NFS because Carbon wasn't that great and Pro Street was the worst yet (glad I rented that one) but Undercover delivered a satisfying product. Fun to play and the cops are much harder to evade most the time than in Most Wanted in my opinion. Some quirky frame rate bugs but I can look past them. Hopefully if there is any future NFS installments they will just get better from here. Keep up the good work EA.… Expand
  17. Jobadkins
    Feb 6, 2011
    9
    What is it with reviewers lately?If a game comes out and it's easy on default difficulty then it gets bashed with a bad review.Like devil may cry 2 was awesome game but because it was easy it got bad reviews from everybody but play magazine.Then devil may cry 3 comes out and it's way to hard so they have to literally make another version of the game,devil may cry 3 special edition.Give meWhat is it with reviewers lately?If a game comes out and it's easy on default difficulty then it gets bashed with a bad review.Like devil may cry 2 was awesome game but because it was easy it got bad reviews from everybody but play magazine.Then devil may cry 3 comes out and it's way to hard so they have to literally make another version of the game,devil may cry 3 special edition.Give me a break,this game is amazing for 2008 and if you don't like it to be easy then put it on hard or don't play it.They set this game like a movie and I really love everything about this game except it's not as smooth to play as other driving games but I'll tell you one thing,Midnight club Los Angeles is a better game but it is WAY too hard and you can't bump down the difficulty.Great game EA!9… Expand
  18. Denisfirst
    Sep 29, 2022
    0
    Need for Speed Undercover is a big step backwards for the series. It's almost as if the franchise has the same disease as FIFA had a couple of years ago. EA promises a lot new features but in the end there just isn't enough to justify a new game. Thankfully the FIFA-syndrom offers perspective, because after a few mishaps the franchise has produced an instant classic. That's why we keepNeed for Speed Undercover is a big step backwards for the series. It's almost as if the franchise has the same disease as FIFA had a couple of years ago. EA promises a lot new features but in the end there just isn't enough to justify a new game. Thankfully the FIFA-syndrom offers perspective, because after a few mishaps the franchise has produced an instant classic. That's why we keep hope for a worthy Need for Speed game in the near future… Expand
  19. jazz15c
    Dec 24, 2008
    7
    First hour of the game was absolutely appalling, stick with it though, it does get better. Cops are back, thankfully, but the sheer amount of chases become tiresome. Plenty of different race modes to keep you entertained, masses of cars to purchase. A decent game, very short though (though a lot longer than Carbon), and at times lacked direction in the plot. Scenery feels very "Most First hour of the game was absolutely appalling, stick with it though, it does get better. Cops are back, thankfully, but the sheer amount of chases become tiresome. Plenty of different race modes to keep you entertained, masses of cars to purchase. A decent game, very short though (though a lot longer than Carbon), and at times lacked direction in the plot. Scenery feels very "Most Wanted-y". Handling is, at best, iffy...you have to nitrous drift to carry any real speed around a tight corner, extremely unrealistic! A step back into the right direction, but still light years from the highlights of Most Wanted and Underground 1/2.… Expand
  20. AnonymousMC
    Nov 26, 2008
    9
    I agree with Anonymous's comment. I have never played the nfs franchise, and I just picked it up. I really enjoy playing it even moreso than Burnout (longer consecutive time driving rather than having my momentum broken by crashing the car). It's biggest flaw are its occasional drop in framerate. It has happened twice (when my car went through fences) that it was jarringI agree with Anonymous's comment. I have never played the nfs franchise, and I just picked it up. I really enjoy playing it even moreso than Burnout (longer consecutive time driving rather than having my momentum broken by crashing the car). It's biggest flaw are its occasional drop in framerate. It has happened twice (when my car went through fences) that it was jarring enough to temporarily make me lose my concentration, but I won anyhow, so that's ok :) What I like about this game is that it's quick and seamless to jump from one race to another. And if I finish a race but still don't win it, it's not all lost. I have accumulated $ from just driving around. I never feel like I'm wasting time. I enjoy playing the game, but I've never played a nfs game before (wait...I think I did...on PC, but that was so long ago).… Expand
  21. AnonymousMC
    Nov 28, 2008
    8
    Anyone who rated this poorly didn't play through far enough to get their brain around the terribly corny cut scenes, poor design choicfes and slew of visual bugs. I have no idea what's going on in the story of this game and why I get speeding tickets during races that deduct $250 from my totaly every 10 seconds. However, the race tracks are cleverly set up to make even theAnyone who rated this poorly didn't play through far enough to get their brain around the terribly corny cut scenes, poor design choicfes and slew of visual bugs. I have no idea what's going on in the story of this game and why I get speeding tickets during races that deduct $250 from my totaly every 10 seconds. However, the race tracks are cleverly set up to make even the slowest AI seem competetive. NFS has ALWAYS had huge problems with making their Race AI competetive. Undercover is NFS in it's greatest form. Yes there are MANY visual issues and the frame rate oftens gets sluggish. I admit that the team could have spent more time on polish but gameplay wise I've NEVER seen NFS stronger. forget what you hear from reviewers about this game being a bad match between Carbon and MW... It's like a patchwork quilt of every existing NFS to date... A homage to... Themselves. But it feels good.
    This is the first time ever in NFS that after an opponent knocks you off the road you can get right back up, chase him down and do the same.    … Expand
  22. AnonymousMC
    Nov 30, 2008
    8
    Even with its glitches, graphicaly, cinimatically, and in other ways, i found this game very entertaining. Even with these flaws, which occasionally provide chuckle, this game has an interesting storyline. I think that EA is doing a good job working with what they have got. It is a street racing game. They all have the same basic idea, and this turned it upside down (kindof). one quality iEven with its glitches, graphicaly, cinimatically, and in other ways, i found this game very entertaining. Even with these flaws, which occasionally provide chuckle, this game has an interesting storyline. I think that EA is doing a good job working with what they have got. It is a street racing game. They all have the same basic idea, and this turned it upside down (kindof). one quality i will give to EA is the expansive highway system. I really enjoyed cruising while being persued by the 911 GT2 cops. Also I amtired of critics saying that it is EA's fault. If you lok closely, the game was created byBlack Box and marketed by EA. the strict deadline may be EA's fault, but i think they deserve another chance. as far as the entire series goes, I still think that NFS most wanted holds the crown hands down. even though it is an old game, i sometimes find myself burning up camden for hours on end.… Expand
  23. TylerDurden
    Nov 17, 2008
    6
    This is the epitome of, you can't polish a turd. Don't get me wrong, viusually, NFS:U seems very well put together, but there seems to be a general lack of concern for gameplay that allot of other versions of the game, and other franchises in general, have mastered. Better than bad, but just not good.
  24. ADobbo
    Feb 18, 2012
    4
    Need for Speed Undercover was a great racing game to start off my experience on Xbox 360. I thought that the game was good fun and kept me intrigued. There is a story which is there but absent at the same time which is strange and not good. The music is great and there is also an element of challenge within the game, however, when you are stuck at the challenge, there is nothing making youNeed for Speed Undercover was a great racing game to start off my experience on Xbox 360. I thought that the game was good fun and kept me intrigued. There is a story which is there but absent at the same time which is strange and not good. The music is great and there is also an element of challenge within the game, however, when you are stuck at the challenge, there is nothing making you stay in the game. The multiplayer is fun with game modes such as Cops and Robbers which provides many hours of fun. Overall I rate this game a 4/10 for the reason that there is no story really and also the fact that even though it is called a free roam game, you cannot free roam over the speed limit without police coming after you which is not ideal for a racing free roam game when you are in a car that goes way over 200mph and yet you are basically restricted to 50mph… Expand
  25. somethingguy912
    Nov 4, 2013
    6
    I know that I had previously downrated hot pursuit badly, but as this being one of the first games that I got for the Xbox 360, In contrast to Hot Pursuit, I actually had some joy with playing this game, as it still maintained the option of purchasing particular vehicles for any such event, as well as a full variety of customization types. However, the customization names get way tooI know that I had previously downrated hot pursuit badly, but as this being one of the first games that I got for the Xbox 360, In contrast to Hot Pursuit, I actually had some joy with playing this game, as it still maintained the option of purchasing particular vehicles for any such event, as well as a full variety of customization types. However, the customization names get way too technical in this series, almost as technical as the types of rims you'd like to buy. Anyhow, the decal and vinyl customization is much more peaked and varied from previous addons, as you can change rotation, size and position of any such decal, adding much more diversity to your own imagination. Cars are suited in "ranks", meaning that 4 would be a pretty low-performance car, as in 1 is the baddest of the bad, the fastest of the fast. Anyhow, the story itself is not original, compelling, or coherent to "undercover". Most Wanted had more of a undercover setting than this. The story makes you feel as though you have a choice, but really, you don't. You are told what to do through a linear playthrough that only becomes free roam when those quests involve races, which in itself are neat too. The area you get to play in is flagrantly beautiful, involved in the tri-states area close to where I live (if Oregon and Washington are close, they're practically the same state), however the vehicle traffic and populace feels completely empty for a metropolitan area such as that, whether by the courtesy of the dev's to make the driving experience easier or just plain lack of notation. Like in Most Wanted, most of the races are difficulty dependent on the cars you drive, but have particular races that are much more difficult than others, requiring more sporty cars and more driving determination. Vehicle damage is nigh absent, with little more than scratches and windows despite the highway runs formulating a "wrecked" motion when you run into cars. The highway runs is the new special challenge, like drifting in Carbon, as you go 1vs1 against highway traffic (again, the traffic is minimal for a metropolitian area). There are special skill boosts that allow you to gain decreased costs for particular parts, or increase other areas of your pique depending on how you perform on races, which does give you the drive to beat out each race. Also, you can perform the same races with the help of the gps, that has particular categories for any such of race, such as sprints or circuits, quest races, special races and races you have already done and new races. Despite these benefits, most of the game seems bored of itself, feeling too calm and steady for intense driving. At least this still brings the Need for Speed racing experience that we should expect, other than some future developments. It might be hard to garnish an interest in this game, but once you do, you won't feel regret buying it.… Expand
  26. Chrisracer8903
    Jan 20, 2014
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Whoa! The NFS Series as fumbled a few times (Such as Porsche Unleashed on the PS1 and ProStreet), but not as BAD as Undercover.

    I'm going to start with the good: Variety of cars, the police chases (to a certain extent), the soundtrack, and the size of the map.

    The Bad: Literally everything else this game has to offer.

    The story: It took me less than 3 days to complete, it doesn't make a lot of sense, transition between the story and the missions is non-existent, and the objectives in the missions are not explained at all. There was so much they could have done to make you work like an actual undercover cop, but it was dumbed down like a low-budget action film.

    The graphics: they are UGLY. To be fair, I can understand EA's artistic choices trying to make the game feel like a Michael Bay film, but they made it look cartoon-ish. The warm colors of the environment with the cool colors of the sky just doesn't look good. In addition, the game takes place at either sunset or sunrise so you are constantly blinded by the sun and the fresh-rain effect on the roads makes the sun reflection even brighter and very difficult to see. Part of the map is programmed to change to sunset or sunrise depending on where you are. With that stated, there are moments where you literally (I'm not kidding you) seeing the sun moving across the sky! It just shows how physics in this game are not a simulated in any form which brings up the next BIG problem: the physics.

    The physics in this game are the worst I have ever played in a driving game and I play mostly racing games. The "Heroic Driving Engine" is laughable. The cars turn on a dime, rarely need to tap on the break, and require no drifting or driving skills going around corners. You can literally make a clean turn with a Bugatti Veyron going 150+ MPH around a street corner without tapping the brakes. This is not realistic in any form! There are other stupid physics glitches in the game where the pursuit brakers have physics explosions. Example: knocking over a platform of pipes, instead of falling, they go shooting across the sky at 1,000+ miles per hour! Other glitches include cars barrel rolling while stationary, pursuit breakers destroying police cars nowhere near the falling object(s). Some of these glitches are in conjunction with the incredibly stupid AI that consists of slow racers, police pointlessly ramming everything, and literally smoking the AI on any race/ mission without any effort. There are so many little physics glitches here-and-there that I could go on forever on each one I have encountered. The lack of beta-testing clearly shows!

    Although Tri-Cities Bay is the biggest city compared to Rockport and Palmont City from the last 2 NFS titles, this map looks the ugliest. Although some areas of the city are cool to explore, the graphics explained above with the textures leads to a very bland and lifeless city with spotty AI traffic, ugly low-resolution textures, and very little sense of depth, and large stretches of rural and coastal highways with no vegetation and only terrain with repeated textures. It literally looks incomplete (Like the rest of this game).

    Other technical issues: The frame rate is all over the place at any given moment. Some areas the frame rate slows the game to a point where it is almost unplayable. There are moments where your player's car is going faster than the road loading ahead, literally stopping the game until the void in front of you loads the map. I have heard this is a bigger issue on the PC version, but I will never find out as I will would never poison my PC with this garbage of a program!

    There is very little to explain about the races themselves as they are like the past NFS games, except the AI is painfully easy. Another questionable issue is that instead of having arrows blocking you from driving off a race, there are literally walls blocking multiple paths, but the AI traffic is programmed to literally drive through the them (Yay, another huge freaking glitch!). Why didn't EA put the arrows to allow traffic to properly drive through them? We will never know.

    I understand EA was trying to create a 3rd title to expand the game/racing structure we had in Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon, but they screwed-up this game so badly I don't know how they could have sold this without embarrassment.

    I have a theory about this game: the development time was supposedly 2 years on this title. During the first year of development, the recession happened where many companies like EA had to scale back their operations. I wouldn't be surprised if EA "cut" development of the game, told Black Box to finish whatever was complete so they could ship the game and make a profit as it would be too big of a loss to cancel the title. It clearly shows this game was incomplete. We will never know. All we know is we were given crappy glitches and incompleteness for a final product for 2008's installment of the NFS series.

    Final score: 2!    … Expand
  27. gamingisgreat
    Aug 6, 2016
    1
    Need For Speed Undercover is an abysmal entry,in fact,the worst in the entire Need For Speed franchise.

    The customisation remains great,and salvages this game away from a zero. The framerate is terrible,making the game nearly unplayable,the graphics are awful,and the story is beyond stupid. The gameplay is terrible,the cars handle like pure sh*t,and the AI is braindead,making the    Need For Speed Undercover is an abysmal entry,in fact,the worst in the entire Need For Speed franchise.

    The customisation remains great,and salvages this game away from a zero.

    The framerate is terrible,making the game nearly unplayable,the graphics are awful,and the story is beyond stupid.

    The gameplay is terrible,the cars handle like pure sh*t,and the AI is braindead,making the game way too easy.

    The sound design and soundtrack are terrible aswell.

    In short,DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME.    … Expand
  28. Hypedriver
    May 20, 2015
    4
    This game isn't good. It's not a good NFS game, it's not a good racing game, it's not even a good cinematic game.
    It's not abhorrently bad either though. The graphics aren't actually half-bad, but not gorgeous. The Tri-City Bay Area doesn't look too bleak although it can lack life, making it more of a ghost city where only the racers and the cops that enforce the traffic laws there    This game isn't good. It's not a good NFS game, it's not a good racing game, it's not even a good cinematic game.
    It's not abhorrently bad either though. The graphics aren't actually half-bad, but not gorgeous. The Tri-City Bay Area doesn't look too bleak although it can lack life, making it more of a ghost city where only the racers and the cops that enforce the traffic laws there inhabit it.
    The cars look quite good and there's a decent amount to choose from, from import tuners to full-on supercars, all of which are customisable.
    The gameplay however, is awful, simply rehashing Most Wanted and Carbon's general gameplay (that's not to say these two games play badly in retrospect) but with much worse handling. Oh lord the handling... every car steers way too quickly at WAY TOO HIGH SPEEDS! I get that this is NFS but the handling takes the literacy of it one step too far.
    The AI are terrible as well, being too easy when you're behind them and unfair once you're ahead of them, always riding along your tail to simply overtake you.
    As for the story... well it's boring, it's half-assed, and it doesn't justify the game at all, which is sad considering that the game was attempting to move itself in that direction anyway.
    Overall, I cannot recommend this, it's hard to like this game, especially considering that the game came in 2008, the same year as Burnout Paradise and Midnight Club: Los Angeles, which I consider to be two fantastic racing games in their own right. If you're really curious, I'd say rent it first, and keep it that way, this is not a game you'll want to keep coming back to. If you want racing games you'll consistently kep coming back to, get the other two games I mentioned in this review. You'll probably find both for the same, if not cheaper prices anyway.    … Expand
  29. CloudStrife05
    Aug 19, 2021
    8
    Much better than Carbon and it brought a Most Wanted/Hot Pursuit aspect to it.

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. 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]
  2. Gameplayer
    65
    NFS of old was about hot cars, hot pursuits and miles and miles of open road, and Undercover make a semi-successful fist of recapturing some of this magic. Looks great, plays fine. There’s no getting around the fact, however, that Undercover is basically Most Wanted with a new lick of paint. Can somebody please green-light Hot Pursuit 3? Surely the open-world horse has been well-and-truly flogged?
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  3. GamePro
    50
    It's clear that the Need For Speed series is in need of a GPS unit so it can get back on track.
    Read full review
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