Initially I didn’t want to get this game, as the Need for Speed (NFS) series has been deteriorating, especially in terms of its fun. The NFS series has lost its charm since NFS: Carbon came out, and Prostreet was a disaster.
Some few months ago the trailer for NFS: Undercover came out. If one watched it without being told what was it, I bet almost everyone will think that its a trailer for a new movie coming out. Honestly, that trailer was rather enticing, but thinking about the recent NFS releases made me wonder if I should really play it. At that time, I would actually prefer an NFS movie over a game. The trailer is at the end of this review for your viewing pleasure.
Anyway, I got this game mainly because the current state of new games for the PSP is seriously horrendous. There are hardly any good new games coming out at all.
To the main review. EA has decided to go back to the style of NFS: Most Wanted, where cops come into play. When cops, illegal street racing and undercover comes into play, the main storyline is rather predictable. You are an undercover cop who is working to bust some street racing gangs, as well as some car smuggling acts. The story ends with a surprising (or maybe not) twist, but unfortunately, that twist came right at the end of the game, and I felt that the ending was rather abrupt.
The game starts off by throwing you right into a race. A race with one of the best cars available in the game. I have no idea why EA put this in, but it definitely gets you into the mood of the game. You will start off by buying a really slow and ugly car, and progressively throughout the game, you will be able to unlock faster and cooler cars. Cars are unlocked by a bounty system, where you will have to complete races to gain bounty.
The cars are also modifiable, with a comfortable amount of modifications available for you to choose from. Body kits, hoods, spoilers, rims, engine, nitro, those are just some of the modifications that you can make to your car.
Unlike the PC versions of the usual NFS games, you are not able to explore the world and drive around wherever you like. Instead, you choose the events that are currently available for you to race in, and you are immediately placed on the street for racing. I actually prefer this, as it is rather mundane to drive around town just to get to places such as race events or a garage. It just brings you right into the race.
There are also a few types of races that you can take part in. There is the usual races such as circuit laps or a straight track sprint, and there are some unique races where you have to take out a certain number of cops, or outrun an opponent. For the more unique races, you are actually able to drive anywhere in the city (the world is divided into 3 cities), making it slightly close to the open world system PC versions have.
There are some problems with the game though. The way cops drive is beyond the law of physics. They can turn an amazing 180 degrees at unbelievable speeds and go from zero kmh to 300 in a second or two. The AI is also unrealistic. It seems as if the AI players are given a railway track to run on, as they do not seem to be driving according to how a car should operate at all. I’ve also seen the AI get stuck on the track, making them complete the race in 7 minutes when I complete it in one and a half. What I’ve also noticed is that the AI will slow down if you happen to be too far back, but don’t count on it to win.
When under pursuit by cops, the communications between the cops and their headquarters becomes very annoying. There is hardly any variety in their speeches, and the nagging feeling really kicks in. Thankfully, their conversations can be turned off in the options.
There is also very little engagement in the story. Its mainly text which is read out to you, and the occasional cutscenes which are acted out by real people. The quality of the speech is also poor, and I’m judging this based on the PSP’s sound system. This makes it a bit hard to catch up on the storyline, and with so little of the story appearing, you don’t really remember much or care much about the story anyway.
The tracks you race on also lack flavour. After a while, the tracks all look the same, with the only difference being the turns and the straights. A little more variety is needed in the environment surrounding the tracks. Also, there are absolutely no shortcuts on the track, and the only destructible objects on the track are cones, benches, basically, small objects. The only time you will be in the air is only when a car hits you really hard, or when there is a hump on the road.
Fortunately, I have to say that the controls for the game are good. All the essential buttons are easily and quickly accessible, and that is important in a fast-paced racing game like this.
Overall, it is a fairly good game to have on the PSP. Solid (but boring) tracks for you to race on, cops, traffic, an AI that is a bit odd, that alone gives a PSP owner quite a lot for a game. It might get a little repetitive when you just go for race after race, but what racing game isn’t like that? If played till the end, it guarantees at least eight hours of gameplay. However, if you are looking for a racing game with a PC/360/PS3 standard, this game will not pack much punch.
Graphics: 7.0
Sound: 6.6
Gameplay: 7.0
Lasting Appeal: 6.0
Overall: 7.0
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