NFS Undercover: any good?

Lukasz · Post by **Lukasz** » 19 Nov 2008, 16:53

Hi peeps.

I have noticed some of you already have NFS: Undercover, and i was wondering what you think of the game. So far it has gathered scathing reviews (e.g. over at IGN), but I am curious what actual gamers' opinion is.
I liked pretty much all NFS installments up to Most Wanted (my fave I reckon); never got into ProStreet, and neither GRID nor Flat Out are my games. Is Undercover worth my money or should I hold off until Burnout Paradise is out for PC?
I'll appreciate all feedback on this! :)

Post by **Abram** » 20 Nov 2008, 01:00

From the handful of reviews I've read, it seem to be another typical EA-game-machine P.O.S.

Same engine, LOD problems, FPS issues, buggy gameplay, free-roam isn't so free, copy-protection problems...

It seems each iteration of the series gets progressively worse. They seem to be taking a cue from the sports franchises and releasing a new version yearly but with few changes.

I ahve;t played it myself, but i watched some of the PC version and it looks lame. YOu cun't DRIVE to races anymore, you just tap a key and you're in automatically. There are shadow problems, aliasing is rampant (AA hardly helps), odd FPS drops, the cars looks like cheap plastic, the controls are sloppy, the menu are horribly inefficient and teh mouse cursor keeps vanishing.

Sp ya, I"d tell you to save your money and stay clear.

Go buy Fallout 3 , it's pretty damned fun.

I forgot all about Burnout coming to PC... apperently Codemasters is coming out with another racing game soon. Those are usually pretty good.

DaFox · Post by **DaFox** » 20 Nov 2008, 09:32

It looks quite good to me, defiantly a step up from Prostreet which was pretty bad. Cant wait to try it out, It is the first game in the 24 Month tick-tock cycle opposed to the 12 month that carbon and prostreet had.

Lukasz · Post by **Lukasz** » 20 Nov 2008, 10:35

Thanks for your responses guys.
Fallout3 is not a good alternative, as it's a different kettle of fish ;).
I have seen some gameplay vids of nfs:u and they seemed quite ok, so I'm baffled by all the negative reviews.
If anybody has some hands-on experience with the game, do post your impressions! :)

Post by **MobsterOO7** » 20 Nov 2008, 19:18

You mentioned that GRID is "not your game" does that mean it's not your type of game, or does it mean that you simply don't own it? Because IMO GRID will always be better than any NFS game after Underground.

Anyway if you're into a bit more of an arcady style racing game I suggest you go find an old copy of the first Carmageddon. I remember playing this back when I had a Windows 95 machine, ooooh those were the days.

Frag Maniac · Post by **Frag Maniac** » 20 Nov 2008, 21:42

I like U2, really like Most Wanted a lot, Carbon is a bit of a step back, but OK. Pro Street is absolute trash IMO. GRID blows them all away, though it IS a different type of game with less story structure and more raw racing. Undercover is an interesting concept and was kind of inevitable given the direction they were heading. A lot of racing games go for that Fast and Furious appeal anymore.

I don't know anything about Undercover other than one gameplay video and a couple trailers I've seen, the former not looking too inspiring. I won't comment until I get a chance to play it though. It would be interesting to see a game by Codemasters that combines the elements of GRID with those of Undercover. It's not really Codie's style to throw cops into the mix, but then again FUEL is quite a departure from their norm and I'm not sure how well it will be received.

Lukasz · Post by **Lukasz** » 20 Nov 2008, 22:41

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Regarding Grid, I meant that it's not my type of game: the cars seem very fidgety and spin out of control for no good reason. The graphics are amazing though, and for this reason I wouldn't go too far back (all the way back to Carmaggeddon).
I do like the steering that's on the forgiving side, and I always select 1st person view while driving (hood or bumper camera) as it gives this great sensation of speed (btw, it's not strictly arcadey, right? Not that I care). Aggressive police intervention is always a nice bonus too.
Undercover is already in stores but I am reluctant to splash out as the game is on the pricey side. hmm...

Post by **g00seberry** » 20 Nov 2008, 23:29

It's utterly useless. The handling is completely ridiculous. You can be topping out and still take a 90Â° corner at top speed.
The graphics are worse than Pro Street and Carbon, it glitches around quite a bit with shadows, and the acting is terrible.

Don't waste your money.

Frag Maniac · Post by **Frag Maniac** » 21 Nov 2008, 05:08

Regarding Grid, I meant that it's not my type of game: the cars seem very fidgety and spin out of control for no good reason.

GRID is not too sim-like as far as spinning out easily if you manage to race fairly clean. What bugs me about it at times is the tendency for your car to stay stuck like glue to a car once you make contact, even pulling you toward them rather than pushing you. I have read though that in online play other cars exhibit collision physics toward your car before contact is even made. THAT would be maddening. I also don't like the way your own teammate will often ruin a race for you by hitting you very hard, as if intentionally competing against you rather than with you.

Then there's the low camera angle for open wheel cars, making it hard to judge dstances. This of course only affects those of us whom play it with a behind view, something I have to do using only KB. I entertained thoughts of getting a steering wheel and may still do so. Problem is I want something that doesn't have crap pedals but doesn't cost $300, and no such thing really exists. Other than that I thik it strikes a fine balance between arcade racer and sim, with excellent graphics and race action.

Sweetz · Post by **Sweetz** » 21 Nov 2008, 06:04

@Lukasz: As former huge fan of the NFS series it does take a good deal of adjustment to play GRID, but that's only because the NFS games are so simplistic.

It took me a while to realize, that unlike NFS, you can't enter a tight turn at 140mph and expect to come out the other side ok. You actually have use your brakes and steer with some precision. With the driver aids on it's still nowhere near a sim, but it feels a lot more realistic than any NFS game.

After about 5-6 races you'll get the hang of it, and it pays off in the end because you get a greater sense of accomplishment. As someone who once shared the same opinion as yours about GRID, I highly recommend you give it a second chance.

It's not perfect, you progress through the game a bit to quickly. It sort of blows it's load (if you'll pardon the expression) a bit early. You can get the best car in the most difficult category in the game before you've even finished 1/2 the races, and as a result the game becomes a bit monotonous toward the end. Horrendously lame as they are, the stories in the newer NFS games do give you a decent sense of progression and keep you motivated; gameplay wise they're also very careful about when and how often they unlock cars - so I do miss that balance a bit. However, as far as the actual driving driving and again the overall "feel" or racing, GRID wins easily.

Lukasz · Post by **Lukasz** » 21 Nov 2008, 09:02

Thank you all for all the advice. I decided to give Grid a go yesterday and after a while started to enjoy it no end, haha! I tweaked the advanced options of car handling to minimize its responsiveness, and I could finally finish some races. After a while it felt like being one of the top gear boys attempting to beat that track time :)
So yeah, Grid it is! Thanks again.

DaFox · Post by **DaFox** » 21 Nov 2008, 09:10

Good to hear man, I really like GRID too, the more I play the better I get and the more I end up liking it.

http://www.xfire.com/video/3d0a6/

Foregive the choppyness I dont know whats going on there, Probably my fragmented hard drive.

Post by **g00seberry** » 21 Nov 2008, 13:14

Yeah, GRID is superb, and this NFS is absolutely nothing compared to it.
I'm half way through my second run through, after beating it on Savage with all assists off and locked to head cam, I'm now going through it on Extreme, All assists off, locked to headcam, AND manual gears. Pro Mode is turned off because there's no way in hell I can win every race first time !

mengzor · Post by **mengzor** » 21 Nov 2008, 13:26

my biggest gripe with the game is that the framerates are shit and it doesent even look good.

skeeder · Post by **skeeder** » 21 Nov 2008, 17:16

GRID is amazing, sure there are no cops or anything, and it has a learning curve, but I think its a much more fun and realistic game. NFS is so watered down now...They should of dropped the series after Most Wanted.

hks · Post by **hks** » 28 Nov 2008, 07:45

Hi peeps.

I have noticed some of you already have NFS: Undercover, and i was wondering what you think of the game. So far it has gathered scathing reviews (e.g. over at IGN), but I am curious what actual gamers' opinion is.
I liked pretty much all NFS installments up to Most Wanted (my fave I reckon); never got into ProStreet, and neither GRID nor Flat Out are my games. Is Undercover worth my money or should I hold off until Burnout Paradise is out for PC?
I'll appreciate all feedback on this! :)

I think its depends on you..if you fans game NFS maybe you should collect all the NFS edition. but if you want buy game automotive like race, you can wait and choice which the best between Burnout Paradise with NFS: Undercover.

Lukasz · Post by **Lukasz** » 28 Nov 2008, 09:42

I think its depends on you..if you fans game NFS maybe you should collect all the NFS edition. but if you want buy game automotive like race, you can wait and choice which the best between Burnout Paradise with NFS: Undercover.

Thank you. Actually I already settled for Grid, and I am having a lot of fun with the game. It was all the matter of getting used to easing off the throttle when cornering to stay on the tarmac, and that was that; the whole game is excellent.
Now, I did have a chance to play NFS Undercover, and I am glad my friend bought and not I! The visual presentation is substandard: half the time you are blinded by the sun, the city and the countryside feel devoid of life, there is little traffic, the shadows are pixelated at times(!), the framerate is erratic, and the cars look feeble. The gameplay is weak too as the enemy AI lets you win races with ease and so there is no challenge. The one race I liked was highway battle which actually feels quite exciting as there are more cars blocking your progress, and here you do need to focus to win.
It beats me why they released the game in this state as it is half finished, and even the reviewers decided to warn potential buyers against splashing out on it. With the global crisis surely people do more research before parting with cash.

Post by **scavvenjahh** » 29 Nov 2008, 01:26

It beats me why they released the game in this state as it is half finished,

This sounds all too familiar...

With the global crisis surely people do more research before parting with cash.

You wish.

One day I'll review Need For Speed 4 : High Stakes, demonstrate how most of its features are still unmatched as of today, and convince the world that all posterior so-called NFS titles should be avoided and forgotten. Punk's not dead - NFS is. That is, in my humble though firm opinion at least.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 29 Nov 2008, 11:40

One day I'll review Need For Speed 4 : High Stakes, demonstrate how most of its features are still unmatched as of today, and convince the world that all posterior so-called NFS titles should be avoided and forgotten. Punk's not dead - NFS is. That is, in my humble though firm opinion at least.

Agree totally. NFS4 was great. Particularly the fact that one fan made a downloadable car... the Knight Industries Two Thousand. ;)

Most Wanted is OK, though.

Frag Maniac · Post by **Frag Maniac** » 30 Nov 2008, 05:39

I'm actually liking this game more than I thought I would after seeing the low ratings on reviews. There's one thing that bugs me a lot though, it's horribly optimized, even the menu lags extremely. Anything with cops is like a slide show for me.

I read that low frame rates has been a problem on all platforms, but the 360 the only one to get a patch so far, which has reportedly raised FPS and added more traffic. Anyone know if they're going to release a PC version patch and if so when?

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