Need for Speed Undercover

59%
Game Brain Score Based on 4,834 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Need for Speed Undercover Game Cover
Grave performance issues, a bland narrative, and a condescending level of difficulty burn through most of Need for Speed Undercover's potential for fun.
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In Need for Speed Undercover, players become a police officer going undercover to infiltrate a street racing syndicate. The game features high-speed racing across open-world environments, intense police chases, and a variety of licensed cars. Missions include street races, time trials, and escaping pursuing authorities, with the ultimate goal of dismantling the criminal organization from within.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

59%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,834 reviews
story286 positive mentions
stability96 negative mentions
  • story1,198 mentions

    The story of "Need for Speed: Undercover" is often described as shallow, cheesy, and filled with nonsensical elements, yet it manages to engage players towards the end. While some appreciate the attempt at a narrative reminiscent of action films like "Fast and Furious," many criticize the execution, citing poor character development and repetitive missions that detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the story provides a basic framework for the racing gameplay, making it somewhat enjoyable for fans of the genre.

    • “This game was visibly rushed and unpolished and had to live in the shadow of Most Wanted and Carbon, two of the biggest and most celebrated entries to the series, yet this game managed to pull through with a great story, fresh ideas, and an amazing map.”
    • “The story was great and filled with twists and betrayals at every step, living up to its title, growing reminiscent of the first Fast and Furious movie in terms of characters and relationships the player builds due to his persona as an undercover police officer.”
    • “Despite having a couple bugs and an awful graphics engine, it remains enjoyable to play and boasts one of the best storylines in the NFS franchise, alongside Most Wanted & Carbon.”
    • “The story is weird and nonsensical but never expected to be taken seriously.”
    • “The story is bad, rushed visuals and terrible optimization.”
    • “The story is a bit shallow and nonsensical throughout, but towards the end you do begin to get invested in it.”
  • graphics837 mentions

    The graphics of "Need for Speed: Undercover," released in 2008, are generally viewed as dated and inconsistent, with many reviewers noting that they do not hold up well compared to contemporary titles or even earlier entries in the series like "Most Wanted" and "Carbon." While some players appreciate the visuals as decent for their time, others criticize the overuse of bloom effects, graphical glitches, and a lack of detail, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite these shortcomings, the game still offers enjoyable gameplay and car customization, appealing to fans of the racing genre.

    • “Visuals: considering its 2008 release, the game's visuals are commendable.”
    • “Although this game was made all the way back in 2008, the graphics have aged surprisingly well, especially compared to other games from that time.”
    • “The graphics are amazing for the time it was made.”
    • “The graphics are not the best compared to what was standard at the time.”
    • “The visuals were bad even for 2008.”
    • “The graphics are horrible and can't even pass the first mission.”
  • gameplay418 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as enjoyable and straightforward, featuring responsive controls that enhance the driving experience. While it introduces new modes and mechanics, such as police chases and car customization, some players find the AI behavior and physics to be flawed, leading to a mix of fun and frustration. Overall, it caters to fans of arcade-style racing, though it may feel repetitive and lacks the depth of more recent titles in the genre.

    • “The introduction of new game modes like jobs and highway battles adds variety to the gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay: the controls are responsive, providing an enjoyable driving experience.”
    • “Gameplay is fun, as it was still in the golden era of Need for Speed (2002-2010), and there is a heat system with the cops, similar to NFS Most Wanted 2005 and NFS Carbon.”
    • “The worst part about the game is the 'artificial intelligence' - the AI drivers don't rubberband as such, but exhibit weird catch-up mechanics and often traffic literally will pop in in front of you to slow you down.”
    • “The gameplay in this game is so repetitive and boring, but the car customization is pretty good.”
    • “To quickly sum up the gameplay: NFS has always been comparatively arcady and nobody expects Colin McRae Rally levels of realism here, but the driving physics and design of the race tracks feel so dull that playing this game would put my grandmother to sleep.”
  • music344 mentions

    The music in "Need for Speed: Undercover" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its eclectic soundtrack featuring artists like Nine Inch Nails and Pendulum, which evokes nostalgia and enhances the racing experience. However, some players criticize the lack of control over song selection and feel that certain tracks do not fit the game's vibe, leading to a less immersive experience during free roam. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a strong point, opinions vary on its effectiveness in complementing the gameplay.

    • “With songs from lesser-known bands like Supergrass and Floor Thirteen, there's a good mix between genres that can really get your blood pumping.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing, just as any other NFS title from that era, with songs that fit the world and themes of the game.”
    • “And besides good memories, it also introduced me to a plethora of new music artists like Pendulum, Justice, From First to Last, and Underworld, just to name a few. The soundtrack in this game freakin' slaps.”
    • “I think the only real negative is the music, it's garbage.”
    • “However though, most of the songs don't fit into the game at all and feels like someone just put the top played songs from iTunes on shuffle and decided to pick the first ones that appeared.”
    • “The soundtrack is hit or miss depending on your tastes, but I personally don't hate any of them but I would prefer if a specific track was played instead of another specific track.”
  • optimization121 mentions

    The optimization of "Need for Speed: Undercover" has received mixed reviews, with some players noting that it runs smoothly on lower-end systems, while others report significant performance issues, including stuttering and crashes, particularly on newer hardware. Many users have criticized the game's lack of polish, buggy graphics settings, and inconsistent frame rates, leading to a frustrating experience despite some decent performance on older machines. Overall, the game appears to struggle with optimization, impacting gameplay enjoyment.

    • “Performance: Need for Speed Undercover runs smoothly even on less powerful systems, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
    • “Optimization is great; I have a terrible computer and I'm able to play this with at least 40-50 frames with world/vehicle detail/effects on medium.”
    • “All the people complaining about performance... it is well optimized and it runs about 54-60 FPS on my dual-core Intel Celeron 1.60 GHz.”
    • “Awful performance on GTX 1060 with i5 4670k, on 1440p 144hz display.”
    • “I tried CPU affinity, I tried DPI scaling, I tried Windows XP compatibility and other things I found online but the FPS drops and stuttering makes it unplayable for me, shame.”
    • “Boring not like the one on the handheld or the iOS version with its soundtrack I loved it and it ran smooth but this one is just a piece of shit. It takes forever to progress, you keep playing over and over on the same damn track, so annoying and the graphics are horrible and VSync hardly works; just supremely bad optimization.”
  • stability100 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the overall experience. Players have encountered various issues, including graphical glitches, physics problems, and frequent freezes, making the game feel unpolished and frustrating to play. While some users noted minor glitches that were not game-breaking, the overwhelming consensus is that the game suffers from severe stability issues that hinder enjoyment.

    • “Runs great on my GPD Win (Atom processor handheld PC) without heating up, and looks great too.”
    • “Performance-wise, this runs great.”
    • “Yeah, the game is a buggy mess and crashes all the time.”
    • “This game runs horribly; it freezes on some cutscenes and it crashes a lot, like a lot.”
    • “The game is highly unpolished and highly buggy.”
  • humor54 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its poorly executed cutscenes, corny storyline, and the absurdity of its mechanics, which many players find amusing despite the game's flaws. Reviewers highlight the hilariously bad acting and the "artificial incompetence" of the AI, making the overall experience entertaining in a campy way. While the game is criticized for its rushed plot and unbalanced events, these elements contribute to a nostalgic charm that some players appreciate, often leading to laughter rather than frustration.

    • “The story is so corny that it's funny, but it has grown so much on me that I like it after all these years, hahaha.”
    • “Handling improves when using nitrous; there are so many cars to use and customize, and the story missions are stupidly hilarious.”
    • “The cutscenes are so bad that they are funny; the ending and story are super rushed, worth it on sale but don't expect a masterpiece.”
  • grinding44 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, often requiring significant time investment to progress, especially when trying to earn new cars or complete missions. While some enjoy the grind and find it relaxing, many others describe it as frustrating and unbalanced, leading to a repetitive experience that can detract from overall enjoyment. Overall, the consensus is that grinding is a prominent feature that can make the game feel more like a chore than a fun racing experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “At first I thought NFS Undercover would just be incredibly dull and boring, but in fact it turned out to be the most pathetic, awful, infuriatingly tedious, poorest excuse of a racing game I have ever played. When the credits finally rolled, I just sat there in silence, facepalming for two minutes straight and contemplating how I just wasted 18 hours of my precious lifetime playing this miserable pile of horsecrap.”
    • “The races can go from easy to 'one mistake and you lose' in terms of difficulty, and with the main missions included, they become quickly tedious.”
    • “Some of the races and story grinding in the game are repetitive, but overall the graphics are okay and the general gameplay is pretty fun to play if you're a fan of racing against bots from the past NFS games.”
  • atmosphere20 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag, with some players finding it vibrant and memorable, reminiscent of "Need for Speed: Most Wanted," while others criticize it for lacking depth and style. Although the graphics show improvement over previous titles, many environments appear unfinished, featuring low-resolution textures and repetitive design elements. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a highlight for some, but not enough to compensate for other shortcomings in gameplay and customization.

    • “The graphics, despite feeling unfinished, were still a step up from previous titles and were quite atmospheric in most places.”
    • “There are some good things about the game: the atmosphere is very memorable and vibrant, the car selection is great, the music choice is great, and the gameplay is like every other Black Box game.”
    • “Overall, in my opinion, the game delivers a wonderful atmosphere and a great map.”
    • “No depth, no challenge, no style, no atmosphere.”
    • “They tried the same atmosphere as Need for Speed: Most Wanted, but it didn't go well.”
    • “I'm not a fan of her, yet she certainly makes the atmosphere a little less boring.”
  • replayability20 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as decent, with some users noting it offers good value for its era and enjoyable progression systems. While it may not match the replayability of older titles like "Most Wanted" or "Carbon," many players still find it engaging enough to revisit for the challenge of dominating races. Ratings vary, with some suggesting a score around 7/10, indicating a mix of enjoyment and limitations in replay value.

    • “🔲 infinitely replayable”
    • “First of all, I don't know what people hate so much about this game; in my opinion, it's probably one of the best arcade racing experiences I've had, and the replay value is pretty good.”
    • “It's not very replayable, but it's good for a game of its era.”
    • “Doesn't quite retain the feel of the edgy Most Wanted vibe, but it has its replay value.”
    • “The progression system and replayability.”
  • monetization10 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is generally viewed positively, as it is priced at just $10 with no microtransactions or DLC, making it accessible and straightforward for players. However, some users criticize the game as a cash grab, suggesting that it lacks the depth and quality of other titles in the series. Overall, the absence of additional monetization strategies is appreciated, but concerns about the game's value persist.

    • “Of course, there are better, more action-packed NFS games out there, like Most Wanted, Hot Pursuit, and The Run, but it's still a great game for the price it is. It will run on most modern computers, doesn't need an internet connection, and there's no DLC or any sort of microtransactions.”
    • “Well, there are no microtransactions, there's no DLC, you get the game for just $10, the graphics are decent enough, and it runs well.”
    • “It's refreshing to see a game that doesn't include microtransactions or DLC.”
    • “This one was a cash grab.”
    • “To put it simply, to call Need for Speed: Undercover anything but a pathetic cash grab is an insult to the entire gaming community.”
    • “=> don't add microtransactions.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    Despite numerous criticisms regarding graphics, driving mechanics, and a lackluster story, players express a strong emotional connection to the game, indicating that it resonates with them on a personal level. This emotional attachment seems to overshadow the technical flaws and repetitive gameplay elements.

    • “From an emotional standpoint, I love it.”
    • “Cheating AI, graphic bugs, horrific cutscenes, boring story.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for lacking consistency, which undermines the narrative's serious tone and overall impact.

    • “The narrative, attempting to take itself seriously, falls short in terms of consistency and character development.”
    • “Character arcs feel rushed and lack depth, making it hard to connect with anyone in the story.”
    • “The characters are one-dimensional and their development is predictable, leaving little room for emotional investment.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

61% average critic score

Buy Need for Speed Undercover

Play time

14hMedian play time
69hAverage play time
11hMain story
21hCompletionist
10-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 17 analyzed playthroughs

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