# # Manufacturer : Electronic Arts
# # Site of the manufacturer: HERE
# # Screenshots: HERE
# # Requirements: hacked PSP ™ Slim or FAT with firmware version 4.01 M33 +
#
# Comment : Need for Speed has long been one of EA's bread and butter
franchises, though the ratio of bread to butter has changed a number of
times over the years. In
other words, it's almost constantly changing from one iteration to the
next, sometimes for the betterment of the series, and sometimes not. The latter is the case for Need for Speed Undercover, a game that feels a little lost in its focus and design.
The PSP version of Undercover usually doesn't feature the open world driving of the other versions of the game. Note
that I said "usually", as it is possible to drive around the world
without barriers, though that's only true for certain race types, like
the Lead events (where you must get ahead of your opponent by 300
meters). Aside from these situations, the game is set up as nothing more than a menu-based race scenario. That's fine in and of itself, but with the game capable of being set in an open world, why not take full advantage of it?
What's
left is an extremely bland event-based game that doesn't do anything
new to advance either the franchise or the genre on the whole. Cops will chase after you during a race, but as soon as it's over
they're gone, as you're sent back to the event selection screen.
The event options aren't anything new. Things
like eliminator events (where the last place person in each lap gets
knocked out), your basic circuit and sprint races and everything else
here has been seen before. This again might be fine if the game had something to draw you in, but it doesn't.
For one thing, the driving physics are pretty poor. Hitting the foot brake will leave your car mostly unable to turn, so that's useless entering a turn. The
handbrake is the better option here, though unless you're in a high-end
vehicle, it generally results in you just sliding sideways. It's very hard to actually shift your vehicle's momentum in an arc and cruise around a tight turn.
The AI is about as dumb as can be, though it's also pretty cheap. The
computer assistance will cause the computer to catch up and even pass
you with a same-powered vehicle, even without using nitrous, which
doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It can also take turns better than you can, cutting down on its lap times. But
it's also really stupid as the computer will crash into oncoming cars
that it can clearly see miles ahead without trying to get out of the
way. Any sense of realistic drivers is thrown out the window the first time
you see a truck and one of your opponents play a game of chicken with
neither ever budging.
The track design is passable, though highly uninspired. They feel much more utilitarian than inventive, which is a shame. Also, the environments are rather bland and you won't find a ton of
variety in the game, resulting in tracks that start blending together
without carrying any personality.
Car upgrades are earned over time, with the unlocks coming at certain points of progress. Unfortunately, you don't really know when this will happen, which is a bummer. If
you can't purchase something even if you have the cash for it, it would
at least be nice to know when you'll get access to it.
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