"This game represents the culmination of six years of progress," associate producer Jesse Abney tells us as we sit down to take a look at Need for Speed Undercover, EA Black Box's new racer - due out on November 20th. Its certainly looking the part, as we discovered during a play-test; lush visuals belying the huge and varied natured of the game's sprawling environments.

Abney reveals to us that Undercover is viewed as the spiritual successor to Need for Speed Most Wanted, the developers taking on community feedback suggesting that players want a return to the dramatic police chases of that game. Undercover, more than past Need for Speed games before it, also brings EA closer than ever before to sandbox titles like GTA; add in some on-foot shooting sequences and you'd be pretty much there.

Beyond the risky plot element of the game; the heart of this new driving title (for that's what its still all about) is in the game's vast and complex game world - which you can explore at your leisure, choosing which activities (if any) you wish to undertake. The landscape of Undercover is comprised of four huge regions, these enveloping three cities, Tri-City, as its known. A leveling system will bind all this open-world fun into what EA hope will be a cohesive whole, police pursuits being the mainstay of the gameplay as part of a deep Career mode. All this will be linked together by what might be a proper story... or might be pure hokum.

Either way, Black Box have clearly spent proper time and money on the game's live-action cut-scenes (impressive lighting is used to mix in-game backdrops with real characters), which sees you recruited as an undercover cop by the frankly delectable Maggie Q. The story will see you infiltrating a crime syndicate by taking on driving jobs for the mob; battling against your former buddies in the cops as you bid to get to the top of the crime hierarchy. No doubt there will be a twist or two, possibly even some romance, but more importantly it is hoped this premise will give context and significance to the otherwise random mayhem of the driving missions.

Of course, this being all about sandbox gameplay, you can choose how much you want to focus on the main plot at any time, and there are certainly plenty of enjoyable diversions in the huge world - which incorporates an impressive variety of unique areas, all strung-together by interstate highways. A full lap of the world on the interstate at top speed will take eight minutes, we hear. Which perhaps shows how big a landscape Black Box have been working on.

Abney is clearly rather proud of the storytelling side of the game, assuring us that his team have been working to ensure seamless integration between gameplay and plot - using Hollywood techniques. Instant action will often ensue following the game's many set-pieces, and use of the same assets in-game and during the FMV will enhance continuity.

The Highway Battle part of the title will also inevitably liven up the standard gameplay, offering us dramatic car chases along freeways brimming with other traffic. The associate producer assures us that the development team have been working hard to ensure this traffic behaves in a realistic manner; braking, changing lanes, indicating, et al. The damage models work a treat in these battles with the cops - as I found out to my expense.

During these chases I was able to fully appreciate the sense of speed (motion-blurring at the edges of the screen being noteworthy), and the detailed car visuals, while also appreciating that the camera has cleverly been de-coupled from the back of the car - which can be disorientating at first, but sure does look better. The reflections present on the bodywork of vehicles is also impressive, and Abney moots that Black Box have gone to town with the 'mature style' of the game. Car customisation is to be found in epic quantities, players able to design custom paint work as well as tweaking the handling of cars to their hearts' content.

The handling in general has also received a lot of attention, and EA seem to have struck a balance between realism and approachability, from the segments I played. Nice touches like the car rocking with car changes, is to be appreciated too, while dynamic crashes look highly cinematic thanks to Burnout-esque slow-motion celebrations of destruction. Beyond the Career, there are also full multiplayer and quick play modes, and the in-game economy will allow you to carry over your car purchases and enhancements, as well as adding another layer of detail to proceedings.

During one mission, snagged from later in the Career mode, we were tasked with proving our bad guy credentials by pinching a cop car. Naturally, this didn't go down too well with the boys in blue, and in fact prompted a very intense car chase, across surfaces which realistically impact the car's handling. As I discovered, you can now 'total' vehicles completely, which is a step-forward. I also discovered the 'speed breaker' instances during this mission; bursts of pace which are useful for bursting through police road-blocks in a cinematic fashion. A la GTA, the player now also has a 'heat rating', based on how much the police are riled, and their proximity.

Finally, Abney reveals to us that EA clearly have ambitions to continue the evolution of their premier driving franchise, confirming to us that Need for Speed 10 has been in the works for a little over six months. For now, however, we're looking forward to Undercover's release in November - when open world gameplay, top-draw driving action, story and even a few RPG 'lite' elements should come together to create something intriguing. We'll keep you posted as we uncover more.

By Luke Guttridge

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  1. ZACK PERRIN Unregistered 1 week ago

    I think play need for speed undercover was very interesthing and lot fun......I love it very very very very very very much...

  2. ZACK PERRIN Unregistered 1 week ago

    I think play need for speed undercover was very interesthing and lot fun......I love it very very very very very very much...