I don’t want to start the article with banal lamentations, they say, Electronic Arts I lost my conscience a long time ago (although, sometimes, “electronics” remember its presence – see. Dead Space), but there’s no other way. Classic cash cow in the stash of a mega-corporation, a series of arcade racing Need for Speed, I finally lost weight two years ago. The authors got bogged down in self-repetition and in every possible way demonstrated the lack of imagination as such. Of course, this state of affairs could not go unnoticed – from time to time the final scores assigned to new iterations of the automobile saga fell by the same percentage. Even a change of image could not save the brand from undisguised degradation. Taking riders from the night streets to legal circuit tracks, EA Black Box I forgot about the most important gameplay parameter – fun: only the most devoted and patient fans were able to master Pro Street NFS.

For this very reason the announcement Need for Speed: Undercover, At first, it was perceived more than positively. Of course, driving around a modern metropolis to the accompaniment of police sirens is much more interesting than driving in circles on monotonous tracks. However, optimism began to fade in direct proportion to the speed at which the game approached the release line. Even at the stage of intoxicating press releases, the authors were unable to offer anything new.

Although, no. Some new blood in Undercover there are, namely, videos with live actors. Having gained experience from my colleagues from E. A. Westwood, the developers held a casting, selected a number of actors with the lowest fee requests, invited a cameraman and filmed their response Command & Conquer. It turned out no worse, that is, no way. The events shown in the short scenes invariably take place in two settings: the office of a law enforcement organization and the garage of a local gang of car thieves. It is impossible to watch the acting without tears. The government agent, an Asian model, invariably poses as a stern lady, gives orders to the main character and erotically smokes cigarettes, not forgetting to show off lace stockings and a cutout on her chest – children will undoubtedly like this. The second category of comedians are the inhabitants of a dimensionless hangar. They look, as expected, in accordance with the latest glamor trends: men wear exclusively pimp outfits, women prefer revealing outfits. Even in the domestic, excuse me, “blockbuster” “Street Racers,” the life and everyday life of the so-called “street racers” were demonstrated much more professionally.

But play NFS for the sake of screensavers – it’s like going to the theater to visit the buffet. Another thing is that, by and large, there is practically nothing to do in the new “Need for Speed”. At all. And what can you ask from a game in which, as a fact, there is no main menu?. We are thrown into the maelstrom of big money, beautiful women and exorbitant speeds immediately, without warning. Just watched a crooked video on the engine and suddenly – bam! – We are already sitting behind the wheel of a sports car, and the cruisers of the “Pharaohs” loom in the rearview mirror.

Having broken away from the pursuit, we https://bigazartcasino.co.uk/login/ are left alone with a deserted city. Cars on the roads are extremely rare, pedestrians do not walk on the streets (tea, not GTA), and you can navigate to the racing site by pressing a single Tab key. Throughout the entire game, the author of these lines never once had the desire to simply take a ride around the metropolis, satisfying his excursion curiosity. I got tired of admiring identical box houses and faded pictures back in Most Wanted.

The slogan “utter boredom” could be printed in red letters on the box containing Undercover, because, alas, no entertainment was brought here other than hackneyed racing modes. And you get tired of racing after just a couple of races, but there are about two hundred of them in the game. Assessed the scale of disasters?

Variations of races cannot boast of variety. All the old friends are in their places: circuit races, collecting checkpoints, sprints. The only truly captivating games are single duels on crowded highways (the driver is required, initially, to catch up with the opponent, and then be the first to hold out for a certain time) and the debuting fun Highway Battle, the essence of which boils down to causing the greatest damage to the city and its inhabitants – motorists. To Burnout, Of course, it’s a bit far, but it looks good as an emotional release.

Damage is now more or less realistically displayed on vehicles. True, they are of no use. Torn-off bumpers and dented hoods do not prevent you from further squeezing the maximum out of the car, and after crossing the finish line, all problems with the car are magically eliminated – pure amateur performance.

Since there is no need to spend money on repairs, the money earned through honest and not entirely honest labor can only be invested in upgrades. The choice of parts for tuning, frankly speaking, is not great – a gigantic assortment of two Undergroundthere’s no smell here. The technical settings of the vehicles are also primitive. We moved the slider left/right and calmed down. These mouse movements have only an indirect effect on the behavior of the car.

However, the main disappointment in Undercover there are bugs. The NFS series has always boasted crystal clear source code and adequate system requirements. Of course, there are no brakes in the game, but the glitches of the engine make you feel nauseous from the very first moments spent alone. The favorite “trick” of the local “engine” is the disappearance of textures right in front of the very nose of a racing racer. Just imagine: a car flies through winding streets, how – surprise! – suddenly the screen turns white after a few seconds, showing the driver a zigzag turn. At such moments, the only thing that saves you is the time dilation function, which allows you to pull the car out of almost any critical situation.

EA Black Box did not change its tradition and again released a game worse than the previous one – comparisons between Pro Street and Undercover clearly not in favor of the latter. “We thought we had fallen to the very bottom, but suddenly there was a knock from below,” – a couple more similar crafts and the developers can safely sing a requiem.

Pros: high speeds; licensed cars.
Cons: expired gameplay; minimum of innovations; mediocre picture; bugs.