History VideoGame / NeedForSpeedUndercover

[[JustForFun/The One The one]] that became a [[PoliceProcedural police crime drama]].

JustForFun/{{The One|With}} where its a [[PoliceProcedural police crime drama]] in a racing game.

JustForFun/{{The One|With}} where its a police crime drama in a racing game.

JustForFun/{{The One|With}} that is ''Series/MiamiVice'' and ''Series/TheShield'' as a racing game.

* NintendoHard: Especially in [=PS3=], Xbox 360 and PC versions in where the A.I is incredibly prone to [[RubberbandAI rubberband a lot]] than in the [=PS2=] and Wii versions even if you're driving a Bugatti Veyron or McLaren F1 or even the game breaker Nissan 370Z. The sixth-generation consoles allow you to [[AntiFrustrationFeatures adjust the difficulty to Easy making the game not too much frustrating]].

JustForFun/TheOneWith ''Series/MiamiVice'' and ''Series/TheShield'' as a racing game.

* ObviousBeta: The console and PC releases were shipped with severe frame rate issues, absolute death in a high-speed racing game. The [=PS3=], PC, and Xbox 360 versions of the game at least got a patch that (mostly) fixes the frame rate issues, but ramped up the difficulty of the races as well. The previous game ''[=ProStreet=]'' had some frame rate issues, too, but it didn't make the game unplayable.

** Highway Battles put you in a one-on-one battle against an opponent around the highways of Tri-City Bay. Similar to ''Underground 2's'' Outrun battles, lead by 300 meters (or even hold the lead for 2 minutes) to win.

JustForFun/TheOneWith ''Series/MiamiVice'' and ''Series/TheShield'' as a racing game.\\\

JustForFun/TheOneWith Series/MiamiVice and Series/TheShield as a racing game.\\\

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: Although not to the exotic extent of ''Hot Pursuit'', ''Undercover'''s use of exotic and sports GT vehicles as police vehicles are quite similar to certain real world usage, such as Porsche 911 police cars in Germany, and the (later) Lamborghini Gallardo interceptor units in Italy, which has since been retired and replaced with the Lamborghini Huracan there.

* DramaticLandfallShot: The opening shot of the game takes the form of a forward traveling on the bay of Tri-City Bay, with the camera slowly rising to give a view of the city.

* ObviousBeta: The console and PC releases were shipped with severe frame rate issues, absolute death in a high-speed racing game. The [=PS3=], PC, and Xbox 360 versions of the game at least got a patch that (mostly) fixes the frame rate issues, but [[DifficultySpike ramped up the difficulty of the races as well.]] The previous game ''[=ProStreet=]'' had some frame rate issues, too, but it didn't make the game unplayable.

In the game, the PlayerCharacter is an undercover police officer for the Tri-City Bay Police Department (TCBPD), who is informed by their superior, Lt. Jack Keller, that their current investigation into the region's underground street racing is to be joined by Chase Linh, a FBI federal agent looking to bring down an international criminal syndicate operating in the region that is involved in car smuggling. The player is instructed to pose as a new street racer and join in on major illegal street races in order to secure entry into the syndicate. The player achieves this by being recruited into a gang that works with the syndicate, run by the Maio brothes, Hector and Zack. At the same time, the player befriends Carmen Mendez, a member of the gang. The brothers quickly assign the player to steal cars for them during their racing activities. Upon completing the jobs, Chase instructs the player to arrest the gang, including the brothers.

* AdaptedOut: Gold Coast Mountains, one of the 4 boroughs is absent in the maps of the PSP, PS2, Wii and [=iOS=] release. In fact the maps are just basically mirrored and modified versions of [[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted Rockport]].

* AscendedExtra: The black/red Porsche 911 [=GT2=] shown in the cover art gets this. In the [=PS3/Xbox 360/PC=] versions, it belongs to Rose Largo, one of the GMAC's crew members (thus making the car being in the cover art more of TheArtifact). In [=PS2/Wii=] releases, this was used by Chase Linh, [[spoiler:the BigBad of the game]].

* PoliceAreUseless: Basically the whole premise of the game relies on this; the player being a CowboyCop who goes undercover into Tri-City Bay's criminal underworld, which goes from small-time car smugglers to TheTriadsAndTheTongs because the conventional police can't handle them. [[spoiler:This trope ultimately gets subverted in the final act where it's revealed that the officer who has been your handler through the game is actually a dirty cop, who kills the Triad leader for the deal, prompting the player to have clear their name by busting her in a police pursuit involving hundreds of cop cars.]]
* PoliceBrutality: This game manages to both downplay and exaggerate this: On one hand, your PlayerCharacter is a cop, but an ''undercover'' cop who passes as a street racer, and as such any illegal activities can be written off as part of your cover. On the other hand, it has perhaps the most ([[BlackComedy hilariously]]) brutal "Busted" cutscenes in the franchise, including police officers descending from a helicopter SWAT-style [[DisproportionateRetribution just to detain you]], and another that has the officers deciding that the moment they detained you is just the right time for a snack break, bring over a box of donuts, and one of the officers throws his donut at the player prone on the floor.

* DramaticLandfallShot: The opening shot of ''Undercover'' takes the form of a forward traveling on the bay of Tri-City Bay, with the camera slowly rising to give a view of the city.

* ItsAWonderfulFailure: [[DownplayedTrope A rather mundane example]] in ''Undercover'': If you get all of your cars impounded, the GameOver screen will imply that it's "time to pack up shop and find a new city to save", although the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and Wii versions of the game recycle the standard "game over" screen from ''Carbon'' instead.
* ObviousBeta: The console and PC releases of ''Undercover'' were shipped with severe frame rate issues, absolute death in a high-speed racing game. The [=PS3=], PC, and Xbox 360 versions of the game at least got a patch that (mostly) fixes the frame rate issues, but [[DifficultySpike ramped up the difficulty of the races as well.]] The previous game ''[=ProStreet=]'' had some frame rate issues, too, but it didn't make the game unplayable.

* PoliceBrutality: ''Undercover'' manages to both downplay and exaggerate this: On one hand, your PlayerCharacter is a cop, but an ''undercover'' cop who passes as a street racer, and as such any illegal activities can be written off as part of your cover. On the other hand, it has perhaps the most ([[BlackComedy hilariously]]) brutal "Busted" cutscenes in the franchise, including police officers descending from a helicopter SWAT-style [[DisproportionateRetribution just to detain you]], and another that has the officers deciding that the moment they detained you is just the right time for a snack break, bring over a box of donuts, and one of the officers throws his donut at the player prone on the floor.

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''Need for Speed: Undercover'' is a 2008 racing video game, and is the twelfth installment in the VideoGame/NeedForSpeed series. Developed by [[Creator/BlackBox EA Black Box]] and published by Creator/ElectronicArts, it was released on November 18, 2008, for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/Xbox360, UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, and a number of mobile phone platforms, with an edition for UsefulNotes/{{iOS|Games}} later released on April 27, 2009.

* DramaticLandfallShot: The opening shot of ''Undercover'' takes the form of a forward travelling on the bay of Tri-
City Bay, with the camera slowly rising to give a view of the city.

* ObviousBeta: The console and PC releases of ''Undercover'' were shipped with severe frame rate issues, absolute death in a high-speed racing game. The [=PS3=], PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game at least got a patch that (mostly) fixes the frame rate issues, but [[DifficultySpike ramped up the difficulty of the races as well.]] The previous game ''[=ProStreet=]'' had some frame rate issues, too, but it didn't make the game unplayable.
* PoliceAreUseless: Basically the whole premise of the game relies on this; the player being a CowboyCop who goes undercover into Tri-City Bay's criminal underworld, which goes from small-time car smugglers to TheTriadsAndTheTongs, because the conventional police can't handle them. [[spoiler:This trope ultimately gets subverted in the final act where it's revealed that the officer who has been your handler through the game is actually a dirty cop, who kills the Triad leader for the deal, prompting the player to have clear their name by busting her in a police pursuit involving hundreds of cop cars.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Chase Linh]] at the end, after [[spoiler:being arrested by the police. The last seen of her in the game is her kicking and screaming as she is taken away by the cops.]]