Need For Speed: Undercover – iPhone Review

Developer: Electronic Arts
Price: $9.99
Version reviewed: 1.1.28

iPhone Integration: 4 stars
User Interface Rating: 5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 stars

Get ready to start your engines folks because Need For Speed brings one totally amazing racing experience to the iPhone/iPod Touch. The most in-depth game I’ve played so far, from cinematic featuretts to full customization of your vehicle this is one game you don’t want to miss out on. The game has appropriate music and absolutely stunning 3-D graphics.The game also has other features like nitrous and best of all, almost full customization of your vehicle. From the rims to the vinyls this mode has got you covered.

The game begins with a cinematic scene giving you a brief idea of who you are and what you’re supposed to be doing.You’re an undercover cop in ‘Tri-city’ who’s job is to infiltrate gangs by doing different sorts of races and ultimately getting the car smugglers arrested. You begin with a tutorial once you finish that you have to purchase a car then join a gang by completing some races. Every time you start a race you will get a small briefing telling you a little about the race.

The controls are really easy all you have to do is tilt your iPhone left or right to steer(it is calibrated very well), to brake you just have to tap the screen, to active nitrous you have to place your finger on the screen and slide up. To drift you have to twitch your iPhone quickly in either direction. There is also a slow-motion speed break that can help you get out of tough situations this is activated by sliding your finger down on the screen. The tracks are quite elaborate with on-coming traffic to make the race difficult. You also face police if you’re driving too fast and you won’t lose them that easily. If you hit a car while in a race then your car refreshes easily giving you opponent the lead. For every race you complete you get a specific amount of money, you can increase that amount by doing special tricks in the middle of the race like drifting etc. You can also unlock cars for purchase by completing races. There is a huge variety of cars to choose from; from a Ford Mustang to Lamborghini Gallardo the fun just doesn’t end.
There are 3 different cities to race in each offering different racing events.
The game has several racing events to offer, just a few of them are listed below:

• Circuit: A regular race around a track usually consisting of 3 laps.
• Hot Car: In this mode you have to deliver a car for your ‘gang’ without getting caught by the police and damaging your car (I find this mode extremely hard).
• Cop Take-out: In this event you have to knock a specific number of police cars off the road in a specific amount of time.

Well the conclusion:

Sure it seems pricey but Need For Speed Undercover has to be the BEST racing game I’ve played on the iPhone, it has several amazing features which you don’t find in other
racing games. The game includes everything a gamer would require, cinematic scenes, beautiful graphics, great sound effects and customization.
This is an ideal game for racing-game lovers and Fast & Furious fans. So don’t miss out on this AMAZING game.

[UPDATE] My Dad who absolutely hates racing games, loved Need For Speed for the iPhone, he says the controls were extremely responsive; positive feedback from everyone proves that Need For Speed is a quality game for the iPhone.