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[GSG Flash]

They need to give it to a great developer and give them two or three years to come up with something truly unique and special. And really just give the NFS name some credibility.


I believe you're both wrong. Here's what I'm positive of: the same team at EA Black Box have been creating an NFS every year, up until Undercover. John Riccitello said they expanded and created a second NFS team so both teams can have two years to create a game instead of one. The formation of the second team occurred in July 2007, and that team went on to make Undercover. That's why there was so much hype for the game in the first place, that and cops. They had an extra four months.

The next NFS, presumably coming out next year, will have a full two years of development time. Not that I have high hopes for the game.

Yeah, you're right, but technically speaking, the next NFS will be developed by the team that devoloped MW
(Even though that same team developed Carbon and PS)

 

[pirahna1]

Do remember, the next game in the NFS franchise won't be a cops/robbers game, it'll be a ProStreet type game from what I remember hearing, I could be wrong though. I just remember hearing that they would do a hot pursuit style game one year then bring a sim-type game the next and stagger from there-on.

I've been playing Undercover (PC) for a few days now between Fallout 3 sessions, and I have to say, it's not what I was expecting. I have a pretty badass rig (considering I can play ProStreet at a steady 60fps, no easy feat!) that can't run this game for shit. I get at best 40 fps with bumper cam and no better than 30, usually around 20-25 zoomed out. There is a TERRIBLE glare the entire time and when you hit a dark spot it is PITCH, like someone else said. I've yet to touch my brakes, so the handeling is really juvenile and not what I expected from NFS. However the game is fun. I just wish they gave it another couple of months. Traffic is pretty minimal and the rubber-banding of the AI is cheap as hell, really cheap.

Overall, this doesn't deserve to be called Most Wanted 2, it doesn't live up to it.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

I believe you're both wrong.

You're right:

Last summer we added head count and split the team in two, so now there are two teams on a 24 month cycle. And this is sort of their first 16 and-a-half month game...Because we didn't do it far enough ago to give us a full two year dev cycle."

Next year's game will be a full two year development cycle, he said.

This however does not excuse the release of Undercover in its current state.

As I mentioned prior, there were obvious financial constraints concerning the release window but Undercover should simply not have been shipped this quarter (if at all).

I'm willing to give the next title a chance, but it will have to do something quite special to restore my faith in the franchise.

 

[manzo]

I loved Most Wanted and played through the 360 version. The 360 version of MW had a pretty inconsistent framerate (have to forgive the fact that it was a launch game) and it didn't bother me at all.

I'll buy this when it hits the clearance bins.

 

[squicken]

360 version installed to HDD. I really can't imagine how bad the PS3 version must be, if it has a worse framerate. I played the game and sort of enjoyed it, but the framerate was terrible. I must have been busted 5 times b/c the framerate would get bad, I'd lose some control, then all of the sudden, a spike strip pops into the game world shredding my tires.

That said, it's still better than Midnight Club. I want to race, not play Mapquest: The Game

 

[Stop It]

You're right:



This however does not excuse the release of Undercover in its current state.

As I mentioned prior, there were obvious financial constraints concerning the release window but Undercover should simply not have been shipped this quarter (if at all).

I'm willing to give the next title a chance, but it will have to do something quite special to restore my faith in the franchise.

To be honest the NFS franchise sells no matter how shite the games are (and Undercover is particularly disappointing).

It is pleasing to see that EA have pulled a COD by giving the series a proper 2 year dev cycle but it is really unforgivable that they haven't told Criterion to give Black Box a hand and give them their game engine or at least support with theirs. It would be half the battle and would leave Black Box to use more of their dev cycle on game content, rather than having to concentrate on coding an engine for 4 consoles (and PC) at once.

Undercover isn't a really bad game (At least going by the PC edition), it just doesn't compete at the current level of racers this gen, the dev time explains much of it, as the entire game just feels rushed.

 

[FoeHammer]

This definitely feels like Most Wanted 2, but the framerate is really hampering the experience. It wasn't perfect in Most Wanted either, but it didn't seem as noticeable or as frequent in that game as it does here.

I installed this to the HD, but it still has frame issues almost constantly.

 

[GSG Flash]

Do remember, the next game in the NFS franchise won't be a cops/robbers game, it'll be a ProStreet type game from what I remember hearing, I could be wrong though. I just remember hearing that they would do a hot pursuit style game one year then bring a sim-type game the next and stagger from there-on.

I've been playing Undercover (PC) for a few days now between Fallout 3 sessions, and I have to say, it's not what I was expecting. I have a pretty badass rig (considering I can play ProStreet at a steady 60fps, no easy feat!) that can't run this game for shit. I get at best 40 fps with bumper cam and no better than 30, usually around 20-25 zoomed out. There is a TERRIBLE glare the entire time and when you hit a dark spot it is PITCH, like someone else said. I've yet to touch my brakes, so the handeling is really juvenile and not what I expected from NFS. However the game is fun. I just wish they gave it another couple of months. Traffic is pretty minimal and the rubber-banding of the AI is cheap as hell, really cheap.

Overall, this doesn't deserve to be called Most Wanted 2, it doesn't live up to it.

If that's true, then that would suck (considering the cops game we got is shit), but I'm not sure it is true because I think EA knows that cops in NFS games are extremely popular.

 

[twinturbo2]

That said, it's still better than Midnight Club. I want to race, not play Mapquest: The Game

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. Just set up a marker and drive there.

 

[zsswimmer]

Such a painfully average game. The framerate was absolutely terrible, though when I installed the game on the HDD the loading times weren't bad. Midnight Club pretty much beats it on every level... especially the graphics/framerate.

 

[DuckRacer]

Do remember, the next game in the NFS franchise won't be a cops/robbers game, it'll be a ProStreet type game from what I remember hearing, I could be wrong though. I just remember hearing that they would do a hot pursuit style game one year then bring a sim-type game the next and stagger from there-on.

That was previously said, but I think Riccitello essentially said "ProStreet sucked horribly we're never doing that kind of crap again." But I'm not sure.

This definitely feels like Most Wanted 2, but the framerate is really hampering the experience. It wasn't perfect in Most Wanted either, but it didn't seem as noticeable or as frequent in that game as it does here.

I installed this to the HD, but it still has frame issues almost constantly.

Most Wanted ran at a consistent 25fps, whereas Undercover sometimes runs at 30fps and dips to the teens in races.

360 version installed to HDD. I really can't imagine how bad the PS3 version must be, if it has a worse framerate. I played the game and sort of enjoyed it, but the framerate was terrible. I must have been busted 5 times b/c the framerate would get bad, I'd lose some control, then all of the sudden, a spike strip pops into the game world shredding my tires.

Oh yeah, I have a story re: spike strips. I was doing a mission in my Veyron, and I had a punch of cops on my tail. I hear there's a spike strip up ahead, then I see a pursuit breaker and try to ditch some of the cops. Well, when I hit the PB and the computer was automatically driving me so I could see the cutscene, it directed my car over the spike strips ahead, and my tires were shot. Because of the retarded game.

Then I pull up my GPS and see another pursuit breaker on the other side of the block. I have about 3 SUVs and 3-4 Porsches trying to take me down while I'm going 15MPH with an unusable tire around the block, and I finally hit the PB (a tower), and they were all taken out. Then I parked under a nearby dark bridge, since theoretically no one could see me unless the were looking for me. Of course, two police cars spawn on the road and automatically turn around and home in on me even though I was completely out of their line of sight beforehand. And then they take me down.

Game screws me once: shame on it. Game screws me twice: shame on me.

 

[raYne]

This definitely feels like Most Wanted 2, but the framerate is really hampering the experience. It wasn't perfect in Most Wanted either, but it didn't seem as noticeable or as frequent in that game as it does here.

I installed this to the HD, but it still has frame issues almost constantly.

Streaming issues (which is what would be improved by installing the game) has nothing to do with framerate issues.

Most Wanted framerate was much more consistent and never slowed down to the point that this does. I honestly haven't played a game this gen with framerate issues this bad. No idea how they thought it was a good idea to release it in this state..

 

[FoeHammer]

Streaming issues (which is what would be improved by installing the game) has nothing to do with framerate issues.

Most Wanted framerate was much more consistent and never slowed down to the point that this does. I honestly haven't played a game this gen with framerate issues this bad. No idea how they thought it was a good idea to release it in this state..

Yeah, I was definitely down on the game due to the framerate issues but either I've gotten used to them or they have become less apparent over time.

I loved Most Wanted and I'm really enjoying this as well. They need to stay away from the ProStreet model and focus on this type of racing from now on, making sure to lock the framerate down. It's not like they're pushing some new graphics technology or anything, as this looks mostly like Most Wanted did including the overuse of bloom.

 

[Y2Kev]

I think I like this game, lol. The cars all feel really good and they sound great. I dunno, I am comparing it to something like Midnight Club that I rented at the same time and I think I like this better. Like, the cars in MC feel so floaty and boaty, but NFS nails it.

There are some things I don't understand. Like, okay, so you have an open world. But you can't drive to events and you never really need to do anything in the world. So it might as well just be a menu.

And the game is so easy so far. It's like it plays itself really.

And the performance is really unacceptable, but it doesn't bug me too much. Framerates never bother me unless they are really like puke inducing. But the game almost has like streaming problems. I dunno.

I would say it is kind of redundant. It doesn't really do anything Burnout does any better than Burnout does it. I like the whole style of the game, but I think Criterion will rock this game.

 

[Annoying Old Party Man]

Guys, update is up (at least for the ps3 version).
Amazingly, it fixes frame rate! It's smooth as butter now, and keeps a really consistent framerate during chases/races, etc.

 

[DuckRacer]

Guys, update is up (at least for the ps3 version).
Amazingly, it fixes frame rate! It's smooth as butter now, and keeps a really consistent framerate during chases/races, etc.

Seriously? What about pop-in and stuff?

 

[Tomcat]

yeah the framerate is smooth now (xbox360 version)

 

[Annoying Old Party Man]

Seriously? What about pop-in and stuff?

Seemed to have less pop in, but i'm not really sure. Didn't fall upon any glitches too.

 

[twinturbo2]

They fixed the framerate? Good, but I'm still abstaining.

If NFS Shift ditches the baggy pants and hip-hop (to quote Eurogamer) and brings back Ferraris and Rom Di Prisco menu music, then the series is saved.

 

[Sectus]

I hate how it's so hard to find any news about DLC. I just checked recent releases on the xbox live marketplace and I noticed the "Challenge Series" DLC has finally been released for xbox live now (it was released for PS3 2 weeks ago I think). Dunno if it's been released for PC or not.

The challenge series is pretty fun, and it works the same way as it does in NFS: Carbon. And best of all (and very surprising), it's completely free. No new achievements though.

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Never played this game so I gave it a rent. One of the worst racers I've ever played. I've cursed more playing this game in such a short amount of time then anything over the last several years. Such cheap ass A.I., vehicles that spawn out of nowhere, and the game can't even finish loading a track while your playing the race. I'm so glad Criterion is doing this years game.