The free Challenge Pack introduces two new modes to Undercover - Highway Wars and Highway Checkpoint - the former being a race through traffic and the later being a time attack through traffic. The pack adds 60 new events between the two new modes, with three new cars available as rewards: the Battle Machine Mazda RX-7; Speed Machine Porsche 911 GT2; and the Dominator Corvette Z06.

Those who prefer their new cars at a price can pick up the Boss Car pack for $5.00 or 400 Microsoft points, which unlocks every highly-tuned boss car in the game for your personal use.

Both packs are available right now on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The patch, which we're told will be finalized in a few weeks, will be coming to all three platforms and address gameplay and performance issues as well as other "improvements."

No doubt about it. EA is pushing Need for Speed Undercover (NFSU) as their flagship mobile game this holiday. I believe the PR rep even spouted some hyperbole, calling it the "best action series of all time" or something. Anyway, the demo I played only had one track and handful of selectable speedsters to choose from.

Like most driving games on the iPhone, players have to use the accelerometer steering. You'll be winding your way around tight turns by tilting the phone left or right. How does it work? I know motion controls can be highly subjective depending on who's playing. As someone who doesn't particularly like motion controls (especially for movement) I will say it at least works. There were times, however, when I felt like I didn't have any control over the car, especially after crashing.

Also, there's no gas or break. You're always gassin' it. The game compensates by how well you do on turns. The better lined up you are on the "turning arch"; the appropriate gas or brake is automatically applied, thus saving you from crashing into the wall or railing. You also have the option of using nitro boost, to speed up, or this "bullet-time" function to slow you down while making tough turns.

Graphically, the game is top notch. There are fully rendered 3D modeled cars, and the racetrack has layers of detail, all while keeping a steady framerate and minimal loading. There will be 30 cars overall to choose from all with customizable features, such as adding new rims, body paint, suspension, etc.

NFSU might not be bringing anything new to the table in terms of actual gameplay, but graphically, it's head and shoulders above the rest. I would have liked to see more cars, tracks, and modes so I could dig into it a bit more, though. This is going to be one of the more expensive iPhone games, so expect a price somewhere between $7 and $10 with a release sometime this month.

Following last year’s disappointing Need for Speed: ProStreet, Black Box and EA went back to a known winner, the cops-and-robbers formula of 2005’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted. You’re infiltrating a stolen auto ring, whose members are blissfully unaware of your cop credentials, and also the larger international ramifications of their car thievin’.

Care to take a spin? Drop it into third and see our review.

Loved
Pay for play: Everything is for sale at any point in the game (I assume) regardless of whether you have unlocked it. Just pony up enough Microsoft points. Around level 11 I treated myself to a McLaren F1. This can drastically change the tenor of your career — the acquisition of pink slip cars loses its sense of satisfaction. I don’t necessarily think this is a good idea, but I can’t say it’s a bad one. It certainly is profitable for EA and Microsoft.

Sound: The exceptional sound is not to be taken for granted in a genre that is so heavily involved with the visuals. One of the simple pleasures is taking in each car’s unique engine note when you’re a good six seconds ahead of the field and out on the open road. In solo mode, you should play it with headphones on. The engine whine of trailing cars is matched, in volume, to their relative distance; destruction will register to your sides and behind. In races you will get an immersive feeling of the world whizzing by.

Concept: Need for Speed: Undercover returns the series back to its Most Wanted evolution, as opposed to 2006’s Carbon, whose story was more about pure street racing. Most Wanted was excellent; Carbon, a little underwhelming. But if either appealed to you strongly, the guts of a long game experience are here, if you can take your time and try to live a little within the persona the game’s laid out for you.

Hated
5-0 AI: The literature touted revolutionary cop pursuit AI. They perform only one act in this game, and that’s to ram you. Period. That’s not revolutionary, it’s single minded. Any cop vehicle can overtake anything you drive, even at top speed — that includes a K9 SUV versus a goddamn Bugatti Veyron, in contorted, sped-up sequences that are so unbelievable they are almost personally offensive. The point of police pursuit is to create thrilling, hot-on-your tail chases. Here, you don’t get more than seven seconds, even flat out and several lengths ahead, without being pounded and PITted into a wall. I can take repeated spawning of police vehicles, but rubber-banding within pursuit, no. If I’ve outrun a cop, that is it. This AI does not create thrilling high speed chases as much as it does endless demolition derbies of no real consequence.

The Story: Can someone tell me what that was all about again? Oh, there was a double-crossing at the end. Gasp. Shock. Plus, I have to note this: I beat the final mission in less than five seconds. Not making that up. I got zero zone points, it was over so fast. Seriously anticlimactic.

Pedal to the Metal: The Need for Speed series is fundamentally an arcade racer. Damage, and vehicle degradation have no effect on the race, and I get that. But at some point you have to step back and say, no, after my fifth consecutive full speed, no brakes head-on collision, I should no longer be leading this race. Black Box tried to encourage strong, clean driving with its Heroic Driving engine, which delivers more experience points and faster level advancement if you drive clean. But it'd be better off with a meaningful punishment for the stand-on-the-accelerator ethic. Instead it conditions you to that through the unremitting speed of your adversaries, and absurd “domination” goals on top. It leaves you little time to actually enjoy the game, especially those moments when you’re in a breakneck race and in danger of seeing 90 percent of a superbly well run course ruined by hitting a bridge abutment, because you had to sit on the nitrous rather than race sensibly. The arcade experience is fine, but technical racers deserve a reward too.

Visuals: Frame skip can get downright ugly, especially on surface-street runs with multiple cars and smashable items in the picture. Bad redraws also are noticeable when you’re racing something really fast and the horizon changes suddenly. These flaws can become an adversary unto themselves. So can the lighting. In the sundowner races you’ll definitely have many what-the-hell-am-I-looking-for moments.

Rocket Ride: Four car theft missions near the game’s midpoint deserved to be singled out for rebuke. Rocket Ride, and three others, typify how unreasonable the game can be. In them apparently the only expectation set by whomever designed these, is to hold down the accelerator to the point of hand cramps, endure the ramming, pray you can get to a certain point (there will be one pursuit breaker in the two jobs featuring cops), and don’t give a shit what happens. By the fourth job, I’d never cared less about how I performed in any gaming experience, which is sad considering these should have been showpiece missions. This story is supposed to be about a skilled driver delivering valuable stolen cars, not a dumptruck operator on a bulldozer that goes 200 mph.

Need for Speed: Undercover is like an abusive relationship, because despite its many flaws, I know I’m going back to it, thinking I can change it and make it into something it’s not. I wanted it to be a newer, better Most Wanted, and it falls short of that expectation. While not everyone who buys this will set out to beat it in the span of five days, a great game would make you want to try. Need For Speed Undercover doesn’t.

The good news, online racing is much easier after you’ve been through the hellish auto combat of the full main story. I won something like three out of my first four races. If you want this to race online; if you’re not interested in beating its story mode; or if you can take your time and stay within yourself as a racer, learning from your mistakes, it can still be a rich and gratifying car fantasy. But for a game with undercover in its title, there is nothing subtle about the jobs you’re doing behind the wheel.

Need for Speed Undercover was developed by Black Box and published by Electronic Arts, released in North America on Nov. 18 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Windows PC, and Wii, with versions on Nintendo DS and mobile. Retails for $59.99 USD on Xbox 360, and PS3, $49.99 on Wii, $39.99 on PC and PSP. Reviewed on Xbox 360. Completed single-player story mode; raced numerous times online.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Mr. Stubble here may be bursting at the seams to get his hands on Need For Speed Undercover, but I'd have a hard time telling you what differentiates this particular Need For Speed from the previous half-dozen. That may be based on the extremely low ratio of gameplay contained within, but is more likely due to the frequency of Burnout, Forza Motorsport, Project Gotham Racing, Midnight Club and, of course, Need For Speed releases.

The whole thing sounds sort of erotic, based on the monologue from John Q. Stubble, which may be a big factor in my aversion to learning more. Also, NFSUC looks like a dirty acronym. Potentially, gaming's dirtiest?

Come Nov. 18 in North America and Nov. 21 in Europe gamers will be able to drive the care in game.

“Our relationship with EA has been instrumental in bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience,” says Christian Meunier, Vice President, Nissan Marketing. “By launching the all-new 2009 Nissan Z first through Need for Speed Undercover, we also gain the spirit and energy that EA gamers experience so strongly. Together with EA, we have truly integrated the all-new 370Z in the overall game experience in a meaningful, multi-layered and profound way.”

The new Nissan coupe will be officially unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show a day after the game hits North American shores and goes on sale in dealerships in early 2009.

Get Behind the Wheel of the all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z Eight Weeks Before the Car Hits Dealerships

Redwood City, CA. – October 29, 2008 – EA and Nissan shift into high-gear this holiday! The Need for Speed series continues the tradition of featuring the most desirable cars as Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Nissan today revealed the highly-anticipated all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z. This marks the first time an auto manufacturer has partnered with a videogame company for the world premiere reveal of a car. The Nissan Z will be available exclusively in this holiday’s hottest action driving title, Need for Speed™ Undercover, available in North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21.

“For the past 15 years, Need for Speed has helped define contemporary automotive culture by bridging the gap between gamers and the world’s hottest cars. As such, we are very excited to partner with one of the automotive powerhouses today to exclusively reveal the all-new Nissan Z,” said Keith Munro, Vice President of Marketing at Electronic Arts. “Need for Speed is about style, fast-paced action and power; this is definitely a car made for Need for Speed fans. Come November, they’ll be able to test drive the all-new 370Z in the game before the car is released on the market.”

“Our relationship with EA has been instrumental in bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience,” says Christian Meunier, Vice President, Nissan Marketing. “By launching the all-new 2009 Nissan Z first through Need for Speed Undercover, we also gain the spirit and energy that EA gamers experience so strongly. Together with EA, we have truly integrated the all-new 370Z in the overall game experience in a meaningful, multi-layered and profound way.”

With the signature boomerang headlights and taillights to the enhanced powertrain, Need for Speed Undercover designers worked closely with Nissan to accurately replicate the overall look, feel and performance of the all-new Nissan Z. From the game’s opening moment, players will be thrust right into the action with gamers whipping the 370Z in-and-out of traffic at high speed.

The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z is a super evolution of the iconic Nissan Z, building on the strengths of it’s predecessor, finding the sports car “sweet spot” in performance, style, and value. The 2009 Nissan Z marks the first full redesign of the Nissan Z since its reintroduction as a 2003 model.

The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19, hitting dealerships in early 2009.

Need for Speed Undercover takes players back to the franchise’s roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases and spectacular highway battles. Players discover a world of high-stakes and high-speed action in some of the world’s hottest cars. The all-new Heroic Driving Engine propels the action forward as players experience the dramatic story through spectacular Hollywood-style live-action in-game movies.

Need for Speed Undercover is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. The game will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.

“High-intensity police chases are a signature component of Undercover and this extends to the multiplayer experience as well,” said Bill Harrison, Executive Producer at Black Box. “The cops and robbers mode will thrust players into adrenaline-pumping battles as they utilize the Heroic Driving Engine to deliver or prevent the delivery of the package to the safe house.”

I don't know, it doesn't really seem all that new to me. Where have we seen this mode before?

Take the Chase Online in Need for Speed Undercover
All-New Cops and Robbers Mode Highlights Online Multiplayer Experience

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today unveiled the online modes in Need for Speed™ Undercover, including the all-new multiplayer mode, Cops and Robbers. This visceral team-based mode pits two teams of four players against each other in the ultimate battle-royale.

Robbers must pick up the package and take it to the drop-off point while the cops attempt to prevent the delivery. Each game consists of two rounds giving the players the chance to play as cops and robbers. Up to eight players will also be able to prove their driving prowess in sprint and circuit multiplayer race modes.*

“High-intensity police chases are a signature component of Undercover and this extends to the multiplayer experience as well,” said Bill Harrison, Executive Producer at Black Box. “The cops and robbers mode will thrust players into adrenaline-pumping battles as they utilize the Heroic Driving Engine to deliver or prevent the delivery of the package to the safe house.”

Need for Speed Undercover also features a diverse soundtrack of over 30 songs from artists like The Prodigy, Tricky and Justice. To hear samplings of each song please visit www.ea.com/eatrax/.

Need for Speed Undercover has players racing through speedways, dodging cops and chasing rivals as they go deep undercover to take down an International crime syndicate. The new game heralds the return of high-intensity police chases and introduces the all-new ‘Heroic Driving Engine’ — a unique technology that generates incredible high-performance moves at 180 miles per hour during breathtaking highway battles.

Need for Speed Undercover is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C., and is slated to be in stores North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21. The game will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.

*PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions only. INTERNET CONNECTION required. See product pack for additional details.

The game will allow you to customize your car, deliver packages cross town and, I assume, race people. Sadly the iPhone version will be lacking sexy, as they've not included Maggie Q. Dammit, I've always wanted her in my pocket too.

The game is due out to the iPhone and iTouch in November.

P.s. I know it's not iTouch, but I just can't help myself.

The good news? The one-piece wheel designed for Need for Speed Undercover has built-in gas and brake controls, is wireless and comes with a lap rest, allowing for play as much as 30-feet from the Wii. The bad news? The thing will ring in at $100 when it hits the U.S. and Europe in November. Yikes. $100 for a $250 console? I see Logitech is keeping it crazy.

LOGITECH INTRODUCES FIRST FORCE FEEDBACK WHEEL FOR WII
Logitech Speed Force Wireless Racing Wheel Works With EA’s Highly Anticipated Racing Game Need for Speed™ Undercover

FREMONT, Calif. — Aug. 21, 2008 — To give you a more realistic driving experience on your Wii™ console, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today announced the Logitech® Speed Force Wireless™ racing wheel – the first force feedback wheel for the popular gaming platform. Licensed by Nintendo®, Logitech’s newest force feedback wheel works with Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed™ Undercover and paves the way for more force feedback racing titles on the Wii console.

“We’re excited to team up with Nintendo and Electronic Arts to bring driving realism to the Wii and Need for Speed Undercover,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech’s director of product marketing for gaming. “Logitech has been at the forefront of force feedback technology for more than a decade, and we’re confident that our driving platform will be an indispensable part of the racing experience on Wii as more titles that support it become available.”

“As the world’s most popular racing franchise, Need for Speed is committed to delivering players superior racing experiences,” said Larry LaPierre, Vice President at Black Box, developer of Need for Speed. “This November, Wii gamers can fully experience the thrill of the chase in Need for Speed Undercover with Logitech’s force feedback realism.”

Easy to set up and store, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless features a one-piece design that is convenient to use whether you’re sitting on your couch, arm chair or living room floor. The built-in gas and brake controls are located on the wheel itself and the expandable lap rest is easily adjusted – allowing for comfortable game play without the need to use a table or a desk. Plus, familiar Wii controls make navigating game menus a snap.

To help you minimize clutter, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless eliminates the console cable. With Logitech’s 2.4 GHz wireless technology, you can enjoy lag-free racing from up to 30 feet away from the console. To start racing, just connect the USB receiver to the Wii console, plug in the wheel’s power cord, put in Need for Speed: Undercover, adjust the lap rest to a comfortable position and wait for the race to begin. There’s no mounting or assembly involved. And when you’re ready to put it away, the USB receiver can be stowed in a convenient compartment on the bottom of the wheel.

Logitech Force Feedback Technology
Having introduced its first force feedback products in 1998, the company has designed 19 models of force feedback wheels. And more than 100 racing titles have supported Logitech force feedback technology on a variety of game platforms.

When you’re playing a racing game, standard controllers don’t let you feel all the excitement that makes racing with force feedback technology the closest you can get to the real thing. Force feedback, unlike vibration feedback or rumble technology, creates directionally precise, tactile feedback that accurately simulates forces experienced in the game. Through the use of advanced software and electronics, force feedback moves a steering wheel as if the device were subject to real external forces.

About Need for Speed Undercover
Need for Speed Undercover takes players back to the franchise’s roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases and spectacular highway battles. Players discover a world of high-stakes and high-speed action in some of the world’s hottest cars. The all-new Heroic Driving Engine propels the action forward as players experience the dramatic story through spectacular Hollywood-style live-action in-game movies.
Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Speed Force Wireless racing wheel is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in November for a suggested retail price of $99.99 (U.S.).

Need for Speed Undercover is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. and is slated to ship this November. It will be available for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com.
About Logitech

Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

I’m kind of skeptical about blending an action movie with a racing game. I know they keep making those Fast and the Furious films; but they kind of suck, so I don’t have an idea of what a good racing/action game would look like. Sort of like those Jesus Christ lizards – you wouldn’t know it was one until it walked on water.

Here’s what I did see: a Highway Battle, which was a flat-out high speed burn between two points on a freeway, trying to beat another guy to the endpoint. I also got to try a circuit race (which is exactly what it sounds like) and a driving job that seemed a lot like Grand Theft Auto only I never get out of the car.

Because this was such an early build, it was hard to see the full scope of the game as developer EA Black Box means for it to be seen. Graphics were missing, bugs were rampant, and the guy running my demo kept skipping the post-Highway Battle cutscene with Maggie Q. I guess if I wanted to actually see her, I would have had to go talk to her.

Best lines of the night:

“What do I have to do to get this cop to chase me? Kill his entire family?” – Dan Amrich, Official Xbox Magazine.

“Um. I think you’re going the wrong way.” –Randy Nelson, Joystiq.

“Where the #$%& is the red shell – I need a red shell!” –Me.

The bottom line for Undercover is the car is the star. The models are all very realistic, and in the garage mode, there’s none of this flashy background, topless model bullshit – it’s subdued lighting (like you’d see in real life) and black backgrounds so you can really focus on what a real Audi looks like and have a “more mature” driving experience.

So says Jesse Abney, associate producer on NFS: Undercover. Abney (who had to shout over the din at the hands-on party) told me that team was going for a sort of “visual signature” that you won’t see in any other Need for Speed title, or any other racing game for that matter. The heroic engine the team built for the project only enhances the realistic physics of the cars as damage models and movements are totally tweaked per car. So, in other words, it’d be way easier to wreck a Pinto than a Beamer plowing into a freeway barrier at 120 mph – like in real life.
But, says Abney, they still want this experience to be accessible to everyone. To that end, there’re all sorts of help for the noob – navigation arrows, mission info screens, etc. There’s also a 360 degree view of your car, for people who used to play old school racing games (a total first for the NFS series).

Need for Speed Undercover is out this November (18th-ish, we hear). Some details are yet to be hammered out (how many people in online multiplayer, what kind of downloadable content, if any, etc.), but after this first look I’ve got a better idea of what to expect from the game that’s trying so hard to be different.

Here, have some screen shots:

I think there’s just too much that we don’t know about this world [games] that it’s hard to say ‘Oh, you’re doing that?’ Because, guess what, this world, in its own right — in any right -— is huge.

...There’s no adverse reaction to what I’m doing... Everybody’s kind of cool and in to it and happy for me.... It’s honestly hard to judge a world that you don’t know. I think for Hollywood and for the acting world... I was sort of like ‘Oh my gosh, what’s this going to mean to me if I’m going to do a video game?’ I sort of thought about it for a while. Everyone I’ve mentioned it to, honestly —- actors, directors, producers, people I’ve worked with…I’ve just gotten back from a movie last week, and all the guys I worked with were like 'Where you going?' And I told them I was doing this game and they were like ‘Coooool!’

Maggie Q is even up for a film version of Need for Speed. Think I already saw that one, though — back when it was called The Fast and The Furious.

Actress Maggie Q Disputes ‘Max Payne’ Star’s Dismissal Of Video Games [Multiplayer]

“I’ve always been a fan of racing games and working on Need for Speed Undercover was an amazing experience,” said Maggie Q. “I was so impressed by the scope and quality of the overall production that goes into a videogame these days. It was like any other day on a Hollywood set; I felt right at home. The Black Box team is doing tremendous work here and I can’t wait to see the final game.”

Sold! We'll be anxiously awaiting her Xbox 360 theme, EA. Hit the jump for the full press release and yes...a larger version of her PETA ad.

As a person who once got dried jalapeno peppers on his hands and then used the restroom before washing them, I applaud her bravery.

International Box Office Sensation Maggie Q to Star in Need for Speed Undercover
Discover a World of High-Stakes and High-Speed in the Hottest Racing Game of 2008

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced Need for Speed™ Undercover, the intense action racing title scheduled for release this holiday. The new game will feature international movie star, Maggie Q, as the lead character in the big-budget live-action sequences that propel the original story forward as players get behind the wheel. EA’s Need for Speed Undercover takes the franchise back to its roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases, the world’s hottest cars and spectacular highway battles.

“Need for Speed Undercover features a deep and engaging story of spectacular Hollywood-style live-action that will transport players into the fictional world of the Tri-City Bay Area,” said Bill Harrison, Need for Speed Undercover Executive Producer. “Working with talent the caliber of Maggie Q allows us to deliver an unparalleled level of storytelling that will keep players engaged in between 180-mile an hour races.”

Maggie Q, who has starred in Mission Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard, plays Federal Agent Chase Linh, a seductive handler who recruits and guides players as they go undercover. Players will take on dangerous jobs and compete in races in order to infiltrate and takedown a ruthless international crime syndicate.

“I’ve always been a fan of racing games and working on Need for Speed Undercover was an amazing experience,” said Maggie Q. “I was so impressed by the scope and quality of the overall production that goes into a videogame these days. It was like any other day on a Hollywood set; I felt right at home. The Black Box team is doing tremendous work here and I can’t wait to see the final game.”

Need for Speed Undercover is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C., and is slated to be in stores North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21. The game will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.

Also in the trailer, you can see the lovely Christina Milian, who has been rumored to be the latest NFS babe for some time. The trailer also points you to a website — Which Road to Take — which features a video screen of a police interrogation gone to the dogs. Click on the video's hotspots and you can see other teases about the game's story. Many readers have pointed out that the timestamp on the video always reads 08.20.08 — could that be the "official" reveal date? If so, someone seriously broke their NDA by getting this trailer out.

The fact that French-language Jeuxgames has it, and none of the other major video sites have put it up yet, is strange. My guess is they don't want to run afoul of NDA issues. Who knows. But it's legit.

Need for Speed Undercover Dated, Christina Milian Confirmed [Dark Zero via GamerCenterOnline]

According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Vancouver-based Need For Speed developers (pictured) have been slaving away on a brutal 12-month dev cycle for each entry in the series. Admitting that Need For Speed: Pro Street was just "okay", Riccitiello says that they've since added more staff, split the team in half, and put them on 24-month cycles, a winning formula that will hopefully make NFS: Undercover better than "okay." Congratulations to all involved.

Riccitiello: We were torturing Vancouver studio [GamesIndustry.biz]