Need for Speed Undercover

Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: EA
Release Date: Nov. 18, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Wii, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, PC, Mobile, N-Gage, iPhone/iPod Touch
ESRB Rating: E10+
Official Web site

In a nutshell: "I race this lonely road, the only one that I have ever known..."

0:00 I've managed to somehow avoid playing the Need for Speed series for the past 26 years, but I have some friends who really got into it. I'm a fan of arcade racers, so I really don't know why I waited so long...

0:01 A short downloadable update precedes a disclaimer: "Pull these moves within the safety of your house ONLY." Um, I don't think Mom will let me take the car into the house...

0:02 "You're not good ... and you're not bad," says a ghostly message on the loading screen. What the hell? Then, a cut scene: "This place has changed. These guys and their cars. No regard for anyone. It's time to put a stop to what's going on around here." Generic thumping techno plays over a moving helicopter shot over the ocean. It's a police chopper with a coastal skyline coming into view behind the credits. The choppers join in a five-car police pursuit of a red car with "ND 4 SPD" on the license plate. Subtle! The camera pans behind the car and ... oh shit, I'm driving already? I was not ready for that!

0:03 As I travel down the near-deserted three-lane highway, my fines rack up -- $250 for speeding, $100 for a hit-and-run, etc. I get separate points for near-misses and property destruction. Reminds me a bit of Crazy Taxi, which is definitely a good thing.

0:05 I run headlong into the back of a slow-moving truck, allowing the police to bump me into the side barrier. "Busted!" Well, that was fast. The SWAT team jumps out the choppers and is on top of me in a second. "FAIL! Weave through traffic to avoid the copes. Plow through any roadblocks to send the cops flying." Good advice!

***-->CONTINUE READING AT CRISPY GAMER<--***

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Skate 2

Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: EA
Release Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: The most realistic skating experience you can have lying down on a couch.

0:00 I enjoyed my hour with the demo of the original Skate so much that it almost made up for the time I spent suffering through the Wii spin-off Skate It. Hopefully this Xbox 360 sequel will bring the joy back.

0:01 The Skate 2 logo flickers on a billboard atop a half-pipe, with random skaters skating about. The bottom shows "EA|HD: HD-compatible for optimal gaming." Er, doesn't that go without saying on the Xbox 360 these days?

0:02 Logging into my EA Nation account using the on-screen keyboard is pretty annoying. Also, what's the point of blanking out my password as I enter it if anyone can see me choosing the letters very slowly?

0:03 The camera zooms down an alley to the menu on a brick wall. "Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself" plays in the background ... appropriate for a game that lets you make your own tricks.

0:04 New Career. "Hey, get up ... it's time to go," says a guard from behind a meal slot. "It's your lucky day, boy." Surprisingly, it's HD video and not pre-rendered animation. It's like the opening to some hard-bitten crime show as I pass by other prisoners, each with the name of an actor hovering below them. Out in the prison yard, they're rolling dice and lifting weights, eating ice cream and ... playing patty cake? Reminds me of "Arrested Development" a bit.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Need for Speed: ProStreet

Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: Nov. 14, 2007
Systems: PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, PSP, DS, PC
ESRB Rating: E10+
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Make some extremely generic racing nooooooooise!

0:00 I've never actually played one of these games, despite a general love for driving games. I guess I've never felt the need for speed.

0:01 I'm not including the four hours required to download a 772 MB update, but I will dock the game one minute so I can write about it! So there!

0:02 The game begins with a disclaimer urging people to take "racing off the streets." Someone's got a nervous legal department.

0:03 A beat-up looking sports car sits at a starting line. Two cars take off and pop wheelies simultaneously. Power slides, dust clouds, overpasses, shipping yards, bust-ups, end-over-end flips, etc. fly by, and then, the title screen. It got my adrenaline pumping.

0:04 The game asks me to choose from "Casual," "Racer," or "King" levels of braking assistance. I think "Racer" encompasses a healthy but not overbearing sense of self-confidence, don't you? Me too!

0:05 Apparently, the pack I downloaded was the "FREE ENERGIZER LITHIUM EXTENDER PACK" which provides an "extended career tree" and new cars. Product placement, thy name is EA.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer