Gameplay [edit] Map Undercover features a new "open-world" map consisting of 100 miles (160 km) of road [11] and a large highway system making it the largest Need for Speed "open-world" environment EA has ever created. The city is called Tri-City, and consists of four boroughs called Palm Harbor, Port Crescent, Gold Coast Mountains, and Sunset Hills. The road system includes four water crossings, going clockwise: the Mainguy Causeway (Ocean Expressway connecting Sunset Hills to Port Crescent via manmade island), the Vale Causeway (Sunset Hills to Palm Harbor), the North T causeway (Manmade island to Palm Harbor), and the Memorial Tunnel (Port Crescent to Palm Harbor). Undercover also features a new contiguous highway system. In previous installments, highways were relatively small circuits concentrated within single boroughs. In Undercover the main highway is one large circuit circling the entire city, with each borough having a small piece of it. The longer length allows the highway to take on a more realistic shape, with long strait areas, gentle curves, rest areas and large interchanges. Also, the entire map is open from the start of the game, unlike previous installments where boroughs had to be unlocked. [edit] Police The police system is very similar to Most Wanted and Carbon. It uses a similar bar graph at the bottom of the screen moving towards "Evade" or "Busted" depending on the player's speed and proximity to police. The "Cooldown" period after evading the nearest police units returns as well. Heat levels also return to the game, as well as speedbreaker and pursuit breakers. Like in Most Wanted and Carbon, police vehicles range from generic city patrol cars to federal pursuit Porsche accompanied by police heavy SUVs and helicopters. Unlike previous games, which types of police appear is not entirely dependent on heat levels (high level police can appear at low heat levels and vice versa) but instead more dependent on the player's wheelman level (progress through the game). At a high wheelman level, high level police will immediately join the pursuit, even at the lowest heat level. Common police tactics such as road blocks, rolling road blocks, spike strips, and PIT maneuvers are all featured, although some are only used by high level police. The player only gets to drive a police car once in career mode, in a mission that consists of stealing a state police car. [edit] Damage The damage system returns and is similar to that of Need for Speed: ProStreet, however unlike ProStreet, the damage is only cosmetic and does not adversely affect performance and the car can only be "Totaled" in the "Highway Battle" mode. Damage is also automatically repaired after every race or police pursuit, unlike ProStreet where it had to be repaired by the player for a charge (either money or a "repair marker"). [edit] Customization The customization of cars is similar to Need for Speed: Carbon and has been enhanced on the level of graphics and detail.[12] The new color palette and the "matte" paint has been hyped with a huge improvement. They also have aftermarket parts like Carbon did. In addition, you can gain reputation points to access new missions simply by participating in side missions or performing flashy maneuvers in a police chase, adding a small RPG-like element to the gameplay. As a bonus, EA has added a vinyl similar to the vinyl of the BMW M3 GTR in Need For Speed: Most Wanted. [edit] Plot The game's story mode sets the player in the story as a police officer going undercover into the criminal underground of Tri-City, a fictional city where the game is set. Players take on dangerous 'jobs' and compete in races in order to infiltrate and take down a ruthless international crime smuggling syndicate of street racers and car thieves. The player's only contacts to the police are federal handler Chase Linh, played by Maggie Q, and later Lt. Jack M. Keller played by Paul Pape.[13] As the player wins races and blends in with the gangs by doing different jobs like stealing cars, he later ends up taking out the bosses and their thugs. As the end draws near Chau Wu calls the hero telling to return one of his cars that he claims that G-Mac had him steal when it was Hector and Zach that stole the car to begin with. The player gets the car from Carmen and then takes the car to the Warehouse district in Sunset Hills to save Chase. When he gets there he finds out that he has been tricked by Chase Lihn the whole time and then kills Chau Wu for his cell phone which has important data in regards to stolen cars from the docks. The player evades the police since they are after him as he tries to escape and go after Chase. Then the player goes after and takes out Chase and she is arrested for framing him and being involved with Chau Wu. Then later Carmen is seen talking to the player and she asks him to take her back to the University and mentions that she is a med student. A few days before the release, EA revealed some new plot details of Undercover. A video shows the player evading capture from the Tri-City Police Department (TCPD). The player was aided by detective Chase Linh and then Lt. Jack Keller. [14] The player gains an ally named Carmen Mendez, played by singer and actress Christina Milian who becomes friends with the player. As well, six criminal characters (Chau Wu, Gregory "G-Mac" MacDonald (a former undercover police officer from the TCPD who's gone native, played by actor David Rees Snell, of the television series "The Shield"), Rose Largo played by actress Heather Fox, Hector Maio played by actor Kurt Caceres (of the television series "Prison Break)", Brad "Nickel" Rogers played by actor Lawrence B. Adisa , and Zack Maio played by actor Joshua Alba (brother of actress Jessica Alba)) have been introduced. There are three other characters to note: Jonathon Cross is listed as an acquaintance to "G-Mac", yet not much is known about him at this time; and Isabel "Izzy" Diaz, one of the "Blacklist" members in Most Wanted, and Caleb Reece, the main antagonist in Underground 2, are listed as acquaintances to Hector Maio.[15] Additionally, Rachel Teller of Need for Speed Underground 2 is listed as an acquaintance to Rose Largo. However, these characters don't appear in a game, making them only a loose connection between the newest games in the franchise. Ryan Cooper, the player character in ProStreet is briefly referenced in one of the police scanner dialog sequences as a police officer says he has a man named Ryan Cooper in the back of his car who refuses to speak or remove his racing helmet (a somewhat humorous reference considering the Ryan Cooper character in ProStreet never spoke or was seen without his helmet).