need-for-speed-undercover posts

In perhaps their biggest game publisher deal yet, Valve has announced secured the rights to distribute a number of PC game titles from Electronic Arts via their Steam service. EA has previously handled downloadable PC game titles via their own EA Downloader service but now Spore, Spore Creepy and Cute Parts Pack, Warhammer Online, Mass Effect, FIFA Manager 09, and Need For Speed Undercover are now all available to purchase and download via Steam (sorry, rest of the world, this is for North America only).

In addition to those games, EA will also offer Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dead Space and the upcoming PC port of Mirror's Edge via Steam in the near future. When contacted by Big Download, an EA spokesperson would not comment if any of EA's older PC games might find their way onto Steam as well. If you have been wanting to buy EA games but have been avoiding purchasing them because of EA's use of DRM in their recent titles, a message of Valve's Steam forums states that the EA games on Steam do not use third party DRM or SecuROM set-up, saying, " the only DRM it uses is Steam itself."

Last weekend we reported on a rumor from another site that claimed Electronic Arts was planning to retire their long-time racing game series Need For Speed. Now our sister site Joystiq reports that the Need For Speed series is in fact still in play and that a new developer is taking on the reins.

Joystiq, using their own unnamed sources, claims that Burnout developers Criterion Games will be taking the mantle of the Need For Speed series for one upcoming installment and that Need For Speed's previous studio, EA's Black Box team in Vancouver, are "most likely" shutting down. According to the story Black Box team members will be consolidated to EA's other, and much larger, Vancouver studio. We plan to contact EA to get the final word, if there is one, on this matter.

Electronic Arts' latest version of their long running Need For Speed racing series, Need For Speed Undercover, has gotten poor reviews and also apparently not been selling nearly as well as previous titles in the franchise. So its not a shock to hear rumors that financially troubled EA may be retiring the Need For Speed series.

The Electric Underground web site is reporting through unnamed sources that EA has "cancelled the development of new titles in the once popular racing series." For the past several years EA's Black Box studio in Vancouver has handled the development of the Need For Speed series. It was recently revealed that EA has decided not to move ahead with plans for a new Vancouver dev studio because of the publisher's recent economic woes.

Electronic Arts has been feeling the economic pinch this year as profits are down for the large game publisher. Now our sister site GameDaily is reporting that a planned new EA development studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is now on hold, most likely because of its current financial troubles.

EA already has two dev studios in the Vancouver area; one developed the FIFA soccer games (one of the few EA Sports titles still being made for the PC) while the other, EA Black Box, is home to the Need for Speed series. The new studio was planned to be a 20,000 square foot facility but the office space that was going to be used has now been given to another tenant.

Electronic Arts has already announced layoffs at the game publisher along with consolidating its departments. It's also announced delays and cancellations of game titles. However, one financial analyst believes EA will have to do even more to keep its head above water.

According to our sister site GameDaily, Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets has cut their estimates on EA's revenues, predicting they will bring in $2.07 billion for its current fiscal year, down from a previous estimate of $2.14 billion Sebastian said some games like Need For Speed Undercover and the console release of Mirror's Edge have been "tracking below plan at retail this holiday." He also believes EA will "announce further cuts in headcount and the development pipeline (including existing franchises) over the coming quarters."

Need for Speed Undercover goes back to the Most Wanted formula by combining illegal street racing with pulse pounding police chases. This time, the twist is that you're playing as an undercover agent whose job is to infiltrate an organized crime ring. The only way to get into the inner circle is to improve your reputation as a wheelman and impress people as you work your way up the hierarchy. However, things quickly drive into a wall, and the game becomes too infuriating to play.

This High Definition Texture Pack mod for Need for Speed Undercover was developed by An7hraX, and improves the graphics by making them crisper, reducing the bloom effects and fixing up the HDR lighting. Be aware that the mod changes some of the DirectX 9 files, so programs like Punkbuster may misinterpret it as a cheat in online play. Continue reading for installation instructions. For more information and comparative screenshots, check out the post thread on NFS-Planet.

Download Need for Speed Undercover HD Texture Pack Mod (224 MB)
Download Texmod (required for installation) (582 KB)
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The newest trailer for Need for Speed Undercover gives another look at the high-speed action players can anticipate. The cops'n robbers game is out in stores now.

Download HD Need for Speed Undercover DJ5 Trailer (586 MB)
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Electronic Arts tries once again to revive their Need For Speed franchise by going back to the basics. Their latest attempt, Need For Speed Undercover, has now gone gold according to an email press release we received. The game will ship to stores for the PC and other platforms on Nov. 18.

This new entry in the series brings back the cops-chasing-you-around-the-streets gameplay that was a staple of the first Need For Speed games as your player character goes undercover to fight the mob by racing cars. If you wanted to play a demo of the game to try it out, keep waiting. As we reported a while back EA has no plans to release a demo for Need For Speed Undercover. It' will be the first time in several years that a Need For Speed game won't have a demo to promote the full title.

[Via email press release]

This trailer action trailer for Need for Speed Underground shows off the high-speed police chases players will be able to experience when the game comes out. Players will have a chance to take down criminals later this month when the game releases on PC and console systems on November 17.

Download Need for Speed Undercover Cops Trailer (198 MB)
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