Among several upcoming EA games that were playable here at PAX was Need for Speed Undercover, the next installment in the long-running racing franchise that is due out later this year. I was happy to step into the vehicle-like set-up they had, complete with the Xbox 360 racing wheel, and put the pedal to the metal.

The mode I played was new to the series, with the race taking place on a highway littered with commuters trying to go about their daily business. The challenge is trying to make it through the race while weaving in and out of traffic, which can be tricky when someone causes a pile-up directly in front of you, or the cars get in your face and switch lanes without signaling (which is so rude). You win by getting a certain distance ahead of the other racers; there’s no physical finish line that I saw.

Though the concept of weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds isn’t anything new (it sums up a whole lot of Grand Theft Auto), it was still a lot of fun to do it from the perspective of a race driver. I enjoyed using the 360 wheel to play, and it felt totally natural and controlled really well—I’m going to be happy to have an excuse to use my wheel again. I would have liked to see what the game feels like on a standard controller, but I guess that will have to wait. However, from what I saw, I can safely say I will be spending some time with this game in the future.

Need for Speed Undercover will be out in mid-November for just about every platform imaginable (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC, PS2), so no matter what you game on, you’re covered. Expect more impressions of this game as the release date gets closer.

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