August 20, 2008 - After EA's Studio Showcase, the press received the red carpet treatment at a swank location in downtown San Francisco. Surrounded by glasses of Champaign and plush couches, EA unveiled Need for Speed Undercover by Black Box Studios.

The Need for Speed series is one of EA's biggest franchises, so it's surprising that there hasn't been any new info since the release of Carbon last year. It was all part of its strategy to go big with the announcement of the latest title. As you'll see in the coming months, presentation is a huge part of Undercover.

The game feels immediately familiar and easy to get a hold of for anyone who has played Need for Speed before. The gameplay hasn't changed drastically; Black Box knows that its fans still want a title that straddles reality and an arcade racer. What was noticeably different was the tuning of the physics;......