Need for Speed: Undercover is a 2008 video game, and the twelfth instalment in the series. Developed by and published by , it was released on November 18, 2008, for , , , , , , , and a number of platforms; an edition of the game for was later released on April 27, 2009. The game sees players conducting illegal street races within the fictional Tri-City Area, with the main mode's story focused on the player operating as an undercover police officer to investigate links between a criminal syndicate, stolen cars, and street racers.Gameplay operates on the same manner as previous entries such as and , though included a larger selection of licensed real-world cars, an RPG-styled system in the game's main mode. Upon its release, the game received mixed reviews, many of which criticised the game's difficulty setting and repetitive elements, with some editions receiving lower scores due to severe issues. Undercover was later succeeded by in 2009, and in 2010.In the game, players take part in illegal street races that focus on different styles of races, utilizing a variety of licensed real-world cars (available at the time of the game's development and release) that can be upgraded and customized with new parts, while contending with the involvement of the police in their efforts to impede the player. Racing events featured in the game include the series' standard of circuit, point-to-point, and checkpoint races,