It seems not so long ago that we talked about Need for Speed ProStreet, but now the next installment in the long living series is already on it's way.

According to several sources, Need for Speed: Undercover is nearing completion very fast and should come out on November the 18th this year. Undercover is already the 12th title in the series and that's not counting handheld and online versions.

The previous title did sell below EA's expectations, and among fans of the series, Prostreet was received as a mediocre title that steered away from Need for Speed key features. So this time the developers promise to return to the strong suits of Need for Speed, high speed chases with the police and pricey sport cars.

As the title suggests, you play as an undercover cop. Scott Nielsen, one of the producers, talked about this in a recent interview on WorthPlaying. He also talked about infiltrating gangs and also mentioned that you would not only be chased, but could do some chasing yourself. Read the full article here.

It is too soon to tell if Need for Speed Undercover will alienate fans even further, or become the perfect blend between Hot Pursuit and Underground they are aiming for, but if the fact that Need for Speed XIII is already in development is any indication, then at least EA is convinced that it's going to be a success.

If you want to form an opinion yourself, you can take a look at the three first screenshots below, or visit the Need for Speed Homepage, where a teaser video showed up recently. (Alternative on Gametrailers)

Also, if you visit the mysterious page whichroadtotake.com you can see a looping video of an interrogation room with a countdown on screen (Screenshot). This site is part of the Undercover promotions and it can be suspected that EA is going to share more information once the timer runs out. Currently the timer is showing a bit more then eights days, so it should run out in the night of the 26th.

______________________(click Sreenshots for full size pictures)