Artist: RWD



EA’s forthcoming Need For Speed Undercover is a fast-paced, high end, insanely intense action racer. Being curvy in all the right places and very easy on the eye there’s no-one better to star in it than the seductive Christina Milian. Danny Walker plays car chase with the singer, songwriter and actress…

Alongside Tiger Woods and of course FIFA, Electronic Arts flagship racing game has become an annual must-buy. NFS has grown from a civilised car classic (originally available on the 3DO, PlayStation and SEGA Saturn) to a callous tarmac-trashing tearaway and one of the biggest selling multiplatform titles around. Each edition seems to be that one step closer to the real thing and none more so than the latest incarnation, Need For Speed Undercover.

The 12th in the series will be a treat for fans of open-world gaming. With hundreds of miles of highway, backstreets and shortcuts, this thumb thrasher will test your acceleration ability to its limit. Set to the backdrop of a police officer going undercover in the multi-faceted metropolis of Tri-City, Undercover has you doing whatever it takes to infiltrate the criminal underworld. During your under-the-radar investigation your only contact is Fed Chase Linh, played by Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III, Die Hard 4.0). Distractions such as Carmen Mendez, played by Christina Milian, soon have you discarding morals and doing dangerous jobs to take down the international ring of car smuggling crime lords.

RWD talks shop with Christina Milian:
Hello Christina, how are you?
I’m ok and yourself?

I’m doing good thank you. Are you in New York? Or is it LA?
No, I live in LA but I’m actually going to be out here promoting a few things. As well as Need For Speed, I’m promoting my music as well. I’m having a good time in New York.

What is it like getting back on the old promo trail?
It’s good, really good. I’m coming across nice people, it’s nice to be back on the road and receiving positive feedback from the stuff I’m doing. I’ve been waiting for stuff to finally come out and my hard work is finally being shown.

[Tentatively] Do you often get ‘Where have you been for two years?’-type questions...
[Laughs] Yeah, I get ‘When are you coming back?’, ‘When am I going to see something?’ It’s really funny cos I’ve been working, but sometimes you just have to wait for things to come out. I think it is all starting to roll out at the same time now, it’s like perfect timing.

It must be annoying when you’re waiting for something to be released...
[Laughs] Yeah, I’m like ‘It’s coming.’

How do you feel the music industry has changed?
Drastically, but in a good way. I have a new record with MySpace Records now and I get to deal with a lot of aspects. With all these music stores closing down, everything is on the Internet now. I feel like I’m like ahead of the game working with them.

Explain the deal; you can buy stuff straight from your MySpace, right?
Yeah, they have a really cool deal so people aren’t stepping outside of what they usually know, when they buy music. You have a direct relationship with the fans. Whenever I put up like a new picture, or a new video blog, each day I get half a million views on my page.

Your MySpace game is quite tight. I looked at a few pics – I’m not stalking you by the way...
[Laughs] Well it’s kinda the whole point, I take a whole lot of pictures and I like to share with my fans.

Tell us about your single... it’s mellow, it’s relaxed, it says a lot lyrically...
Well it is my first ballad and it’s called Us Against The World. It is a little more dramatic to what I’ve ever put out before. I like to call it a love anthem cos I wrote it when I was watching my favourite movie, Romeo & Juliet. If you listen to the lyrics it’s about having somebody to be there for you through thick and thin.
Were you single at the time of writing it, and are you with someone now?
I’m with somebody [laughs].

Now you’re back, what have you missed and what have you definitely not missed?
Let me see, what have I not missed? I haven’t missed all the stupid rumours and all the critics.

Which artist do you like right now?
As far as female artists go, I think Beyoncé has two hot videos, Rihanna has been killing the game, Ciara is always doing her own thing. I like Katy Perry.

Where do you fit alongside them?
I see myself standing right next to them. Maybe pushing one out of the way... no, I’m just kidding (laughs). I see myself as a confident woman.

You’ve had quite a few images along the way, you’ve been the girl next door, you’ve been the sex symbol... where do you see yourself now?
I hold myself high and I feel confident, I’ve found a lot of layers within myself now. It’s not only just a picture in a magazine. It’s not just a little girl in a Disney show. I have so many layers I can be cute, I can be feared, I can be p*ssed off...

What’s a p*ssed off Christina Milian like? Scary?
Ah, you don’t want to know. Everything goes crazy.

So how did the whole EA and Need For Speed deal come around, was it cos you did a voice in Def Jam Vendetta?
Yeah, I was the voice and the image for Angel so this is my second time around with EA. It’s pretty awesome. My management gave me a call and it sounded really awesome cos I know the game, I know the franchise. When they explained the concept and the fact that it would be more like a movie within a video game, I thought that would be just very refreshing.

What is the difference between Christina Milian and your character Carmen Mendez?
Carmen knows a lot more about cars, I’ll give her that [laughs]. She is actually a mechanic in the game so she knows way more about cars. The two of us like fast cars, so I guess there are similarities but she is a little bit more of a tomboy and I think she is very much more Latina. She rolls with the boys; I hang with the guys. When it does come to anything that guys like, I adjust pretty easily. I am similar to her in many ways but she has got a little bit more spunk in her.

Do you own lots of cars?
I have a few trucks.

What is your favourite?
My Range Rover.

You know they’re from the UK right?
I know [laughs].

How was acting in the game compared to acting in say, Be Cool?
Well, I see the difference in time, probably. It wasn’t so extended. I think we shot the video game in three or four days. The director was incredible.

What kind of character is Carmen? Does she get up to criminal activities?
No actually, she isn’t a criminal; she just hangs with one of the main characters. She’s the mechanic for the crews.

So do you like criminal activities in real life?
Me? I try not to do too many criminal activities [laughs]. I know a couple of criminals. I may know a crew like Carmen, but I try to stay out of trouble.

The game is called Need For Speed Undercover, have you ever had to go undercover? (Any stalkers situations or needs to stalk etc.?)
No, let me think about that one. I think I live my whole life undercover...
Hiding away?
Yeah, but I like to go out and I like to have fun, I don’t want people to judge what I do. So I guess I have to live an undercover lifestyle [laughs].

Explain a typical day off...
It’s really simple. I’m usually home or out with my sister. Going out to the mall, maybe go shopping, or just go to the grocery store and cook.

What would you buy?
Pretzels and H&M clothing [laughs].

What are you like on computer games when it comes down to it?
I like to be entertained and I like the excitement of doing things again and again. I could play Guitar Hero or Rock Band and end up playing the same thing over and over and try and get a better score or be a better player [laughs]. Or play a game like Need For Speed and go from mission to mission. I like variety too.

So you are a bit of a gamer?
I like beating boys [laughs] cos they go crazy all the time. I don’t often get to play them, so if I do and beat them once, it’s awesome [laughs].

What consoles do you have?
I have two consoles; PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

You have two big ones then...
Yeah, I have my old skool ones too. Don’t get it twisted. I have my old NES and my old SNES.

No-one would think that of you...
I know, I know but I told you I hung out with the boys! Who didn’t play Nintendo? And
Super Nintendo?

And lastly anything to say to your fans in the UK?
I miss them. I can’t wait to come back out there. The UK and Tokyo are my favourite places to go. I hope I’m on tour there soon.

Need For Speed Undercover is out 21 November. Christina Milian’s single Us Against The World is out now



RWD on Need For Speed Undercover:
As soon as the opening credits end, you’re thrust straight into the driver’s seat of a supped-up Audi S4 being hounded by about 30 cop cars. The orange car you’re blessed with (and its carbon fibre bonnet) can really move though and you soon figure out that this game is fast. Being chased at speeds of 180MPH were a lot and it felt like it too as the police tried in vain to apprehend us. Fools.

Other modes like Sprint, Circuit, Highway Battles, Cops and Robbers and The Heist are more than enough to keep this constantly in your console. The online multiplayer also supports variations of these modes.

We’re loving Photo Mode (where you can pause the game and take a snapshot of the screen), we’re loving the Speedbreaker button (where you can ‘Bullet Time’ your way out of the odd life-threatening pile-up) and we’re going crazy over the Race Now button. Why waste precious time going from mission-to-mission when one magic button will have you racing faster than you can say ‘SLOW DOWN’… but with this gameplay, why would you want to?



Nissan on Need For Speed Undercover:
“Our relationship with EA has been instrumental in bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience,” says Christian Meunier, Vice President, Nissan Marketing. “By launching the all-new 2009 Nissan Z first through Need for Speed Undercover, we also gain the spirit and energy that EA gamers experience so strongly. Together with EA, we have truly integrated the all-new 370Z in the overall game experience in a meaningful, multi-layered and profound way.”

RWD Magazine

---