- Title: Need for Speed: ProStreet
- Platform:Xbox 360
- Publisher: EA
- Developer: EA
- ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: Racing
- Pros: Nice graphics; great customization; drag racing; solid racing all around; lengthy single-player
- Cons: Option to spend MS points for in-game items; new gameplay style takes some getting used to
Features
One change you’ll notice early on in ProStreet is that unlike the last few games, there isn’t a big city to explore or a winding story of payback and double crosses. It is now purely about legal racing. You just go from event to event, trying to win as many races as possible, and then moving on to the next one. Customization is still a big part of the game, but now you aren’t building cars to earn cool points or to fool the cops. You are building them simply to go fast. I have to say that I like this change of focus. The single-player game is surprisingly long and has a ton of race days for you to enter, and between your time on the track and the time you spend building cars, there is plenty of content to keep you busy here for a long time to come.
You can also play online, of course, and ProStreet has a pretty sweet online setup. You can make your own “race day” and pick any race types you want. You can also trade car customization blueprints with other racers, which is very cool. There are also leaderboards and all of that other good stuff.
Gameplay
Grip – Grip races are pretty much your standard closed circuit races. This is where the change in gameplay style is most apparent, and it can take some getting used to. You have to actually slow down now to get around corners – crazy stuff, I know. At first, it feels like the cars are handling really poorly, but as you get used to it and also as you customize your cars to handle better, the game gets a lot more fun. There are also speed challenge races, time trials, and other grip-style events but they are all pretty much the same thing.
Drag - Drag races are back, and are easily my favorite race type in ProStreet. Building a great car and taking it to the track is extremely satisfying. The racing itself isn’t too complex – you just have to time your shifts right – but it is really fun in a really unique way.
Drift – EA has changed the drift aspect of Need for Speed yet again, but this time the results are pretty good. It isn’t the automatic feeling drifting like in NFS Carbon, but it also isn’t really like NFSU2’s, either. Cars have a heavier, more realistic feel now and drifting through a series of corners is really satisfying. It has also been changed so you aren’t penalized for hitting walls or going off track.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, Need for Speed ProStreet is a really nice looking game. The environments look pretty good, but the cars are absolutely gorgeous. The customization also deserves praise as it offers some of the best options and features the series has seen so far and, like I said, you can make cars however you want rather than being forced to apply specific items to up your reputation like in previous games.The sound isn’t quite as good as the visuals. The cars sound good, and I didn’t mind most of the EA Trax soundtrack, but the announcer is obnoxious.
Bottom Line
I do have one complaint, however. While playing through the game, you earn money to buy new parts or cars. If you don’t have the in-game money, however, you have the option to spend MS points (i.e. REAL MONEY). This is such a horrible idea on so many levels. If you are tempted to take the easy way out rather than earning the items on your own by playing through the game, just use cheat codes (which don’t affect achievements, by the way …) and don’t spend your real money on in-game items. You already spent $60 on this, why would you want to spend even more on things you can unlock by playing the game?
Other than that (fairly large) issue, Need for Speed ProStreet is a good game all around that I recommend. Like I said, it does take some getting used to, and it absolutely gets better when you are using your own customized cars, so the Xbox Live Marketplace demo isn’t really the best showcase of the game. Give it a rental to see if you dig it and decide on a purchase from there.
