Need for Speed: ProStreet

6.5
Average

Gameplay	7.0	"Need for Speed hits the streets one again"
Graphics	7.5
Sound	7.0
Value	5.0

By Angus Deacon

The last two Need For Speed titles to grace our presence revolved around the underground street racing scene. Unfortunately those looking to illegally speed through city streets, avoid cops and do your best Vin Diesel impression will be disappointed in ProStreet.

This latest NFS title focuses on the legal racing career of Ryan Cooper over a series of different events all taking place on a standard race track. After a series of hammy cut-scenes with bad voice acting you find out that Ryan has been disrespected by a fellow racer. Funny bit is his name is Ryo. Yes, Ryan vs. Ryo. It sounds more like a Street Fighter pairing. Your mission is to knock Ryo off his pedestal by dominating the racing scene. Not an uppercut to the face unfortunately.

Sadly this amusing storyline is probably the most entertaining aspect of the game. To complete the single-player storyline you must compete in over a hundred racing events and either win or get a best time to proceed. Although the game comes with a variety of events, including Drag, Drift and Grip Racing, all of the tracks are similar in feel with different bends or corners to deal with. ProStreet does comes with a great variety of vehicles to try out though. The problem is that it takes dozens of races with low-end vehicles in order to unlock any of the super cars like the Lamborghini or Zonda. Luckily some of the pedestrian cars you get stuck with at the start are still pretty fun to drive, albeit a tad slow.

One of my biggest gripes with racing games is the sheer repetitiveness of the gameplay. Especially for racing games that take place on a preset rigid course. There are no shortcuts or sneaky little alleyways to duck down so basically it is a matter of line when taking corners that will decide the outcome. Real gear-heads will appreciate this but I’ve always considered the NFS series to be more of an arcade title. In the previous game, Most Wanted, attitude and daring meant just as much as precise gear-shifts and brake control. ProStreet has more of a Gran Turismo feel to it this time around, but without the defined controls.

In does make up for this in the customising parts of the game though. The scope of car mods is brilliant and upgrading visual parts of your car even create aerodynamic improvements. Internal upgrades will obviously boost your performance and include nitro boost, shock spring types and pretty much the ability to tweak every aspect of your car. The developers have even improved the AutoSculpt feature that was introduced in last year's Need for Speed Carbon. Any alterations with it now actually affect performance entirely. Changing the angle of certain parts (like a spoiler) will increase or decrease drag, which then has a direct impact on your acceleration, top speed and handling.

Graphically the game is very decent to watch. The car models on the 360 and PS3 are quite stunning to look at as they pull out onto the starting block. But in my opinion they look much better after you have totaled it thanks to a highly detailed damage effects in each vehicle. Taking a corner with too much enthusiasm will leave your bumper hanging on by a thread and possibly shattered windows. With the way I was driving I soon had half my paint job smeared on every wall in the track. Problem is though it will cost you to repair your car which is a bit of a killjoy.

Speaking of money, it seems that EA has figured out a way to maximize their profit margins. ProStreet comes packed with obtrusive advertising all throughout both single and multiplayer gameplay. Basically every bit of track is lined with motor oil or brake pad banners. There are even dynamic ads that will be downloaded if you have Xbox Live. However, the most concerning money-making aspect of ProStreet is the ability to use actual cash to unlock cars. For around $25 (US) you can purchase and unlock every car and upgrade in the game over in the States. Every single time you go to buy a car, you're asked if you want to use in-game cash or Microsoft points. The main problem is that you can purchase cars with Microsoft points that you haven’t even unlocked yet. So save up enough points and purchase an uber-fast car early on so you can blitz your opponents. Some might say you’re cheating but when you’re paying to do it – who really loses out?

The in-game menus and preload screens are quite innovative. Prior to racing you and your rivals are in a show room-like environment with hot female models walking around and punters checking out your ride. Visually it looks flash but trying to select races and modes can be tricky until you figure your way around them. The constant bickering for Xbox Live is a tad annoying but at least there are plenty of good multiplayer modes to try out. The end result is that car enthusiasts will enjoy the customisation options and traditional driving methods but other fans of the series will be frustrated at the missing action from previous games. It’s a new direction for Need for Speed, but I’m hoping this is just a passing phase for the well seasoned franchise.

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