Reviewed for: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Also available for: Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS
From: EA
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ (suggestive themes)
Sometime in the last year, “Need for Speed” decided to cut its hair, shave its face, buy a nice suit and start acting like an adult. The result is “Need for Speed ProStreet,” which takes a franchise known for cop chases and street culture and wedges it into a world of sanctioned, legit racing that’s scarcely more rebellious than a NASCAR event on network television.
The shock doesn’t end there. The open-world approach of recent games is gone, replaced by a pedestrian tree of racing events at different locales. And while past “NFS” games looked the other way where car damage was concerned, “ProStreet” makes you pay even for bending your fender. Repair costs will take a huge hit on your race winnings, and accrued damage carries over even if you restart a race you don’t finish. The era of ruthlessly bouncing off opposing racers and guardrails is long gone.
Why EA so drastically altered such a successful racing franchise isn’t exactly clear. “NFS” was the best of its breed, and the “ProStreet” effect transforms it into just another good track racer in a field already saturated with them. The speed of the game has slowed only a touch, but it’s a noticeable touch. The track designs have no choice but to be less interesting and diverse. And the limitations in track design lead to a reduction in event styles, which leads to an even higher concentration of the drag and drift events that bogged down past “NFS” games.
All that said, “ProStreet” never is bad. Makeover aside, many of the series’ hallmarks return. The mix of simulation and arcade physics is still there despite the reduced speed and newfound emphasis on safe driving, and “ProStreet’s” career mode still comes loaded with content despite the more straightforward structure.
You still can manage your garage and customize cars to an intimidating degree, and your creations still look sharp even when they’re cruising down some pretty bland track. Online play benefits from your creativity: In addition to the usual race modes, you can share vehicles, photos and customized race events with other players.
It’s enough to keep “NFS” fans mostly happy — at least until next year. With respect to “ProStreet’s” approach, it’s not built for the long haul. Unless EA refines it in a big way for next year’s edition, it’s best enjoyed as an experimental detour on the u-turn to rebellion.
Source: Tuscaloosa News