Need For Speed ProStreet Review (6.7/10)

March 16th, 2008 at 8:49 am

EA has been releasing new titles in 2008 and the newest one in the NFS series is named Need For Speed ProStreet. It is the latest, but does it have the potential to be the greatest, we will see in this review.

The Pledge

First of all, NFSPS bring vehicle damage once more and one can say that this is a divergence from the roots of the NFS Series. NFS series has been more like arcade games in which you had the speed, the graphics and some story in the latest installments (underground and carbon). We had vehicle damage before in NFS games, the one I like was NFS4 and it has been a great challenge to play that game. When you introduce damage physics into a racing game the game almost immediately becomes harder and to some of you this may sound strange but the realism of the game drops drastically. The reason behind this is simple. If damage physics is simple, you lose realism. If it gets complex and more real then the game becomes so hard that it is almost impossible to play. What EA has done in case of NFSPS is that they have introduced a driver assisting mechanism called “Driver Persona” which is actually levels of difficulty and driving aids. This way unexperienced players can find their way in the tracks without causing much damage while seasoned players can get the full driving experience. However I should say that damage physics is also pretty simple where you get damage to your tires and engine only which affects the handling and the performance of the car. Well, enough motivation for me to keep in the track, but not that realistic and difficult to enjoy.

NFSPS is a track racing game. You can’t race in streets (well you can, but they are tracks, like Monaco in Formula 1 calendar), you have no traffic and no free roam. For some this is better, for others it is not. For me? It doesn’t matter as long as the races are exciting.

Besides “Driver Persona” there is a second concept new in this game which is called “Driver Intuition”. It actually is a way to exploit the experience you earned during the game. When you activate “Driver Intuition”, race line appears in a nice 3D visualization and when the car is in this region you get some acceleration bonus.

There are lots of cars in NFSPS. These cars are classified into 4 groups: Tuner, Sports, Muscle and Super. Each class handles, accelerates and brakes different so there are clear distinctions between them. The events in the game also have different types from regular races of several laps to speed traps and lap knockouts. These events may be restricted to difficulty level, car class or even specific models. Some races have bonus cars if you win them and every race you win help unlock other races. This way you can run on different tracks to unlock other tracks, win bonus cars etc. You can also modify your car to improve its performance or handling characteristics by purchasing upgrades. This adds some diversion from the linearity of an old school racing game.

The Turn

So what is the deal with all these cars and tracks and intuition and personas in this newest title of NFS series. Lets see:

Mechanics (7.0/10)

Controls 6/10

For a standard racing game controls are a bit difficult although you can both use the direction keys and the analog stick on the PSP. Direction keys resemble playing from the keyboard on a PC while analog stick is not that sensitive and presents much less control then directional keys which I have preferred using.

Complexity 8/10

The game is pretty simple to understand and the level of AI for opponents are well balanced. They even push your car and flip you into the wrong direction. However, when you get your hands on the Zonda and start enjoying the super cars, the game transforms into a series of runs through the turns very much like the “Zone” in Wipeout. I must confess that I enjoy driving the Elise much more than Zonda.
Entertainment 7/10

The game is duller when compared to previous NFS titles as this is a track racing game with no story, actually there is a story where you try to win all the races… Which is dull, very dull indeed. However the damage physics brings in some value, and riding in tracks with no enemies and cops and choppers seems… relaxing

Artistics (6.5/10)

Graphics 7/10

Graphics are OK for a racing title on the PSP. They are neither revolutionary nor impressive, but not boring either. No bonus here, and no penalty.

Sound Effects 7/10

Same goes for the sound effects as you only hear engines and tires and crash sounds. Nothing to see here, or hear here, or see hear.

Music 5/10

EA chose a series of tracks for this game, which do not add any personality to this game. Some points are lost.

Atmosphere 7/10

Once again, this is a track racing game. Don’t expect any story, personal clashes, nice girls or exotic drivers. Only thing in this game is cars and races. However the track introductions are a nice touch, may help you have some motivation to play the game.

The Prestige

OK guys, here is the verdict. Need for Speed ProStreet earned a 6.7 (So so…) on our grand scale. The game was strongly anticipated even on the PSP, however I can still say that there is not yet a single decent racing game on the PSP market today. The game is fine, but becomes boring after some time with no auxiliary challenges, no solid opponents to beat and average visuals. This is actually a racing simulation rather than an arcade game success NFS enterprise has been enjoying. Will this present a diversion or even a fork of the series and converge to the Gran Turismo line, we will see that in a few releases.

Posted by Alpay

 

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