Need for Speed ProStreet

"Attempts to bring a new approach, but..."

Need for Speed: ProStreet brings something new to the series, but in doing so, cuts out certain desirable features from recent generations. In this particular Need for Speed, you play as Ryan Cooper, former street racer trying to go legal. The story isn't particularly creative, and follows the same path as previous games. You manage to upset the "king" during your first five minutes of playing, and from that point on, you continue racing until you overthrow him.

The problem with going legal is that police chases are no longer a part of the game, a feature that added a lot of replay value when present. Upon completing this game, there's not much to do except relive old races and continue customizing your garage. In ProStreet, the customizing is tremendously limited with only a handful of body kits, spoilers, hood scoops, etc. AutoSculpt, a feature that lets you change certain aspects such as size, width, and angle, of certain parts is back, but because of the lack of selections when it comes to customizing, you don't really get a truly personal feel for these cars like you did from the previous games. Freeroam is also out of the game, as all races happen at events and promotions now.

Turning in this game is controlled by tilting left and right with the Wiimote, with the default setting of assisted braking on. While the controls can be fun at times, it can also be annoying at other times. One problem with motion control is that it doesn't always pick up motions, and I've found that this problem is more obvious in drift races. You cannot customize button configurations, and you cannot opt for an experience without motion control, which is something I would've preferred more as it gives you more control over a vehicle.

Graphics are fairly good for the Wii, but the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are obviously much better. The Wii version gets limited scratches and cracking windows during accidents, whereas the other two versions are much more detailed. The Wii version is also missing quite a bit of cars in comparison, and online capabilities is also lacking. If given the choice between all three systems, the Wii would not be in for consideration.

Overall, a decent experience, but I believe EA should have stayed with the previous formula and improved on what was already good. Why break what isn't broken, right?

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/25/07

Game Release: Need for Speed ProStreet (US, 11/13/07)