Need For Speed ProStreet

Ashfaq · #1 (**permalink**) 10-27-2007, 03:46 AM

Electronic Arts made the big announcement just months ago and Need For Speed ProStreet is already shaping up into one of the best, if not THE best racing game ever developed. We've watched the game's evolution right from the first released developer's diary and ever since then, EA had promised to deliver la crème de la crème as far as the racing genre goes. Trying out the demo the giant publisher and developer has made available for the Xbox 360, we were able to fully understand what they meant by competing "at the highest level of street racing". Indeed, the latest installment in the NFS series lives up to its name and what we've seen so far, confirms it.

This time around, the company responsible for the most popular racing game franchise on the market decided to add a touch of simulation to NFS ProStreet. We're talking about what EA has revealed about the full product, just so everyone can make a better picture of why some things now are more difficult to do than in other NFS installments. Players will not only have to customize their cars for looks, but also for great performance on track. For example, using the wind-tunnel, gamers will be able to check out drag and downforce efficiency, while the slightest modification done well to the car's body will have a direct impact on its aerodynamics, which will eventually shave off seconds during a race. But let's get back to what we've been able to experience hands on so far.

EA is Giving us a Mere Taste of What's to Come
There are just two game modes available to take on with the NFS ProStreet demo, one of which is Nitrocide. Here, gamers need to do whatever it takes to reach their car's top speed while passing checkpoints and of course avoiding getting totaled. The player with the highest recorded speed at the end of the race wins. Easy, right? Wrong! And you'll soon understand why. The second game mode available within the demo is React: Team Seesions. There's some interesting racing to be done here as well, as gamers learn how to drive skillfully by attacking corners and slopes at just the right moment, running along the optimum traveling line to achieve perfection. But just as with the first game mode, we'll be discussing more aspects about React: Team Sessions later on.

The Fast and the Legal

The atmosphere before the beginning of each race is absolutely frenetic. The music, to which the crowd cheers and the girls move their luscious bodies, almost forces you to press the A button immediately, so you can take on your opponents as fast as you can. But wait, why do that when the announcer has something very important to share with the audience? That's right: racing is now legal! But that doesn't mean that you won't be meeting with the cops in the full game. After all, there are rules to be followed even when racing in video games.

'Nitrocide' and 'React: Team Seesions'
Just two game modes, but more than enough to make an impression. Of course, not letting players change as little as the car's paint job, or even choose a different car is somewhat of a disappointment, but we're surely grateful that they rolled out the demo the way it is. So, care to know why Nitrocide is not that easy to beat?

First of all, before starting a race (whether it's Nitrocide or React: Team Seesions, it makes no difference), you can select the level of driver aids to match your playing style and of course, experience with racing games. Take them as difficulty levels if you will. First, you have the option to choose 'Casual' style, which manages your braking and assists to the best racing line. The second level is 'Racer.' Racer helps you brake in difficult corners, so if you're the type of racer that likes stepping on and coming off the brakes and gas a lot, this is you. Then there's 'King.' Now King is a different matter altogether, even though non-experienced gamers will feel little difference, as this option lets you feel the raw power of the car, not assisting you much, but instead allowing you to test your might against the track, using a more realistic control system.

Here's what the two game modes are all about:

Nitrocide - (The winner will have the highest combined speed recorded at the track's checkpoints; Car is a BMW M3 @ 512 bhp): The NOS boost is somewhat sudden, but once it's activated, the feeling of speed is like no other. Truly, the game lives up to its name from this point of view alone. The camera zooms out immediately when pressing the NOS button, letting you know that the command was successful, also enabling you to see the track from farther away as you'll need to start moving the analog stick long before entering a corner at such high speeds. But there's a side effect too. By pressing B for the big boost, the car becomes a speeding rocket which can't be stopped in under 4 seconds; so when you decide to use the NOS, do it wisely and only when you have a straight line ahead.

Another minus is that it can become frustrating when your performance is perfect up to the point where you touch the dirt with one of the rear tyres. While steering hard to get back on the tarmac, if there's even the smallest bump in the road, control over the car becomes virtually impossible until it stops hopping, so there's a great chance that your car will flip upside down and get totaled. It's spectacular, we can't argue with that, but losing a good progress so easy is going to annoy a lot of gamers and especially true fans of the series who can't wait to take the racing online.

React: Team Seesions - (The first car to complete two laps wins; Car is a 2009 Nissan GT-R): You'll notice a green line appearing along the track and mostly at corners, showing you the optimum solution for each and every one of them – something that every Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo fan should be very familiar with. The respective line also lets you know when to hit the gas and brakes, by becoming either green or red (you can guess for yourself when it's time to hit the gas and when you need to apply the brakes).

'Compete at the Highest Level of Street Racing'
Overall, the demo offers too little to make a solid impression of what NFS ProStreet can really do and since there's no taking it online, we can only hope it delivers even more top-notch gameplay. However, ProStreet's damage system is something that cannot be described in simple words and so we're going to detail this aspect within the full game's review. Also, gamers will surely notice the gorgeous smoke effects as they spin their wheels waiting for the green light. Thus, since we've run out of metaphors and epithets to describe NFS ProStreet's visual and gameplay qualities, all that remains for you to do is download the demo via Xbox Live Marketplace and experience everything we've shared with you today, hands-on.

The full version of NFS ProStreet launches November 14.