Review: Need For Speed ProStreet (PS2)

There was a time when Need For Speed meant high-speed chases and thrills on the open highway. Nowadays its all changed with the series moving ever closer to the boy racing joys of street and drag racing, plus the ongoing tuning options. This confused identity has also infected the Burnout series, with both rushing headlong into a competitive genre with Juiced hot on their heels.

Need For Speed ProStreet puts you in the role of a young street racer who has decided to go legal and pursue glory by competing in various showdowns across the globe.   As with most releases you start at the bottom and have to work your way up by dominating local events and instigating some much needed cash revenue.   ProStreet is different in the regards that these events require specific types of cars for events such as drag and grip races.   Whereas a drag car is purely about acceleration and top speed in a straight line, grip is performed across a variety of circuits with various connotations placed on these races.   

Rather than ploughing all your vital resources into just one car, to really succeed you’ll need two top notch machines, with the added option of a third backup vehicle in case you total a car during an event.   Good performance throughout these minor events will open up the major showdowns with professional teams, where you can pick off the players one by one.  These major meetings are where the real rewards reside and provide plenty of booty to allow you to really upgrade your vehicle.  Work in the garage can be achieved through general tune-ups or more specific, detailed upgrades.  The latter lacks any depth seen in Forza 2, or for that matter the paint scheme mode but does allow you to customise the look and performance of your racer.

Despite the lack of what made Need For Speed so original in the first place, Gamestyle actually found itself enjoying proceedings.   Although your career is quite linear in terms of goalposts, what you do in-between is entirely up to you.  So you can return to earlier meetings to raise cash, improve records or settle a grudge.   A boisterous DJ, who seems to be your number one fan, frequents all these events.  Thankfully a varied soundtrack is offered and includes tunes from the likes of Bloc Party, CSS, Klaxons, Peaches and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The handling is firmly arcade, emphasising handbrake turns, burnouts and the ability to bounce off environments with little impact on your speed.  Having driven some of the cars on offer in Turn 10’s excellent simulation, the handling is bizarre and does not take much skill to adjust to new purchases.   ProStreet does however include damage, although this is not visible on the PlayStation 2 version it will cost you cash to repair your vehicle before the next event.   Visually the PS2 offering is a bit of a dog to be brutally honest.   Environments lack detail and the textures hark back to the Nintendo 64, plus the frame rate fails to install any sense of fear when hitting top speed.   The whole experience lacks the slick nature we’ve come to expect from Electronic Arts over the past decade.  Any attempt at decent presentation is hampered by the constant reliance on loading and saving, as you move through the locations and options.

A real issue with the PlayStation 2 version is the lack of an online option.   This forces you back to the main mode and highlights its bland presentation and visuals tenfold.   Much of ProStreet’s template is aimed towards being able to share information with other races by swapping your car blueprints, or learning from others.   Yet for PlayStation 2 owners that’s not going to be the case and it’s a real shame.   The decision to ignore the possibilities of the online features seen in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions is a poor one.   Especially as many of our reviews for this system and consequently from EA have included such an option.

Ultimately Need For Speed ProStreet is the people carrier of the video game world.  It tries to cover all the bases and provide street, simulation and racing experiences and consequently does not master any of these disciplines.    Gamestyle would hope that it returns to its roots and as what may be the last release in the series on the PlayStation 2, ProStreet is a disappointing send off.

Rating: 5 / 10

Words by Jason Julier