Diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the right lung on my 58th birthday (14th July) So not really ...
Diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the right lung on my 58th birthday (14th July) So not really in the humour for writing much at the moment, although I *WILL* be back before too long...Ken
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I've been a huge fan of EA Games "Need For Speed" car racing games ever since they first hit the market back in around 2002. I already have three games in the series, the most recent being "Need For Speed Carbon" which I purchased as a Christmas present for my daughter (heh, heh) back in 2006. So I awaited with some anticipation the latest offering that was released in October of this year, "Need For Speed Pro Street", as it would make another nice wee stocking filler for my daughter's Christmas this year. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)
Unfortunately, this new game simply isn't a patch on its predecessors. All the usual races that we grew to love (and sometimes hate) in previous games are present in Pro Street. You've got standard speed races with another seven cars as your opposition, where your aim is simply to get across the finish line first. A variation on this theme is where you try to get the best time you can through various stages, or to be the fastest car in your class of vehicle. You have the drift races, where you get points for the severity and duration of your
skids. This race has actually been improved somewhat, as in the older games you would lose all your points if you went off the track. In Pro Street you hang onto them. One feature I don't like is that the number of drag races seems to have been increased, which is fine if you like them and are good at them. Unfortunately I don't like them and am totally useless, invariably having to ask my teenage daughter to complete the drag race for me so that I can progress in the overall game!
As in the previous games there is a storyline. (Of sorts) But it isn't nearly as good or as interesting as has been the case in previous games. For a start, the voiceovers are abysmal, and the storyline seems to have been simply tacked on as an afterthought. Something about Ryan Cooper (your character) having been disrespected by another street racer, and wanting revenge. (Big deal!)
So why do I think it isn't as good as previous games in the series? For starters, your character has now "gone legal", and is no longer dashing around city streets looking for other racers to challenge, and having to avoid the cops like the plague at every twist and turn. No cops in this game, which was a feature about Need For Speed Carbon that I absolutely loved. (Nothing beats running from the cops at an incredible rate of knots, and ramming their police cars!) Most of the action now takes place on a race track, and even though there are quite a variety of different races, they all seem to be simply the same track with a few more twists and turns added on. After a while this tends to become boring. In older versions of NFS you could also take advantage of plenty of shortcuts to make up time in a race if you were falling behind, or to stretch your lead. These shortcuts have now gone since the action is taking place on a designated track, which is a pity.
Another pain in the posterior is the requirement to "warm up" your tyres all the time before you race. Now I know that real race car drivers have to do this, and EA Games may have thought they were adding a touch of realism to the game, but the truth is it's simply boring and a total chore, when all you want to do is get out there and take on the opposition.
The progression through the different stages of the game is very slow, as each individual race day consists of too many events, which you have to win an incredible number of points in order to get onto the next level. The cars you get to choose from in the early levels are all rather staid and pedestrian. Granted, as you get further into the game the action heats up a little with supercars like Lamborghinis and Zondas, but it simply takes too long for you to get there! I'm ashamed to say that fairly early on in the game I resorted to the web to discover some cheats that would allow to me progress more quickly, and to unlock some faster cars, something I never felt the need to do in previous versions like Carbon.
All the other features of the previous games are there like the ability to customize your car both with graphics and non-standard engine parts to improve its appearance and performance, but no real effort has been made to improve on this feature, other than adding a rather daft "wind tunnel". It looks fantastic, but actually does very little to help you streamline the aerodynamics of your race car. The songs that are played throughout the game aren't really that exciting either and are repeated so many times that after a while they begin to grate on your nerves.
One feature that really annoys me is the amount of advertising space EA games have felt the need to sell. Every available stretch of track, every crash barrier and banner, seems to carry an advertisement for either motor oil, car insurance, or some other sort of product. As if they didn't make enough money from the price of the game which wasn't cheap at 49.99 Euros in my local video shop. (XtraVison) It's a wee bit cheaper at the likes of Amazon, where it's currently available at £29.98 Sterling. You'd most likely get it cheaper still at eBay.
Summing up, I'd have to say that overall I'm more than a little disappointed with this game. EA Games have strayed too far from the tried and tested formula that made NFS such a great game, and without the street racing Pro Street is really little more than a distinctly average racing game.
Advantages: An amazing machine, expandable, some great features Disadvantages: Expensive (but for a reason), almost internet reliant, no browser security
ayanayuk 14.02.2008 (18.02.2008)
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