[PSP] Need For Speed: Pro Street – insanecrazy07

Need For Speed: Pro Street
Published by: Electronic Arts
Developed by: Black Box
Release Date: February 18, 2008
Genre: Racing

Author's Note: I decided to review this one to show that just because it is a popular series, doesn't make it a good game. In general, handheld racing games are never that good.

Need For Speed goes on the handheld again, but this time, not so well. The game is really just a generic racer with no free-roam or cops. This is mostly “Pro” with no “street.”

Difficulties:
There are three types of handicaps.
The easiest setting will automatically put you on the guided line and brake for you on turns if you don’t have the accelerator pushed in. The medium one does the same thing except to a lesser degree. The hardest setting has no handicaps and yields the highest rewards. This game isn’t too hard to not want to have the hardest setting on. Some races will not allow you to have the easiest setting on (Weekend Warrior).


The hardest setting is usually what I use, since I don’t like driving assists in general like traction control and stability management (even though they’re not really used here).

Leveling up:
After each new race is completed, you get driver points and if you reach enough driver points, you level up. Every time you level up, you get a driver bonus, usually +10 Acceleration. When you use the guided line (activate by pressing O) these bonuses are applied. Just like Nitrous, this guided line assist is limited and recharges after awhile.


The guided line works just like any other game that has used it. I don’t like the fact that they limit it though.

Handling:
This was one of the things that pissed me off in the game. Yeah muscle cars are only meant to go straight, but they seem to spin out more than anything. Tuners with a handling rating of 48 or more have too much handling and on the narrow tracks, it is very hard to stay on them since the slightest touch will slam them into a wall. Most of the sports cars can never turn even when the guided line is green.

Damage:
It’s about time we get a racing game that includes engine damage, tire wear, and aerodynamics. If you mess up your front end, you will sway left or right.


The one thing I don’t like is if they tap you just a little bit, the nearest tire is pretty much screwed and you have to restart.

AI:
Like all of the other Need For Speeds, the AI is always faster than you are, even if you have the superior car and have it fully upgraded. They make it almost impossible to win without a basic knowledge of drafting off of the other cars.

TR4Q: (Tiers are for queers!)
The cars are sorted into tiers, without telling you that they are. As soon as you reach the second tier of races, your old GT500, Lotus Elise, and whatever starting tuner car you picked, are no longer any good. You end up buying a Porsche Cayman to replace the Lotus, but it still isn’t any faster unless you fully upgrade it.

When you first start out, you will initially end up running with three different types of cars, Tuner, Muscle and Sport, but later you will have Supercar. Sport should be renamed Exotic because that’s what it mostly resembles.

Show me the money!
Money is scarce throughout because not only do you have to fully upgrade your cars, you also have to buy the next tier of cars to replace the lower ones. You’ll find yourself having to race a specific race over and over again just to get enough funds to buy and upgrade your cars. Never upgrade your cars unless you have enough money to get the highest upgrade. You waste money if you buy anything lower since you will have to buy the highest upgrade anyway. Did I mention that you can't sell your old cars?


The one thing I like about this game is the nice selection of popular cars.

Presentation: 6.5. Interface is pretty easy to figure out. Again, nothing new or special.

Graphics: 7.5. The cars look decent, but there are some problems when going fast, like too much blur.

Sound: 7.0. The soundtrack blows and the engines sound repetitive.

Gameplay: 7.5. The physics are okay. Sometimes the AI will pit you and then you get all pissed off and have to redo the race a few hundred times. Controls are a little limited since there is no manual transmission mode. The upgrade system is limited to just tier stages (Engine 1, Engine 2). At least you can skip all of the way to the last one.

Lasting Appeal: 5.0. This title has nothing special, pretty much just standard stuff. I wouldn’t want to play it again.

Total: 33.5/50.
Average: 6.7.
Overall: 6.0 (Not an average).
Rating: 3 stars. Fair.
IGN’s rating: 5.0.

Closing Comments: This Need For Speed is too watered down and takes out the basis of endless customization, which was the center point of the latest Need For Speeds.

 

Yeah, I played this back when it came out and was disappointed myself.
Only problem: 'Damage:
It’s about time we get a racing game that includes engine damage, tire wear, and aerodynamics. If you mess up your front end, you will sway left or right.' - lots of games incorporate this idea.

Good review, this month isn't over though.

 

I know lots of games incorporated that idea, but this is pretty much the first one on the handheld that has done so.

 

Nice review insane. Carbon is quite good. Quick though.

 

Good review.

 

This game was alright. Not the best Need for Speed game i've played. I liked how they finally made a game with damage but i liked it when it was on the streets better.
Good review. ;D

 

this games ok... not the best, but i got addicted to it some how, the only bad thing is that you cant really drift, and the cars, you can't custimize it like the covers, Rx-7, i thought that you can like put sick ass decals and stuff, but you can't, the cover sold the game, not the game itself.