Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet (NFS:PS) is the latest installment of Electronic Arts' (EA) popular racing game series Need for Speed after Need for Speed: Carbon. On May 21, 2007, EA published a teaser trailer of ProStreet, until it was officially announced on May 31, 2007.[1] Official release date for North America is set to October 31, 2007, release for other markets is in early November.[2]
Gameplay
Need for Speed: ProStreet will take the Need for Speed series in a new direction. Instead of an arcade style of gameplay which has dominated the series, ProStreet will focus much more on realism and move closer to racing simulation, but still with the option to use driving assistants to make driving much easier. Unlike its predecessors, all racing in ProStreet will take place on closed tracks, thus making it the first game in the series not animating illegal racing behaviour, hence there will not be any cops in the game. Performance tuning will take up a large part of gameplay in a way that even a small adjustment of the shape of a car's body will impact its performance. Autosculpt is back from Carbon, but with much greater detail. According to an EA employee, there will be thousands of aftermarket upgrades, visual and performance, from real performance brands.[1]
ProStreet will feature next-generation graphics aiming for a more photo-realistic feel, and more advanced physics. It will also be the first Need for Speed game to include damage modelling since 2002's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. The new damage system is said to be very accurate, a violent collision with any object in the game world may render a car useless.[1]
Naming history
The official title was leaked several months before the official announcement. Soft Club, the Russian distributor of the game, unveiled the name and release date of the game in February 2007.[3] EA has not until the official announcement on May 31, 2007, given any clue about the game's title. The Polish print magazine PLAY's recent publication of an article about the next Need for Speed, calling it Need for Speed: Pro Street, was correct in that matter.[4]
Features
Cars
There will be over 60 cars from around 26 manufactures included in ProStreet. Only 8 of these are supercars, making them relatively rare, as in real life. This a list of the currently officially confirmed cars.[5][6]
Characters
As usual with recent Need for Speed titles, ProStreet will feature some girls casting as characters in the game. This time, Krystal Forscutt, a former Big Brother Australia contestant, and Sayoko Ohashi will cast in the game.
Trailers
On May 21, 2007, EA released a teaser trailer of Need for Speed: ProStreet.[7] The trailer shows realistic damage modelling, two Mazda RX-7s, and daytime racing.
On May 31, 2007, EA released a second trailer which shows parts of a challenge, including the new damage technology.
On July 9, 2007, EA released a third and a fourth trailer showing more details of the cars and a developer's commentary.
On July 11, 2007, EA released the first gameplay movie, showing details of the tracks, outdoor environment and car physics. The movie also demonstrated more of the advanced AI and damage physics that will be featured in the game.
References
- ^ a b c "EA Shifts Gears with Need for Speed ProStreet". Electronic Arts. 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ^ "NEEDFORSPEED.COM". Electronic Arts. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ "Soft Club leaks about EA releases" (in Russian). AG. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "NFS 11: Pro Street?". NFS-Planet. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "Nissan GT-R PROTO Headlines Need for Speed ProStreet's Car List". Electronic Arts. 2007-07-06. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
- ^ "The Cars of Need for Speed ProStreet Part 1". IGN.com. 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2007-08-15.