Need for Speed is back with its third addition to the Xbox 360. Need for Speed Pro Street changes the face on the series by taking out everything that made Need for Speed different from every other racing game out there.

The game starts off with cinematic frames of a race and leaves you with no real sense of what’s going on or how you got there. You have been place “in the middle of the story.” All you know is your name is Ryan Cooper, street racer whose mission is to take first place in all racing modes: drift, grip, drag, and speed. Throughout the game you will have to complete many races in order to become the next “street king.” The story line is totally different from the last two in the series. There are no more realistic cinematic scenes and no more open areas to explore. This was the whole reason I got addicted to Need for Speed in the first place.

In the newest installment to the series, you will race through a career that is simply made up of different tracks from across the world. This is a cool concept for a simulated racing game, but not for Need for Speed. The racing itself is still just as fun as the last installments; you still have tanks of Nitrous at your disposal, a motley of cars to choose, and customization that allows you to add decals and accessories to your new wip. The key to this game is learning to drift. To pull off a perfect drift, you must time your turn precisely and release the gas. This will send your car into a slide that will allow you to turn at a higher rate of speed. This is crucial when racing against tougher opponents. The graphics for the game aren’t anything special: the overall picture looks a little choppy and the backgrounds are filled with logos and balloons that just make this game look like an amusement park.

Another thing that really disappointed me was the fact they took the police chases out of the game. It worked so well in the last games, why take it out? Although there are some unlikeable parts to this game, there are also some positive aspects as well. The three best parts to this game are multiplayer mode, top speed runs, and vehicle customization. You can take your car to a garage and add upgradeable parts to your vehicle or manipulate its structure to your liking. In the garage, you can also add decals and other accessories as well. Creating vehicle blue prints and sharing them with other players on Xbox live is another great aspect of this installment; leader boards also track shared blueprints and unlock additional achievements.

Top speed runs are similar to the check point races from previous games in the series. This new run is based on a point system: the racer with the fastest time across each check point is awarded the remaining points, meaning whoever has the most points wins, even if they aren’t the first across the finish line. These races are a lot of fun because the tracks were specifically made for reaching high speeds; however, don’t get cocky when traveling at high speeds, because you can total your vehicle really easy. Multiplayer mode is probably the best part about the game. Communicating with other player is now a lot easier than other online racing games. There are also various tracks and racing types to choose from. The online game play flows very well and makes playing the game and unlocking new vehicles worth while.

Compared to the other Need for Speeds in the series Pro Street does a bad job of keeping you coming back for more. This game is a definite rental, not a keeper.

Need For Speed Pro Street for the Xbox 360 get a D+

Jeremy Hohman is the writer, producer and host of GameBytes a 30 minute weekly game news and review show. To see Jeremy’s latest pod cast or to rent & play the game reviewed simply go to; http://www.gnfgames.com