ProStreet Preview. Racing
One of the things we weren't shown in previous sessions is the multiplayer; however, the game's development is already complete and it will hit store shelves in 2 weeks, so the developers gave us the opportunity to try out the multiplayer for ourselves. It highlights 2 main modes: online and offline race days.
If you played the demo, you may have gotten an idea of the game's gameplay. I played on the highest difficulty level — "king" — and drove several cars from 200 to 1000 hp. The car's power (as well as its handling) makes a significant difference in the car's behavior — a slower car will force you to make more mistakes before the car is completely wrecked. Also, the tracks have become much more challenging than in previous installments. They are more like the tracks from Need for Speed Underground, where each track had spots where you had to be really careful. For example, if you enter a corner at too high a speed, you can fly off the track. The tracks are no longer so simple; now you have to stay on edge throughout the entire race, especially if you're driving a fast car. And that is definitely a plus!
Grip, as you already know from the demo, is more or less the familiar lapped racing with some innovations, like sector shootout — a lapped race in which you have to set a record on specific sections of the track. The mode is interesting because some sections may consist only of fast straights, while others include lots of slow corners. All of this means you'll have to find compromises between top speed and acceleration, and dominating absolutely every section is a rather difficult task. But to win the race you don't need an absolute victory. Lapped racing has changed significantly compared to previous games in the series. The strategy of "pedal to the metal! No brakes!" will send you off the track and wreck your car in the very first race. You'll have to find the best line, brake before entering a corner and accelerate smoothly on the way out. Naturally, this is the highest difficulty level. On lower levels the old strategy still works, since the assists will brake a bit before entering a corner. The sense of speed will increase with the level of the car, so the first races might seem slow.
Drag — a mode that in the future may become a favorite pastime in multiplayer. It's easy to understand, it's based solely on timely gear shifting. But despite its apparent simplicity, it will take considerable effort to perfect the technique. First, unlike previous NFS games, you now have to shift between neutral and first gear at the start, and sometimes it's even unclear when to do it. Second, the cars no longer run on rails but are driven just like in the other modes. Because of this, you may have problems with powerful rear-wheel-drive dragsters that get pulled to the side, and then you'll have to ease off the acceleration or even brake. But that doesn't mean all cars will flip over and wheelie. Yes, wheelies in ProStreet are quite a common thing! In drag you get 3 attempts — the best one counts.
Speed challenge is perhaps the most spectacular mode in the game thanks to the high speeds and the crashes caused by both you and your opponents. And you'll all take a direct part in those crashes. There are 2 types of speed challenge: the checkpoint run at maximum speed shown in the demo, and a timed run — whoever arrives first wins. Both modes are fast, thrilling and demand instant reactions, but there's a huge difference between them. In the first mode the handling is very stiff, whereas in the second, on the contrary, it's very sharp — turn the wheel a bit too much and you'll instantly fly into the nearest pole or tree. Here I should say that the speed challenge shown in the demo feels much more realistic than the other, more arcadey one, which, in my opinion, doesn't quite fit this game.
Drift, in turn, will require a lot of practice and, naturally, it too has undergone significant changes compared to previous games in the series. This year, in drift as in drag, there will be 3 attempts, and the best one counts. The physics in drift are similar to the other modes, except for the variant with them disabled. Now there will be no bonus zones; what counts is the length and speed of the drift. If you're an unprepared racer, drift will be difficult for you; in the game it's a bit easier, since it won't stop after hitting a wall. Sometimes it's even possible to score points by drifting along a wall. On tracks where there are no walls, you can fly off the track and even wreck your car. That happened when, flying off the track onto a hillock, I crashed into a safety barrier. But when you complete a long, high-speed slide you feel deep satisfaction.
In the end, racing in ProStreet has risen to a new level; even the usually boring lapped races have become interesting, not to mention drag, drift and, naturally, speed challenge.