Need for Speed: ProStreet

Need for Speed: ProStreet from 2007 marked a significant change of direction for the series. Instead of the illegal street racing that defined the previous Underground and Most Wanted entries, the game moved the action to legal closed circuits, where the player competes in four disciplines – circuit Grip races, drag racing, drifting, and the Speed Challenge autocross. The career mode gradually leads through all types of competitions, the player builds a reputation among the various racing "crews" and invests earned money into car modifications through the Autosculpt system, which allowed visually shaping the body and bumpers according to one's own vision. For the first time in the series, vehicle damage was also realistically modeled – bent sheet metal and disrupted aerodynamics after a crash noticeably changed the car's handling on the track, and in extreme cases, a vehicle could end up totally wrecked after a serious accident. The career was accompanied by its own music selection via EA Trax and online multiplayer, in which players competed in the same disciplines as in singleplayer and compared their times and results with each other.

The PlayStation 3 version was released alongside the other platforms and offered the same content – identical tracks, cars, and career progression, including the Autosculpt body customization system. Controls were handled with the standard DualShock 3 gamepad, and the game also supported select racing wheels, though to a lesser extent than the PC version. It was one of two console lead versions alongside Xbox 360, which together with PC carried the main weight of development – so compared to them, no content is missing or added.

Players of the PlayStation version didn't get to enjoy any exclusive tracks, cars, or game modes, nor did they miss out on anything compared to other platforms – the differences between versions were purely technical and control-related, not content-based. Multiplayer races and online leaderboards worked on PS3 the same way as on competing platforms, and the Autosculpt system as well as body damage functioned identically to the PC or Xbox 360.

Why play: With no exclusive content and no drawbacks compared to other platforms, the choice comes down to which console you happen to own - the gameplay and online leaderboards are the same everywhere.