As far as modes go, ProStreet’s got enough to keep you busy for a while. Outside of the self-explanatory Career mode, you can access Speed and Grip Mode via the Quickplay option for even more events. There are the standard gate challenges, time trials, as well as knockout eliminator events. New to the PSP is Speed Trap, where victory is based on a sum total of your miles-per taken at various beacons, and it’s a novel way to familiarize yourself with the track.

Drag and Drift are missed, but add in the included multiplayer, via ad-hoc or EA Nation’s Infrastructure, and you’ve got a recipe for longevity. (Although, we have a feeling you only need to hold out a year.) Bear in mind that not all modes are available during Wi-Fi play.

Whatever took it so long to pull into the PSP’s garage seems to have worked. As with just about anything on Sony’s portable, everything works better with the D-pad. But analog steering is still here if you want it, and the shoulder buttons function adeptly as your nitrous and handbrake.

The last thing we wanted the series to do was end up a pretty car collection simulator, so we applaud ProSteet’s minimalist approach to racing. Stripped of its excess baggage, the game’s cruising along steadily once again. Cutting straight to the chase, instead of driving aimlessly in search of an event miles away, was good for consoles, and it’s all the better here on the PSP.

Feb 21, 2008