When I think of the "Need for Speed" series, a couple of things come to mind: customization, fun tracks and cops.

The newest, "Need for Speed: ProStreet," fails on two of those counts.

"ProStreet" really doesn't even feel like a "Need for Speed" game -- it takes the cars off the streets and into legal, closed courses. The little bit of story involves your character, some guy named Ryan Cooper, trying to make his way to the top of the rankings. It really doesn't matter what the story is, though; it's weak and uninteresting.

Back to the racing. It takes place on closed courses out in the middle of the desert. There's not much to look at, and certainly no buildings, traffic or anything of interest. Basically it's just the road and some walls -- and lots of annoying in-game advertising.

In addition to the boring tracks, the absence of police is a huge step down. Thinking back over my favorites in the "Need for Speed" series, all involved running from the police. That thrill is now gone, and it's not replaced by anything exciting enough to make it forgivable.

There's also the issue of the announcer at each of the racetracks. He's a key part of the game's presentation, yet he annoyed me so much that I quickly went into options and muted him.

The racing itself isn't bad, but it feels much slower than in past games, and when you're not going to get any excitement from your environment, there better be a sense of speed.

The game centers around Race Days, which are sets of races in which you win money. They can consist of regular races, time trials, drift challenges and drag racing.

Even drag racing, which I usually like, feels stripped bare of anything fun, though at least it's quick. There's no swerving around traffic this time, and each drag attempt is preceded by a tedious tire-heating minigame.

After each race, you must pay for any damage to your car. The damage is actually a highlight, as the cars crunch up impressively during races.

There are some other interesting ideas, involving the online component. The autosculpt car customization is as solid and deep as it has been in the series, and the cars themselves look pretty nice. A new feature called blueprints allows you to upload your plans for customization and tuning to a server and share it with whoever wants it.

"ProStreet" isn't a bad game; its core gameplay is still decent. It just lacks the personality that resonated from previous open-world and city-streets versions.

It's good that EA is willing to try new things, but nothing in "ProStreet" gives me the drive to keep playing. Personally, racing fans are better off sticking with "Need for Speed: Most Wanted."