well i havent played burnout sense the 2nd or 3rd game idr which xD and i havent played need for speed sense that underground needforspeed on psp but i remember enjoying burnout more
Not really. Burnout is way better cause you get seriously trash hot cars. And then NfS: Hot Pursuit is made by the Burnout people so Burnout is better.
I would say that the Need for Speed series are better, it has lasted longer and there's always a great story behind most of their games, for example NFS: Most Wanted.
And it's not only street racing, there are also racing sims (kind of) like Shift and Pro Street. Like kacboy mentioned they're all made by EA but the newest game (so far cause Shift 2 is on the way) is made by Critereon.
this is a hard one because there both really good series..... I would say need 4 speed because they go fun driving maps and you can do a lot more with your car then in burnout games!!!