Need for Speed Carbon: Review of a Game that Lacks Substance

''Need for Speed Carbon'' is the next edition to the vastly popular car racing series. Coming next in line to the impressive ''Need for Speed Most Wanted'', Carbon had to take it to the next level.

I myself have all the games including ''Most Wanted'' and Carbon'' and was disappointed when I finished Carbon. These are some of the reasons why;

- The graphics were terrible compared to ''Most Wanted'' and other recent games. However, the thing that really annoyed me was that you could only play at night time which made the game way to dark and dull. When I play games I want colour and brightness.

- The EA Trax (audio) is one of the most important features to the Need for Speed series and it was a real shock to me when I heard what was being played in the game. I do like the band Wolfmother and there rock music but I don't want to hear it when I'm driving around! Previous games in the series had more hip hop music which suits the game and the type of people who play these sorts of games.

- The game play is actually quite fun to start with but when you complete the same race over and over and again you begin to realise that it is really boring! In fact the only thing you can look forward to doing is the boss races, and there aren't many of them either. In the previous game their were police challenges and many bosses. I thought this was just not the case in Carbon and I was sadly disappointed.

However after saying all these bad points about the game their was a couple of things I did like, these are some;

- The variety in cars is huge and the cars are set into three groups. Muscle, Tuner and Exotic. Cars range from a Mazda to a Lamborghini and if your into a bit of American muscle then there are plenty of options.

- Customisation is one of the funnest parts in the Need for Speed series and in Carbon they took it to the next level. You still have the same options in body kits, spoilers, roof scoops etc. but now they've added a new feature. This feature allows you perfect ur part. For example if you bought a wheel/rim you can customise it by making the insides thicker or pushing it forward or backward. There are a whole lot of different ways in which you can change your car and in my opinion I found doing this the more exciting parts of the game.

I conclude by saying that ''Need for Speed Carbon" was a disappointment to see so many flaws in the gameplay and the graphics. However, I did like some aspects and would have to give it a 7 out of 10. I believe "Need for Speed Most Wanted" is still the one to beat.

Toby Welford