Video Game Review: Need for Speed Carbon

The Factory Previously known to the world as Electronic Arts, has struck again. The Need for Speed franchise never seems to get tired, seeing a benchmark so high that few arcade racers come close, much less threaten the games obvious superiority. With Need for Speed: Carbon (NFSC), EA brings to us a stew of the best of its predecessors, and then some.

The Story

The game starts off where NFS: Most Wanted Ended- your unceremonious return to your old city of Palmont. A flashback also ensues, informing you that you high- tailed it to Rockport in the first place because you ticked a bunch of people off plenty. You must redeem yourself in the eyes of your former peers, not to mention one highly cheesed-off ex-girlfriend(played by the hot but not Josie Marian Emanuelle Vaugier ) . You need to take over the territories of the other gangs in the city, bringing back the old sense of order that you left behind. If you can't figure out how, perhaps you should read a different review.

The story ( and I use the term very loosely) progresses in the mixture of full motion video and CG that Most Wanted brought to us. Unfortunately, while the acting was hilariously tacky, the acting in this one rivals the movie industry's prize turkeys.

Which Door?

When you start off, you get to choose from three car classes- The Muscles, Exotics, and the Tuners- each with its own advantages and quirks. The Muscles are insanely powerful and slide like oil on a banana skin, the Exotics are natural superstars, and the Tuners on embarrassing number of customizations. The Muscles are undoubtedly the most entertaining, you can handle any thing. Overall, though the cars handle pretty much the same way as Most Wanted- rock solid, but with sufficient variations to keep you entertained.

Mi Amigo!!

The first addition to NFSC is the crew - your wingmen, who will help you out in your races. You can choose only one per race- either a blocker, drafter, or scout. Blocker will(duh) block your opponents from threatening you , drafters will let you ride in their slipstream for a boost and scouts ride in front of you, making off the fastest way through the track. The addition is neat , but your wingman's constant chatter can get on your nerves, and strangely, he always manages to come ride next to you the second you take the lead.

Pretty Pretty?

NFSC's Palmot is a grey city, whose well lit night time environments really show off the lighting effects the game is capable of. For the looks, NFSC is unnecessarily resource-hungry. Cars look slightly better than Most Wanted, the road looks far worse; there was no justification for the fact that the only card that can run it at 1600 x 1200 and everything turned on without framing, is the 8800GT.

Another new feature is the over hyped Autosculpt, which takes the number of ways you can customize your car to obscene highs. Quite nice if you're into the sort of thing, but ultimately, it's just eyewash.

Brass Tacks

To win territories in the game, you have to race against the bosses in a three tiered event. The first is a basic Most Wanted style race on a city track followed by the Canyon Duel- the most refreshing part of the game. This is a two stage affair where you first follow your opponent along a winding canyon track, gaining points as you inch closer. In the next round, the positions are reversed and you lose more points if your opponents close. If your points come down to zero you lose. And yes, this is the first NFS since NFS2 where you can fall off a cliff(or canyon tracks in the case) and lose the game.

Drift races make a comeback again- another lemon of a decision. While handling does change dramatically, these cars are not built for drifting well-realistic games like Project Gotham racing or the insanely arcade-ish Ridge Racer are much suited for such activities.

The rest of the game is pretty straightforward, and if you've played Most Wanted recently, irritatingly repetitive- including the cop chases. There are some little things that are quite neat- traffic now responds to oncoming racers with nervousness, and it may even be possible that cabbies are the worst of the lot. Even in the Canyon Duels, your opponents start making mistakes if you stick to his/her bumpers for too long.

Bottom line

If you're just off Most Wanted high, wait for a few months before you go near this one - Most Wanted is a far superior game, and won't tax your graphics card as much. If you've never played a NFS title, Carbon will prove it's quite enjoyable.