| After rebooting the franchise with Need | | | | you slipstream behind them, giving you |
| for Speed Underground, EA has continued | | | | some extra speed from the reduced drag, |
| to produce some solid street racers | | | | and from there you can pull aside and |
| under the Need for Speed banner. Last | | | | slingshot your way past them. Scouts |
| year's Need for Speed Most Wanted, which | | | | have a knack for finding the many |
| featured hilariously over-the-top | | | | alternate routes and shortcuts that can |
| live-action cutscenes and seriously | | | | be found in most races, and they have |
| tense police pursuits, proved to be a | | | | short neon tracers that follow them, |
| high watermark for the franchise. Now | | | | making it easier for you to take |
| it's being followed up by Need for Speed | | | | advantage. You'll definitely find |
| Carbon, which downplays the role of the | | | | yourself in races where your wingman's |
| police chases, introduces some simple | | | | influence is the difference between |
| team-racing mechanics, and occasionally | | | | winning and losing. But often, your |
| takes the action off the city streets | | | | wingman's presence is either unnecessary |
| and into the outlying canyons. The new | | | | or an actual hindrance. Blockers are |
| gameplay doesn't always improve the | | | | only really effective in taking out |
| experience, but the racing can still be | | | | competitors that are behind you, and |
| quite intense and still has a pronounced | | | | even then, they're not very reliable. |
| sense of style. | | | | Drafters work as advertised, but the |
| Carbon continues the story where Most | | | | lengthy straightaway needed to set up a |
| Wanted left off. For those just tuning | | | | proper draft is rare in Palmont City, |
| in, Most Wanted ended with you | | | | which limits their usefulness. Scouts |
| recovering your stolen car and bailing | | | | are the least useful of the three |
| out of the city of Rockport while the | | | | because the neon tracers don't seem to |
| overzealous, anti-street-racing Sgt. | | | | get longer as the cars you drive go |
| Cross continued his pursuit. At the | | | | faster, so eventually, there's just not |
| start of Carbon, you're making your way | | | | enough time for you to anticipate an |
| to Palmont City when Cross, now a bounty | | | | alternate route. If you didn't call on |
| hunter, catches up with you and totals | | | | your wingman, you might expect him or |
| your car during the chase. Before he can | | | | her to just hang back. But we found |
| collect his bounty on you, though, your | | | | ourselves getting bumped into and boxed |
| old friend Darius steps in and pays off | | | | in by our wingman on several occasions. |
| Cross. You are then put to work, taking | | | | It's not ruinous to the experience, but |
| over the turf of the other rival | | | | sometimes it makes you wish they would |
| street-racing crews in Palmont City. It | | | | just go away. |
| seems that you've got a history in this | | | | Canyon duels are challenging, but their |
| town that predates the events in Most | | | | repetitious structure can sometimes make |
| Wanted. And during the course of the | | | | them wearying. |
| game, you'll learn more about that | | | | The game relies on some pretty |
| fateful night you skipped town. | | | | tried-and-true types of races, but it |
| Different characters will give their | | | | also throws some curves. You'll find |
| takes on the night you supposedly ran | | | | plenty of common stuff, such as |
| off with a big red duffle bag full of | | | | lap-based circuit races, point-to-point |
| cash. And by the end of the game, you'll | | | | sprints, and checkpoint races. But there |
| not only find out what really happened, | | | | are also some unique races, such as the |
| but you'll have taken over all of the | | | | speed-trap race, where your standing is |
| street-racing territory in Palmont City. | | | | determined by your cumulative MPH as you |
| | | | race through a series of speed traps. |
| Outside of the actual gameplay, one of | | | | Most races take place on the city |
| the more endearing aspects of Most | | | | streets of Palmont, but there are also |
| Wanted was the way it used live actors | | | | drift events, which can take place |
| in CG environments for its story | | | | either on a closed racecourse or on the |
| sequences. These sequences invariably | | | | winding canyon roads that surround the |
| featured plenty of actor/model types, | | | | city. The goal in the drift events is to |
| trying a little too hard to talk tough | | | | score points by making clean drifts |
| and failing spectacularly at it. The | | | | around corners. The car-handling changes |
| technique remains the same in Carbon, | | | | completely for the drift events and |
| though there are more story sequences | | | | feels much more slippery than in the |
| now and a slightly more self-aware tone. | | | | rest of the game, which recalls the |
| The heavy use of flashbacks is an | | | | drift events found in Need for Speed |
| interesting idea, but the story ends up | | | | Underground 2. |
| being kind of muddled. And none of the | | | | You'll also face off with the different |
| villains come off as particularly | | | | crew bosses in the canyons, and these |
| menacing. Although it's hard to really | | | | events may test your patience. Once |
| qualify any of it as sincerely good, | | | | you've taken enough turf for a crew boss |
| it's just over-the-top enough that folks | | | | to challenge you, you'll first race |
| who enjoy stuff like The Fast and the | | | | against him in a standard city-street |
| Furious, ironically or otherwise, should | | | | event. If you beat him there, you'll |
| get some enjoyment out of it. | | | | advance to one of the game's canyon |
| Most Wanted had you racing to raise your | | | | courses, which are narrow and |
| visibility with the police and take on | | | | undulating. Here it's a two-part race, |
| the most notorious street racers in | | | | where you'll first have to chase the |
| Rockport. In Carbon, it's all about | | | | boss through a point-to-point race, and |
| turf. Palmont City is divided into four | | | | then reverse roles for the second part. |
| major territories, each of which is | | | | Your score on the first half is based on |
| predominantly controlled by a different | | | | how close you stay to your rival; then |
| street-racing crew. Each territory is | | | | in the second half, your rival tries to |
| then further divided into zones, and | | | | outdo you. These events can be quite |
| within each zone, you'll find starting | | | | challenging because the courses are |
| points for a variety of different race | | | | technically complicated, and the crew |
| events. Winning at least two events in a | | | | bosses tend to be better, more |
| zone will put it under your control. And | | | | aggressive drivers than the average |
| once you've taken over all the zones in | | | | street racers. There are also a number |
| a given territory, you can take on the | | | | of ways in which you can instantly fail. |
| head of that crew. As you continue to | | | | If, during the second race, your |
| extend your reach across Palmont City, | | | | opponent manages to get ahead of you for |
| rival crews will come back and try to | | | | more than 10 seconds, you automatically |
| retake territory the same way you took | | | | lose. But on the flipside, if you can |
| it from them, forcing you to accept | | | | get ahead of your opponent for more than |
| their challenge if you want to maintain | | | | 10 seconds in the first race, you |
| control. Having to go back and rerace | | | | automatically win both races. Also, each |
| events that you've already won is kind | | | | course is absolutely rife with cliffs. |
| of a pain, but the open-world structure | | | | This means that if you take a corner at |
| is nice and gives you plenty of options | | | | the wrong angle or speed, you can launch |
| to take on races at any given point. | | | | your car off of a cliff, immediately |
| However, you won't be taking on all of | | | | ending the race. All of these elements |
| these crews by yourself, because Carbon | | | | can make for a tough but fair race. |
| lets you bring along a wingman into many | | | | However, failure takes you back to the |
| of the races. These computer-controlled | | | | first half of the canyon duel, even if |
| companions break down into three | | | | you failed during the second half. It's |
| different behavior types--blockers, | | | | kind of a minor point, but it's one that |
| drafters, and scouts. Blockers will run | | | | can turn a canyon duel into a real |
| interference for you, spinning out | | | | chore. |
| opponents at your command. Drafters let | | | | |