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