System: X360, PS3, PS2, Wii, Gamecube, Xbox, PC, PSP, DS, GBA
Dev: EA Black Box
Pub: Electronic Arts
Released: October, 2006
Players: 1 - 2
Review by Patrick

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

The Canyon Duel and the returning Drift Race, which has been absent in recent years, are both exciting and engaging additions to the already impressive list of race types carried over from Most Wanted. The Canyon Duels that you must win after conquering an entire neighborhood consist of two rounds. In the first round, players must follow their opponent as closely as possible as they fly down the hill. In the second round, players must now try to outrun the other racer as the leader. This mode served as the source of much angst and frustration, but in that “oh, this is challenging and worthwhile” way. After winning a duel, you get a shot at winning the pink slip of the loser’s car, which is often much stronger than the one you have. Drift Races, both down the canyon and on drift tracks, are also a blast, though the control scheme is a bit puzzling. When entering a drift, hitting the accelerator pushes your car further up in the turn. In real life, and in the normal racing modes in Carbon, hitting the accelerator only causes more spin on the tires. Though it’s only a minor gripe, this inconsistent control scheme will confuse and frustrate more than a few players when they first try the new drift races.

Last, but certainly not least, is the addition of American muscle cars into the already-impressive roster of tuners and imports. While many will take a look at the new Dodge Charger or the Ford Mustang and scoff as they choose a tuner, I urge players to take a look at the true muscle in this class in the ’69 Charger or the 06 Dodge Viper. These bad boys will cream any and all other cars off the line with their vastly superior engine outputs. With more weight and more torque, these cars will over-steer and naturally drift through turns. Not only do these cars simply provide more variety to choose from, but racing in these muscle cars provides a racing dynamic that refreshes a near-stale racing model. Slipping and sliding through the city will make Carbon look more like “World Rally Racing Underground” than previous Need for Speeds, but it’s tough to deny the muscle car’s allure. Getting behind the wheel of these cars will make you feel like the guy at the end of Tokyo Drift in that slick Mustang Fastback, and you can feel a little patriotic at the same time by saluting American engineering. It’s win-win baby!

Though not a “graphical” enhancement in the truest sense, EA’s Autosculpting mode is the Tiger Woods “Gameface” of racing games. By allowing gamers to adjust nearly everything on their car, from the width of the spoiler to the height of the blower on that ’69 Charger, Carbon allows gamers to truly make their ride their own. Some options seem unnecessary, like the position of the creases on a bumper or side skirt, but they ensure that players can create any car they truly desire.

Other graphical enhancements are subtle improvements over Most Wanted. Blur effects off of taillights and street lamps are impressive, especially at high speeds, but the decision by EA to bring NFS back into the ever-lasting nighttime instead of allowing racers to see some sun is disappointing. Sure, illegal racing occurs at night, but isn’t it high time that we see some variable lighting effects from the sun on the street? I pray that the next title is a next-gen exclusive so we can get a truly breathtaking visual experience instead of a merely competent one.

To wrap this review up, I wish to address the downloadable content that is currently available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. While I would rather earn all of the upgrades available to download for money online by racing and winning, my real gripe is against the downloadable cars. It would be severely disappointing if EA is releasing cars on Live that could have been included in the game at launch and charging a few bucks per car. Gamers are already shelling out 400 bucks per system, 60 bucks for the game, and another 60 dollars a year for the online service. As it stands without the additional downloadable content, Need for Speed Carbon is as solid a racing title as there is out there. It may not be reinventing the proverbial wheel here, but by introducing new racing modes and a completely new way to drive in muscle cars, Carbon is easily worth the 60 dollar price tag.

Please Note: In comparing the various different console versions of Carbon, the only real difference is in terms of graphics and online offerings. In addition to the obvious HD improvements and motion effects mentioned earlier, the framerate on 360 was as solid as can be expected. Current gen versions, particularly the weaker PS2, do exhibit slowdown from time to time. On Xbox 360 and for the upcoming PS3 release, EA has full online support with the EA Nation, whereas current-gen consoles (PS2, Xbox, GC) lack online play.

Features:

As Carbon readies for its impending release, CCC gets some hands-on time at the EA Chicago opening. by Ryan Schultz

While the recent press event held at EA’s Chicago office might have focused more on the new Def Jam title, I managed to drag myself away from the beautiful hip hop fighting game to spend some quality time with the PS3 version of Need for Speed: Carbon.

Now, I’m not too familiar with the NFS series, but just diving into the game was as simple as could be. The demo included options such as pimping out my ride, drift and lap racing, and by far one of the most enjoyable game modes, out running the “4-0”, coppers to me and you. Tricking out your car with the new Autosculpt technology couldn’t be any easier. You have the ability to customize anything from your rims, to the front and back ends, to the spoiler in the back. You can then take your custom car to the available game modes. Of course, there was the option to partake in your standard street race. Here you and one of your crew can take over new street territory by defeating your rivals in a race. During a race, you can command members of your crew to act aggressively on your foes, giving you the opportunity to take the lead.

There were other options to choose from like drift and canyon racing, but what I was really interested in was a good old-fashioned police chase. The concept is quite simple; you pick a car and then proceed to out run an entire squadron of police. Well, I guess it’s not that simple, as the cops will take any means necessary to stop you. They’ll try to box you in, spin you out, and even set up a cop car barricade. If you manage to keep a considerably large distance between you and them, congratulations, the coast is clear.

While only a few tracks were selectable from the main game, they still provided me with enough of an insight as to what the final game will provide for gamers. What that experience will be however, doesn’t exactly paint a perfect picture.

I’ll get the bad impressions out of the way first. NFS Carbon comes out in a matter of days for Xbox 360 and current gen systems, with the PS3 version following a few weeks later with the launch of the system. Now these next gen systems are supposed to immerse the player in an unprecedented graphical experience, right? So why am I walking away from Carbon feeling like the level of graphical achievement just wasn’t there? The graphics had a very rough feeling to them with jagged polygons and pixilated textures around every corner. My editor Patrick Evans even commented that the cars almost seemed to sport a cell-shaded look. I asked the on site rep if what I was playing was a finished version of the game, and luckily the answer was no. Still, there are only a few weeks before PS3 launches, wouldn’t EA want to show me a more refined version of the game? While there may be more time to tighten everything up before the game ships, three weeks is a small amount of time to make any big changes. Let’s just hope that the Carbon team can pull it off.

Another issue I ran across, which may in part be my lack of experience with the series, were that the controls felt incredibly loose. I mean, I’ve played my share of racing games, but I found myself practically doing donuts while going around corners. I even observed other journalists slip and slide across the pavement as they struggled to gain control of their cars. The EA rep explained to me that the PS3 version of the game would utilize the motion sensitivity of the controller to help with the turning, but the feature was turned down for this particular demo. Why this was is beyond me. If the feature had been running at full strength it might have made my experience with the game somewhat smoother, but it is encouraging to know that such a feature in fact exists in the control scheme.

Fear not though, this game still promises to deliver a true next gen racing experience. The overall presentation of the game is fantastic and appears to offer some very high replay value. Despite the lack of graphical polish, Carbon still manages to wow with impressive visuals. The cracks on the pavement look great as you’re flying by at 100 mph and the streetlights all feature effective motion blur. The looks of the cars themselves are perhaps the highlight of the game. They all feature great detail in their bodywork and your surrounding area reflects beautifully and accurately off of their surfaces. Unfortunately, due to the loud nature of the event, I was barely able to make out any of the game’s soundtrack, which will hopefully remain face paced like the game itself.

I have no doubts that Need for Speed: Carbon will be another fine addition to an already established series. I just pray that EA cleans up the graphics and controls for the PS3 version before its launch. Otherwise, prepare for an intense next gen racer that packs plenty of action and replay value sure to satisfy any gamer's hunger.

By Ryan Schultz
CCC Freelance Writer