/\/ EE |) F()R Spee|) : ( abron
Need For Speed Carbon is the 10th game in the NFS series and yes it starts off with a bang. NFS Carbon tells the story of a notorious street racer who skipped city one night with a whole lot of cash, leaving behind a lot of people feeling really sour about the incident, including your ex-girlfriend played by Emanuelle Vaugier. On returning back to your city of Palmont you are told of what happened that night through various flashbacks. On your return you discover that the city has now split up into various "crews" who are constantly battling for terrotories. So its your job to defeat all crews and bring the streets of palmont back to justice.
Gameplay
The gameplay of need for speed carbon is pretty much same as that of most wanted with almost all of the events making a comeback. But wait, there's no drag racing in palmont..... well that hurts u know but dirft makes a comeback. Perhaps the most refreshing part of the game is the Canyon-Duel which is a 2 stage event. In the 1st u race with the boss (beware only the final boss races are in the canyon) in the front constantly gaining points as you keep inching closer. In the next race u are in the front constantly "Losing" points as the boss keeps inching closer.
There are 4 boss racers in NFS Carbon out of which none offer REAL challenge ( assuming that you play quite well ). They can be easily overtaken and defeated. And last of all you have outrun kinda free-roam races back in the game. 1 thing i forgot to mention ...... C.O.P.S. yes the cops are back but worse than what they were in NFS : MW . They cop chases simply do not have the same appeal. They can be very easily evaded ( this statement does not applies to level 5 cop chases). And yes Cross is back but has hardly any role in the game. Gameplay wise the game will keep you hooked for approximately 6-8 hours except if u swear to complete all challenge series and unlock all reward cards.
Gameplay - 7.5/10 - Worthy Pass Time
Graphics
The developers have clearly made this game for the next generation of hardware. Play this game on Xbox 360 or a PS 3 on a top of the line pc and surely u wont forget what it is a treat to the eyes. But for the looks Need For Speed Carbon is unecessarily resource hungry. While the cars look more detailed that what they did in Most Wanted, the road have gone far down. The best part of the game is driving on a highway in a Mercedes SLR at 370 KM/H (yes it goes that high!!!!!) and then observing the depth of the motion blur. Pure Bliss. But remember to do this on a high end pc or else your low-end/ mid-range will be strained over its limits.
Graphics - 9.5/10 - Very Impressive Visually
Sound
The voice acting in NFS : Carbon is definately better than what it was in most wanted but the songs in carbon are a bit dissapointing. The canyon sound tracks are quite good and the cop chase soundtrack makes a return from most wanted. Still you cannot import songs from your hard disk and make a seperate GTA style radio channel.
Sound - 7.5/10 - O.K. While It Lasts
Multiplayer
The online multiplayer option is only available in the pc, xbox 360 and ps 3 version of the game. You only have the split screen option on the xbox and the ps 2. The online version of the game is perhaps more exciting and challenging as u race against REAL HUMAN opponents who have a lot smarter ""A.I."" There is one mode in which the last person to complete the lap turns to a cop car and he must stop the one of the other racers to turn back into a racer turning the person caught into a cop.
Multiplayer - 8.5/10 - Quite Good
Conclusion
Need for speed carbon is a must try for all racers out there, probably it has low replay value but it still holds the crown of the best street-racing game you can get your hands on.
Overall - 8/10 - Should Finish At Least Once
Platforms - Pc, Xbox 360, PS 3, Xbox, PS 2, Psp