Need for Speed Carbon

"Need For Speed: Carbon- A Wonderful Game"

Something I should state before I begin the review: I haven't ever liked racing games. My cousin, Erik, was always into them, though, namely the Need for Speed series. I've seen him play Underground, Underground 2, and Most Wanted. They all held me for about twenty minutes, and then I zoned out. As I said before, I have never liked racing games. Not until now.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

It's a nice feeling when you go speeding down the freeway in a Lamborghini Murcielago. Seeing as gameplay is, in my opinion, the most important part of a game, EA clearly focused on this. All of the cars go nice and fast, just the way I like it. When you're driving fast, you get a little adrenaline rush watching your car go flying down the streets of Palmont city. The cars handle relatively realistically- not that everything is going to be complete to a T, because that's not what I'm expecting from this game. I'm expecting it to be a lot of fun, and simple, to race your car. I wasn't let down. The gameplay and controls are all very simple, which makes this game easily a joy to play.

GRAPHICS: 9/10

This game is pretty. In fact, it's beyond pretty. It's a gorgeous game- all of the car details are done as they should be, and there is a lot of beauty in the city, as well. It's easy to find little resemblances to places out here in the real world. The city is divided into four areas-Silverton, Fortuna, Downtown, and Kempton. Silverton somewhat resembles Vegas- lots of brights lights, pretty features, big hotels, and so on. Downtown, personally, reminds me of New York. Fortuna is somewhat like California-it's a very clean, beautiful setting with lots of big houses and office buildings. I guess the wealthy of Palmont City live there. And finally, Kempton, which is sort of like the lower-class level of the city, though it doesn't really remind me too much of any real place. It's name is similar to Compton, though, isn't it? Maybe it's supposed to be the "ghetto." Anyways, the games graphics are gorgeous. There are a lot of nice details that you may notice that make this game easy to stare at.

STORY: 8/10

You start off five years back, driving against three crew leaders: Angie (leader of the 21st Street Gang), Kenji (leader of Bushido), and Wolf (leader of the T.F.K.). The race is for a big red duffle bag filled with cash. You are driving your friend, Darius', blue Toyota Supra. All four racers are approaching the finish line, and you are clearly going to be the winner. Then, something happens-something bad. The cops show up on the side of the street and EMP all of the cars. All of the cars...except for yours. The black-and-whites begin to arrest Angie, Kenji, and Wolf. Your girlfriend, Nikki (played by Emmanuelle Vaugier), runs over to your car and throws in the duffle bag. She is then grabbed by a cop, and you have no choice but to drive off. Another car that is blocking an alley that you can use to escape decides to back up and let you through, then cover up the exit again. You drive away to the city of Rockport, which is where Need For Speed: Most Wanted comes in. Now we return to the present day, in Carbon Canyon, where you are followed by a familiar person. A man named Cross (who is now a bounty hunter). You must escape from him, an when you do, your car is totalled, and Darius shows up to save your ass. He has Nikki show you the ropes of driving again. You now choose a car class: Tuner, Muscle, or Exotic. One thing I forgot to tell you: The money in the red duffle bag? It wasn't there. You drove out of the city without the cash that was rightfully yours. Now you take over- it's time to race, earn some money, buy a couple new cars, and find out what happened that mysterious night five years ago. Good luck.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10.

VERDICT: Buy this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/07