Need for Speed: Carbon Preview

[Ikarus]

*Preview*

Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Xbox, Ps2
Genre Catagory: N/A
Release Date: November 10th 2006
ESRB: RP
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Black Box
Official Site URL: http://www.ea.com/nfs/carbon/us/home.jsp

By IKARUS - Justin Wu



Need for Speed: Carbon
Need For Speed (NFS) is a familiar franchise series that possibly every gamer should know and understand the smashing gameplay that follows up with the big name. Last year, EA has delivered the first next-generation 'Need for Speed' by showing us Need for Speed: Most Wanted which came out as a crisp game with fine details and gameplay. This coming year, we are in for another treat of same goodness as EA has planned Need for Speed:Carbon.

You are set in Carbon Canyon, and street racing has been split into two. Racers have either gone to 'legal' sanctioned racing or maybe they have decided to head over to Carbon Canyon, which is out of the city limits to continue to break the law. Guess which kind of racer you are. Yes, ofcourse you play the badass who wants to break the law.

This is how the gameplay looks like.

The New:
In Need for Speed: Carbon a new racing mode has been given called, Canyon Duels. This new type of racing requires the racers to follow each other for two rounds. The first racer will lead off and the second will follow. Then in the next round the racers will switch places and attempt to do the opposite of what they did on the first round. The closer the following racer is to the lead car the more points you get. Then in the second round, the score of the next following car gets will cut the other racers score down, and if the score succeeds the other, that racer wins. But if for any reason that the lead care trails on ahead for 10 seconds, the lead car instantly wins the race.

Oh yeah.. this is Canyon Duels.

Gameplay:
What is more interesting is the different car styles you get to choose in the start of the game. There are three different styles to choose from. There is the American Camp which focuses on Muscle Cars and alike. The second camp is for Japanese car fanatics who likes tuners. Then finally there is the European Camp which is for exotic car drivers. It is all up for personal tastes. Essentially each type of car has its own feel, instead of the "generic all car feels the same except on is faster", kind of games. From there you can now organize your racing team and recruit the members of your choice. There are various types of people you can recruit for your team. Each have a specific role and purpose to your group, so choosing wisely will help. The team members are organized to 'In-Race' jobs and 'After-Race' jobs. It is rather interesting to view these team members. For racing there is the block who attempts to driver in front of your opponent to remove him from the race, there is the scout who finds shortcuts and tells you them by radio, then there is the drafter who helps you gain more speed through drafting. After you through with racing, there is a person who can help cops not find you racing, another who repairs and tunes your engine and lastly the person who does your custom parts work.

Back in Need for Speed: Most Wanted, you were constantly racing and hunting down the members of the black list. In Need for Speed: Carbon, you are now competing for turf. Thats right, you are racing for territory control of the city. You can drive in the city or canyons. Do not think so much of Canyons being desert-like. The reason the areas which are canyons are named that way is due to the sharp turns and danger these roadways are. To even out the fairness of the game, EA has taken great lengths and gave the player consequences for conducting terrible racing habits. An example is that if you make contact with the opposing car you will lose points, so there is not even an idea of derailing people off the cliff. If you abuse it and make contact twice, then you automatically lose the race.

Drifting on a whole new scale.

Drifting has been modified greatly in this game compared to the older games in the Need for Speed Series. Racers will find that drifting on a straight road to get points, will not get them any points at all anymore. When you drift in a canyon, near dangerous falls or barriers without any accidents survive you earn more points that way than drifting normally away, and ofcourse hitting or colliding into walls will result in loss of points. The drift system has been more simplified and the overall game will feel more as an arcade racer than a simulation one like Project Gotham 3.


Closing comments:
Need For Speed Carbon seems to set the expectations for the next-generation of Need for Speed. The series has strayed more away from the run away pursuit kind of game to be more focused on actual racing which is a good track again for Need for Speed. With improved visuals, new modes of gameplay and story we can only wait till the nearing of the release date, which is in November to fully get out there and racing the canyons. Until then, we will just sit down and stare at the beautiful visuals EA slowly provides.

You won't find this anywhere else.. zoom zoom zoom!

Resources
IGN.com
Gamespot.com
Wikipedia.com