Need for Speed: Carbon

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• All-new Canyon Duel and Drift race modes are the ultimate test of skill and nerve; one wrong turn could cost you more than the race
• Race for control of the city block-by-block by taking down rival crews on their turf, then defeat their crew leaders in life-or-death races in Carbon Canyon
• The revolutionary new Autosculpt car customization tool gives you the power to design and tweak your crew's cars in every way imaginable
• Affiliate with the Tuner, American Muscle, or Exotic car classes and prove once and for all who makes the best set of wheels
• A new physics model makes each class handle and drive differently

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000GPVUJY
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches ; 12 ounces
• Media: DVD-ROM
• Release Date: October 31, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,091 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #93 in Video Games > PC Games > Racing & Flying
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC | Edition: Collector's

What starts in the city is settled in the canyons in Need for Speed Carbon. It immerses you in the world's most dangerous, adrenaline-filled form of street racing. You and your crew must race in an all-out war for the city, risking everything to take over your rivals' neighborhoods one block at a time. As the police turn up the heat, the battle ultimately shifts to Carbon Canyon, where territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve. Represent your car class, your crew, and your turf in Need for Speed Carbon, the next revolution in racing games. Strategically choose your crew members and then use their skills on the road and in the garage to help you win races and customize your cars

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The worst NFS game... 2.5 stars overall, November 3, 2006

By 

whwh - See all my reviews

= Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Need for Speed Carbon Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM)

To the point: I've played Most Wanted and Underground II and loved them. This game, however, makes me think "uh, why does it suck?" I'd wager this thought will cross your mind too, more than once.

The graphics is a step down. While not neccesarily bad, overall the graphics are more cartoony. In-game, the player models look like zombies with brown teeth. These are graphics one associates with consoles games from before 2000.

Game is extremely easy and brief. There are essentially only 4 bosses -- I beat this game in 2 days. You take over bits of subarea territory by taking over at least 2 of 3 races. When a full area is taken over (which can be done in about 6-8 races), you square off against one of the bosses, first doing an ordinary race and then racing on a Canyon. While I'm sure there are some circuits which I haven't completed, and I haven't done online or the Challenger Series yet, the central offline game just isn't satisfying. Underground 2 was so much more coherent, and Most Wanted was exciting and varied enough -- completing courses, getting bounty points, in a progressively more difficult scheme -- and the graphics and else are excellent.

Now, if the graphics in Carbon are childish, the physics is... I don't know. It's either more realistic or just more boring. Driving cars in Carbon honestly feels like the way driving a garbage truck in Most Wanted feels. Overall, there is something 8-bit about the experience... loud unrealistic tire screeches and noises, slow accelleration, unresponsive turning.

The worlds of Most Wanted and Underground were large and sprawling. This game's city scapes and roads feel small and repetitive with a lot of interlap. One doesn't feel like he's travelled much or in a coherent place as one drives around the city. Most Wanted, on the other hand, felt like a real city of its own. Carbon feels like a small-scale cartoon game. There are few short cuts, etc.. but nothing like Most Wanted- a world replete with golf course detours, stadium cut-throughs... and everything else. The world of Carbon simply doesn't feel very 3d or real -- there's nothing to digest, learn, or remember for it -- just drive, turn, left, right, accellerate, through the roads.

Some other cons: 1) Police communications and dispatch were recycled directly from Most Wanted -- no new voices, no changes. There is no real tension in fleeing from police at any point in the game... If you evade, you evade... Police pursuits don't add to the game's aesthetic or gameplay value and only consume time. 2) The drifting courses are extremely hard to beat with beginning level cars. I was only able to beat them after I had advanced level cars souped up. But indeed since winning 2/3 races in a subarea is all that's neccesary to take it over, one can play the game till the end without having to win any of them.

The pros: 1) The idea of having "wingman" drivers is good, but poorly executed. Most of the time I've found them useless. The fact that some of them are useful in sculpting body kits is a plus if you're interested in that sort of thing (and are a bored artist), but nothing to write home about. I only like communications from them in races. I think there are about 6 (very boring and unvaried) different crew you'll be able to hire, 2 "scouts", 2 blockers, 2 boosters etc.. 2) Game has a more adventure feel to it than the other games, but is too deflated, acting too mechanical, and everything too small-scale (small maps, 4 bosses) to be truly interesting. 3) The concept of territory wars is good and part of the allure of the game, but once again poorly executed, and the game too easy. 4) When squaring off against bosses, if for example you crash in anyway, a small picture-in-picture screen comes up, showing the boss in his other car laughing. That adds to the game in princiiple, but again poorly executed... The same video comes up mechanically anytime you hit a wall.

There you have it. I couldn't even mark down the pros of the game without criticizing it, and the thought occurs again... Why does this game suck? This game is disappointing in a bewildering way. It's so unexpectedly bad it'll leave you confused. Definitely not up to par with other NFS games. Worth playing only if you're a diehard fan and have nothing to do over 2 days. Otherwise, for starters looking for good racer games ought to go for Need For Speed Most Wanted or Underground II.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get back on the streets!, November 2, 2006

By 

Bryan Bugaj (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Need for Speed Carbon Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM)

Need for Speed: Carbon picks up pretty much where Need For Speed: Most Wanted left off. You're on the run from Officer Cross, who's looking to collect the bounty on your head. Once again, you're behind the wheel of a sweet BMW M3 GTR, and once again, the BMW is taken away, forcing you to choose a new car and start over from the bottom all over again. An old friend who needs some talent on his racing crew decides that you'll be working for him. You start up a racing crew and look to take over the streets.

This latest installation in the Need For Speed franchise is a hybrid of Underground 2 and Most Wanted with a few tweaks added in. The action once again takes place at night, and the city's endless labyrinths of concrete are lit up with activity and lighted signs. The city's many districts are each controlled by a different racing crew, and you must win races in order to sieze control of these districts. Once you take control of a large chunk of the town, that borough's boss will come looking for you, goading you into a dangerous race down one of the city's canyons to settle the score.

You also still need to evade the police, and you'll accumulate heat levels and bounty just as in Most Wanted, but running up bounty and infractions is no longer neccessary for challenging "boss" racers. However, the police can still ruin your day; they will disrupt races, try to bust you after a race is over, and doggedly stay on your tail as you try to lose them. Getting your car impounded can mean a quick and unpleasant departure of hard-earned cash.

Another interesting change is the exotic/muscle/tuner angle. After your BMW gets totaled, you are prompted by Nikki, played by the lovely Emmanuelle Vaugier, to choose a new car. Your choice determines what types of cars will be unlocked as you progress through the game: tuner(such as a Mazda RX-8), muscle(such as a Ford Mustang), or exotic(like the Aston-Martin DB9). Each category has its strengths and weaknesses. Also, the cars are ranked in tiers; an RX-8 is a tier 1 tuner, while a Lotus Elise is a tier 2 exotic. The tiers of the cars determine what upgrades that car can receive; for example, a tier 2 car can't recieve a tier 1 turbo, you will have to unlock it.

The last new game feature is the Crew. When you race, you're no longer alone. AI-controlled team members will aid you, and they have three roles. A Blocker will look to knock out an opponent at your command, and Drafter will let you draft behind them for an extra burst of speed, and a Scout will seek out the shortcuts on a track to trim precious seconds off of your time. They will also shout out encouragement and warn you of racers attempting to pass you. Also, the crew gives you an extra chance to win; if either you or your teammate win the race, the win goes to your crew and you get the reward.

Sprint and Circuit races have returned. A sprint is one time from point A to B, and a circuit is several laps around a track. Speedtrap races from Most Wanted are also back; you must race along and hit each speedtrap at the highest possible speed, highest cumulative score wins. The tollbooth races from Most Wanted are also back, but without the tollbooths, now known as checkpoint races; you must make it from once checkpoint to another, with a time bonus for each time you beat the clock. When a boss challenges you, you take your act into a canyon, where you participate in the canyon pursuit race: you chase your opponent down the canyon, and the closer you stay, the more points you get. After that's done, the roles are reversed; your foe chases you down, and if your points are depleted before you cross the finish line, you lose. If either racer overtakes the other and stays ahead for ten seconds, they automatically win. After a one-game absence, drift races have also return, and remain challenging. You can also race outside of career mode in a number of instant races, and take your act online to participate in standard and online-exclusive races.

Once again, you can modify your car's performance and appearance in a number of ways. You can add engine upgrade, turbos, transmissions, suspensions, and other performance upgrades to make your ride a slick racing machine. Numerous hoods, spoilers, body kits, paint jobs, vinyls, and other modifications let you change your cars look till your heart's content. The new Autoscuplt feature lets you alter the look of various aftermarket body parts to create a truly custom ride. The customization options aren't nearly as numerous as in Underground 2, but you can still create a pretty pimped-out ride, or opt for an unassuming "sleeper" car.

Overall, I found this latest Need For Speed to be pretty enjoyable. As you progress, you'll receive rewards cards that help you unlock special rewards. The catchup or "rubber-band" AI from Most Wanted seems to be gone, although your opponents can still catch up, particularly if you're not on your game. The penalties for crashing are very severe; a crash robs you of nearly all of your momentum, so you have to be sharp in order to win. The slow-motion "speedbreaker" feature has returned, and is a great way to get around sharp corners or even avoid collisions. The game can be frustrating at times, and at times it seems like there's that one guy you can never catch. But it's not impossible, and with smart racing and good use of your teammates, you'll conquer the streets. So hit the pavement and make a name for yourself and your crew.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Refuse to pay for spyware/adware, July 3, 2007

By 

Derek G (North of Cyrodiil) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Need for Speed Carbon Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM)

The reviews have been mostly good to lukewarm but being a fan of the overall NFS series I was about to purchase this game until learning EA will insert REAL-TIME advertising into my computer via the Internet. It was bad enough to see all the lame ads for retailers and products in earlier games but there is something inherently wrong with purchasing a game and then being forced to watch ads in order to play it. As far as I am concerned, they should be paying me to watch their stupid ads.

Even if the game were free I am not sure I would play it due to all the security holes and exploits these types of programs have the potential to create. This is a slippery slope I refuse to be a part of and EA will not get my business as long as they continue this policy.

2115|R2M3PHP06DCEN6;2115|R2M399R1W9OAZM;2115|R2I5VT7G7S8CZ4;