NEED FOR SPEED CARBON REVIEW

Developer: Electronic Arts
Format: PS2
Review: Jason Round

For a minute, I thought I had accidentally thrown the Fast and the Furious 3 DVD into my PS2, so uncanny was the Mustang canyon drift-fest, but no, it was the new, and by far greatest, incarnation of the Need for Speed series yet, Carbon.

Carbon basically takes the best bits of both Most Wanted and the Underground series, mixing them up with some new features that’ll ensure the word ‘sleep’ is no longer part of your vocab.

One of the biggest changes is the canyon racing, no doubt influenced by recent, ahem, films and touge drifting culture, with scenes reminiscent of many an Initial D episode. That, however, isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it really adds another element to gameplay, though we consistently seemed to smash through the barrier to wind up as a burning wreck below. There was like oil on the road or something, man – seriously!
…And that will be one of the many excesses you’ll be forced to whip out should your buddies come out the victor in any number of new and old rides that have found there way into the game.

Among them are tuning faves like the RX-8 and new up-and-comers like the Mazda Speed 3 (or MPS, as we know it). However, muscle cars have also been added, and although they may not handle the best, there really is nothing better than using sheer torque to wrangle your way out of sticky situations.

We were quite content with the Lotus Elise, however, and soon mapped out our ‘territory’, as it is known in the game, progressing through the canyon boss runs and what seemed like an endless run of over-the-top cut scenes complete with not-so-nude Josie Maran (boo).

There are, naturally, cops and circuits to sink your teeth into, and drifting once again makes an appearance. This, as always, we found the most frustrating of all play modes, with seemingly a simple tap of the brake all that was required to induce slide. Thankfully, it does not make up a substantial amount of the playtime.

Where it does come in useful is in putting together a ‘crew’, ’cause now you can select from drifters, brawlers and scouts. Scouts will find the fastest route for you, and they are helpful for scoping out new areas. Drifters, on the other hand, let out a kind of colourful yellow-brick road for you to follow, which in turn increases your speed, but it’s the brawlers, who simply block or bash cars out of your way, that we found the most useful. Now, if we could only get some of those guys in the office…

For our favourite feature, though, was Autosculpt, where you can push and pull practically every part of your car for a completely custom look. Of course, you can always distinguish the model of car, but it’s a great feature that adds a whole new level to the customisation engine. Let’s just say, however, that our kits won’t exactly be the next Droid II…

Graphics are about as good as you’re going to see on a PS2, and those after a bit more pixel ‘bling’ might want to look at some of the other platforms the game is available on. Sound effects too, are excellent, and each car has its own distinctive sound that truly draws you into the driver’s seat. Most of you will also be happy to know that the semi-sunny, semi-Seattle, all-boring landscape of Most Wanted has been given up for the urban, night-crawler look created by the series in Underground 1 and 2, with reflections, neons and derelict backstreets all making for a sinister, street-racin’ mood.

All up, if you’re a fan of the series, you will love the latest offering, especially with new features like Autosculpt and muscle cars. I had been hoping to use my ‘carbon copy’ pun here, but alas, it’s quite capable of standing on its own two feet. Two thumbs up.

4/5