The battle for the city is won in the canyon as Need for SpeedTM Carbon immerses you in the world's most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing. For the first time... more
world's most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing. For the first time in a Need for Speed game, build a crew and race in an all-out war for
fighting to take over the territory, with fast paced challenges from rival crews or set out races from drifting to grip, this game will keep you fighting for complete control up until the very end. The release date of Need for Speed Carbon was the 31st October 2006.
A review by liquidburner2002 on Need for Speed: Carbon (PS2) May 24th, 2007
Author's product rating:
Gameplay/Playability
A good game - good gameplay & playability
Graphics
Excellent Graphics - visually stunning
Sound
Average sound effects & music
Value for Money
Advantages:
Super Graphics, Best Customisation Yet ! , Canyon Duels
Disadvantages:
Too Short, Poor Soundtrack, Annoying Format and Voice Overs
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
What can you say about the Need For Speed series on the Playstation 2 other than it gives by far and away the best racing experience out of all the other racing games. After playing the first, Need for Speed Underground, i have always bought the new installments as soon as they have come out and the games just keep on getting better. Need For Speed Carbon was however, in my opinion a disappointment and i would like to share why this was the case.
The story is very similar to all the other games as you play someone who is a really good driver but has been set up, is chased by the police and loses out a lot of money. Your fast, expensive car was totaled so are given a new one which is slow and plain. While you were away the city has become a warring ground for different teams of drivers, each competing with each other for territory. Your job is to take control of a team to take back the city from the others and control it for yourself. Along the way you will come into contact with four teams who have bosses for you to beat and a handful of other teams who constantly want to fight you for territory you control. This is very much the same idea as GTA San Andreas as you have to take over territory from rival gangs and ward off competition from others. The races you must race and win range from Circuits and Sprints to Drifts and Checkpoints these are all similar to the other Need For Speed games. As in Most Wanted you can also get chased by the police if they catch you speeding or being a reckless driver.
This all sounds very familiar to the other games so what is up with it for me to give it a poor score? Firstly and perhaps most importantly for me was the fact that unlike other Need For Speed games the soundtrack included in this one was very poor. Over the years i have found many new and up and coming acts from listening to the great soundtracks from these games. You usually are able to enjoy many different types of music and find the latest up and coming sounds but this was sadly lacking. Included in it was Goldfrapp and Pharrell but these were both known before hand and the songs picked were poor. All the others were not quite up to the same standard as in the other games. Secondly was the fact that the game was far too short and to me it lacked a lot of substance that is apparent from the other games. In Most Wanted there were ten 'boss' drivers to face here in Carbon there was only four. To get to the bosses in Most Wanted you had to complete a certain amount of objectives from a checklist, in Carbon all you had to do was win enough races to take over the territory which the boss controlled, this was around twelve races. Overall it took me around four days to complete this game compared to around a month with Most Wanted. The police chases, which were a major part in Most Wanted, were pushed to the side in Carbon even though they were still fun and demanding in fact even though i completed the game i was never caught by the police once! The third reason i disliked this game was because of the format of some of the races. As i said above you formed a crew so for most races there were four racers you, your team mate and two opponents from another team. Your crew members each had varying attributes from blocking, drafting to scouting for shortcuts. It would have been so much better with just a normal race, if you and your team mate got first and second and he was a blocker you could just block the others trying to overtake and the other skills the crew members had were to hard to use so I did not bother with them. Not only that but they kept on coming over the radio with the same annoying comments over and over again which were not worth listening to and disrupted the soundtrack that I was trying to enjoy. Another minor point was the eradication of drag mode which had been in all the other games which added skill because you had to shift gears at the right time to get perfect shifts.
The game is not all bad so i will go on to the good points about it. For me the best bit about Carbon was the fact that the customization part, lacking to a large extent in both Need For Speed Underground 2 and Most Wanted came back with avengence and was the best it has been. I Loved being able to plaster layer after layer of vinals onto the car and colour them in different shades to get the car looking as personal as possible. This was added to by the introduction of autosculpt mode where each part that you bought to improve the look of the car, whether it be hoods, skirts ect can be molded to exactly the way you want. There was also a very good selection of cars to race with and the skills challenge remained to try to add playability to the game.
Another bit i enjoyed about this game was its originality, as i have already mentioned the format was original for a racing game but also a new race was introduced called canyon duels. If you seen any adverts for Need For Speed Carbon you would have seen and heard "can you survive the canyon" well this is the mode it was talking about. To beat the bosses in the game you were taken to the canyon where there were two runs, one with you behind and one with you ahead. The object when you were behind was to keep as close as possible to your opponent to score the most points or ultimately pass them to end the race. When you were ahead you had to keep the greatest distance away from your opponent to stop him from scoring as many points as you. Not only this but there were parts of the canyon where you could fall off and lose thus it was very dramatic and i really enjoyed this aspect of the game. There was also drifting in the canyon and a canyon sprint. To try and add replay ability the cars were all given different classes, Muscle, Exotic and Tuner and it asked you to complete the game with each category. the handling of each was very different and each class added an extra dimension to the game.
The other thing i enjoyed was that the graphics were amongst the best i had seen on the PS2 this is especially the case for a racing game. Each car was superbly detailed the vinals and logos all looked the part and it was almost as if you really were racing in your front living room. I would love to see the graphics generated on the PS3 version for comparison. The environment which you could roam around was also detailed and acted just like it should when you crashed through a bus shelter or uprooted a tree.
The price of this is still quite high because it is a relatively new game. On the High Street i think it is still priced at around £30 in Game and Gamestation. On-line it is still £30 at Amazon, Game and Play.com. The best place to get it would be Ebay where it is selling for around £10-£12 or perhaps second hand at Game or Gamestation where i think it will be priced around £15-£20.
Overall if you have played and liked the other games in this series you will enjoy this one, even after all my moaning i did! If you are new to the series try Most Wanted or Need For Speed Underground before this installment because it is better value for money, will last longer and in my opinion is more fun. Need For Speed Carbon is still better than both Juiced and SRS but because there have been better games produced in the past by this series of games and i think this attempt appears a little bit rushed i am giving Need For Speed Carbon 3 out of 5.
Advantages: Exceptional FMV sequences, loads of customization and a good solid core gameplay Disadvantages: Frustrating boss battles and much weaker police chases
...among you who have played need for speed most wanted will know the story, but for those who haven't here is a quick overview of the ending:
Most wanted ended with you recovering your stolen car from sgt. Cross and bailing out of the city, while sgt. Cross is hot on your tail.
Now, carbon picks up where most wanted finished off. You are making your way to Palmont city when Cross (now a bounty hunter) finally catches up with you and totals your ... ...you, your old friend Darius catches up with you and pays Cross off. Now you have to try and take over turf in Palmont, but it seems you have a history in the town… (I won't ruin the plot for you now, as it would ruin your gaming experience).
Wile most wanted had you racing the most notorious racers in Rockport to climb up the blacklist, Carbon is all about taking over turf. Palmont city is divided into 4 main territories each controlled by a crew. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Quite addictive Disadvantages: Too short, one annoyingly difficult race
Need for speed carbon is a great street racing game. It is not the best of the need for speed collection, however it is very good as the graphics are excellent and the music choice is ok. One thing need for speed carbon does have is autosculpt which is a revolutionary way of sculpting your car in various ways, if you know how to use it as it is very difficult, annoying and frustrating. The overall game is quite good as the police are still chasing ... ...need for speed most wanted. The idea of carbon is to choose a tier of car whether it be muscle, tuner or exotic, and then win races and take over other peoples territory and therefore dominating the map. There are four "bosses", Angie, Kenji, Wolf and Darius. Darius is the leader of the whole map and controls every aspect of races, money and cars. Kenji is the leader of the tuner cars, Angie is the leader of the muscle cars and Wolf is the leader ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great graphics, really good fun Disadvantages: Short Lifespan
...has ever been in the Need for Speed series. Everything about the game is so fluid, and smooth, it is sometimes hard to believe that you are playing on a current- gen console!!!
Graphics
The graphics, are as I like to put it "Truly Beans!" If you don't understand my lingo, this means that the graphics are absolutely amazing!!! The graphics really look like that they are being played on a Next Gen console, and if they can get the graphics this good ... ...Need For Speed game on the PS3 or the Xbox 360.
Sound
This is where the game is let down. I really think that when the game is first switched on, it really sounds good, but after a few hours of play, it really becomes repetetive. And also, during a race, if you scrape a wall or barrier gently, it sounds like you have just had a head on collision with another car, I just don't understand why!!!
Lifespan
I think that the game is too short in this ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Good story mode Disadvantages: Too short
This is my first review, so any pointers on making my next review better would be very much appreciated, many thanks in advance.
Well were do i start, hmmm lets see, i thinks il start with the graffics because after all its what makes the NFS games the best racing games out there. Even though the graffics in all the NFS games are absolutly brillant even back to NFS 1, NFS Carbon is by far the best, there smooth, fast, no glitch's and the FMV scenes ... ...as far as to say the people look 100% real. Iv played the game for PS2, PC and just recently Xbox 360, dont even get me started on the Xbox 360 version because it is phenominal and the online mode is excellent.
The whole point to the story mode in the game is to take over different territory's throughout the City, and as always unlocking new cars and new parts as you go along. I dont really want to say to much about the story of the game because ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Customisation, police chasing Disadvantages: Short lifespan, and poor music choice
...graphics yet seen on a Need for Speed. There is also a great choice of car especially if you have the collectors edition, police chases are now more realistic, with the car speed greatly increased and the adition of lots of pursuit breakers and shortcuts. However there is an added difficulty becuase all of the cars especially the muscle type are easy to roll so it is very aggravating when you get busted upside down! The new feature of bringing a ... ...becuase more often than not they will get in your way and lose you the race. All in all the gameplay is good if a little repetitive, the music and lifespan are it bad points. So all in all i would say that it is only just worth the money that you will pay for it. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
The battle for the city is won in the canyon as Need for SpeedTM Carbon immerses you in the world's most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing.
For the first time in a Need for Speed game, build a crew and race in an all-out war for your city against rival crews and opposing car classes. You'll risk everything to take over rival neighborhoods one street at a time.
Each crew member has unique skills that you trigger during races to give you the winning edge over opponents. Call on a Blocker to create a distraction and slow down other racers or a Scout to lead you to shortcuts on the track.
As the police turn up the heat and force the races to the outskirts of the city, the battle ultimately shifts to Carbon Canyon, where territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve.
Use your creativity to design your crew's cars with the revolutionary new AutoscupltTM car customization tool that gives you the power to turn every vehicle into the car you've always wanted.
Represent your car class, your crew, and your streets in Need for Speed Carbon, the next revolution in racing games
Features:
Survive the Canyon - Leave the streets to battle rival bosses in the canyons outside the urban center. All-new Canyon Duel and Drift race modes are the ultimate test of skill and nerve, where one wrong turn could cost you more than the race.
The City Is Yours for the Taking - 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.
Customize Your Dream Car - The revolutionary new AutosculptTM car customization tool gives you the power to design and morph your car in every way imaginable.
Represent a Class - 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 car handle and drive differently.
Build Your Crew - Strategically choose your crew members and use their skills on the road and in your garage to help you win races and customize your cars. Designate any member of your crew as a wingman and trigger his special skill to knock out your rivals.
Over 50 Real-World Licensed Cars - Every car is tuneable so you can customize their look and performance to suit your crew.
Similar products and search queries by other users
Need PS2, Need for PS2, Need Speed PS2, Need Carbon PS2, Need for Speed PS2, Need for Carbon PS2, Need Speed Carbon PS2, Need for Speed Carbon PS2, Need PS 2, Need for PS 2, Need Speed PS 2, Need Carbon PS 2, Need for Speed PS 2, Need for Carbon PS 2, Need Speed Carbon PS 2
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Need for Speed: Carbon (PS2)? Click here
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
