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Will it satisfy your need for speed?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've been a fan of need for speed titles for a long time, in fact I think I have purchased every one of them with the exception of porsche unleashed. I found need for speed carbon to be a great game, especially because of the variety of awesome cars and the adittion of MUSCLE CARS. Under this category you find classics such as the Shelby Mustang GT500 and some new cars like the Dodge Challenger Concept. NFS Carbon looks like a NFS underground 3 with pursuits. Although cops don't play a mayor role, it's still fun to mess around with them once in a while(If you don't look for cops you'll run into them like about 6 or 7 times in the whole career mode, which I think sucks).

One thing I found disappointing was the extremely short career mode. If you are familiar with previous NFS games, you should get around career mode in about 8 hours. I started playing a Saturday morning and on Sunday afternoon I had already completed 100% career. Once career mode is completed, the only thing left to do is complete challenges to unlock aditional cars and parts for your cars. Challenges include completing races under a limit of time or engaging pursuits that last at least the target time provided.

About the races, they're pretty much like Most wanted or Need for Speed Underground, but without traffic and there are no drag races(yes, very dissapointing!). A new feature has been added: Crew members. Although I admit it was a nice idea, the game would probably have been better without them. Many players may find crew members frustrating since they sometimes hit the brakes in front of you and make you crash. Crew members can also win races for you. There are 3 types of crew members: scout, drafter and blocker(you may only choose one of them in a race). Their functions are to find shorcuts for you, set in front of you so you can gain speed by drafting and crash opponent cars respectively. They also have special skills like being able to autosculpt parts for you(customize parts like wheels, spoiles roof scoops...). Members of crew can be hired and fired at any time without any cost, so if you need a skill from a person not in your crew, you can just fire an actual member, hire the person you need and use his skills and then re-hire the other member(pretty dumb actually).

What I think is the best of this game are the cars you can drive. I really enjoyed them. The thing is that you start unlocking them when you've completed around 65% of career mode, so it doesn't leave much of a chance to buy, drive or customize various cars.

The graphics are very similar to Most wanted. In fact, I think traffic cars hace been recycled. Your car and your opponent's cars look very nice.

In conclusion, need for speed carbon is still a great but short game. Maybe not as great as previous titles like most wanted but it's still worth it. Many fans of the series were disappointed with it's length and the often disturbing crew members. On the other hand, players are rewarded with extremely cool cars to race with. Since career mode is extremely short, I recommend you wait for the price to lower a bit before buying it.

Biggest Need for Speed disappointment

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I finished the game a mere 8 hours after purchasing it. May be more fun online but the storyline part of the game is way to short. And it seems as the higher you get the worse your car's handling becomes. Blacklist was ten times better and Underground 2 was 5 times better. There are a decent amount of cars and customization but the gameplay is really lost in this one. The idea for Carbon Canyon was good but I find that there are certain aspects of the canyon that are just stupid. If you skip a race and come back to it later they still have the same car and if you are driving a Lamborghini you can not overtake them. And they never crash off the cliff and you cannot make them crash. When playing in co op mode half the time in the upper levels my team-mates cost me races by stopping in front of me or by taking short cuts that get me hit by other cars or the short cut slows me down. The game is only 10% of what it should be.

Its NFS. Not Forza or GT. Rember that and you'll enjoy it!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Gameplay: 8.4
Every car handles differently, every course is linked together in one massive world, and the controls will take you back to the days of arcade racers like Daytona USA. (Actual arcade racers - the ones with $5,000 cabinets all arcade owners dreaded purchasing.) The customization features are a little shallow, and the game is a little easy. Okay, a lot easy. But you'll love the ride while it lasts, and you're going to want to play through this racer more than once.

Graphics: 8
The cars look amazing. Every part of them is packed with realistic detail. Even the interiors are noticeably accurate. The cars reflect the city lights quite beautifully, and will do so differently depending on the type of finish that's been applied (chrome, matte, etc.).

Carbon's environments aren't nearly as memorable. The backgrounds aren't that far beyond what was possible with the old Xbox. Also, the cars, as gorgeous as they are, cannot be damaged. They can crash repeatedly, and abolish generic police vehicles. But your vehicles - which are from licensed manufacturers - are as protected as those in Gran Turismo, save for a few scratches every now and then (that magically disappear after every race).

I know that this is what most, not all, automakers want. But if some manufacturers are on board and others are not, maybe it's the supportive companies you should be focusing on - to give the gamer the most intense experience possible.

Sound: 7.9
Hurray for the return of full-motion video! First you get to see the actors, who look toward the camera when talking to the player's character as if you were actually in the story. The actors also appear in polygon form, with extreme realism to boot. Their polygon expressions are a little better than their real expressions, mainly due to the real actors' lack of believability.

The voices - they're better than most, but have a hint of "video game syndrome." It looks like a bunch of actors were hired to be in a video game. It doesn't look or sound like they were hired to be in a professionally written story. Which isn't too surprising. Carbon's characters only have one theme: "take my city and I'll hate you forever" (an exaggerated but truthful interpretation).

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Most Career mode races can be won on the first try. The external challenge mode provides additional races to conquer, but they're not enough to boost this game's difficulty.

Concept: 7.5
It's Need For Speed all over again. I'm not about to be one of those crazy people who say the series needs an overhaul to be great again. It doesn't. I love the direction the developers have taken. That said, it's not an original direction, just one of polish. But this series is meant to be a certain way. To make it original again would likely eliminate all the things we love.

Multiplayer: 8
Four for co-op; eight for multiplayer via Xbox Live. Some of the Career mode races are playable online as well for added challenges.

Overall: 8.2
A throwback to the good old, worry-free days of arcade racing. This is the kind of game you'll play after seeing The Fast and the Furious (or any other street racing flick). You might hate that series - you might think the third Furious is the worst movie ever made. But mark my words, if you're flipping through and it's on TV, you will drop the remote, grab your controller, and play this game.

Xbox Speed

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There is so much going on with Microsoft these days. Although so much more emphasis right now is on the Xbox 360, that doesn't mean there are still original Xbox fanatics who are waiting to see what develops for the original system. Racing games have had that understanding as well. With EA's success of the Need For Speed franchise, they've continued to keep the ball rolling for the next great acheivement in being the fastest and the most furious. The previous chapter, Most Wanted really thrived for all gamers, and it delivered so much potent excitement from the thrills of the blacklist 15, to battling yourr way against the police. Now, a new chapter has risen, but can it deliver?

Need For Speed Carbon for the Xbox, is a wild and outrageous race game, where you and your crew have to manuver your way to the top against underground racers, and the opportunity to defeat Darius and his crew of vulgar street racers. You also have a crew of scouts which help you find shortcuts, blockers who are heavy hitters that slam into ooponents, and drafters which help you boost your speed in fast and tough races. The game also features exciting tracks from circuits, the new canyon duels, a game of street chicken, as well as the return of drift races from the Underground 2 era. You also have numerous cars to deal to unlock in the career mode and challenge mode from classic muscle cars like the Dodge Charger concept, tuners like the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Supra, and Mclarens, and exoticas like the fierce Porsche Carerra. The graphics for the game really deliver as well as mostly the gameplay from each thrilling track throughout the city.

Nevertheless, like many racing games there are a few disadvantages. One of the main problems with Need For Speed Carbon is the chase against the cops. You have a lot more challenge against them in Most Wanted in the career mode, but some of the excitement still thrives within the challenge mode. The other problem is the manuverability on the muscle cars. They are much more difficult to control, and can be very hard for new gamers to the Need For Speed.

Still, I just wish there could've been more with Need For Speed Carbon for Xbox owners. nevertheless, it is still a thrilling and exciting game for all racing fans alike. I still loved playing this game a whole lot, and it is a whole lot of fun. I definitely recommend this a whole lot for anyone who has the thrills of the chase, and the passion for speed.

Graphics: B

Sound: B 1/2+

Control: B

Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2-

Overall: B

A Big Disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I loved Everyone of the Need For Speed Games and was excited that a new edition was out. That did not last too long. I did love how easy the cars drive. I can put on the nitrous and never wipe out. Cars move out of the way and in races are not on the road like previous editions. I have yet to see a crash of any kind. As of now I don't know if you can crash. Which in a way is nice because you don't have to wait and watch that. Riding around free roam is senseless it is nothing like Most wanted which is still fresh in my head because I just played it in the summer. It's boring. Might as well just skip to events. Although I have sped around, I have never been pursued by cops. The gameplay is lacking. Scenery is disappointing. Dark and so far I haven't seen any off-road spots. Like riding through a golf course, etc. Visually Most wanted was way better. So far it is almost impossible to lose a race. Either I win or my crew member wins. Crew members suck. They get in the way and no matter if you have a faster car and use continuous nitrous through the race they will be ahead of you most of the time. Even other racers aren't far behind. I like to use the unlimited nitrous cheat because driving fast is the only thrill of this game and maybe I'll win it soon and be put out of my misery until the next edition of Need for Speed comes out. I would not buy this game at this price. Wait for it used or until the price drops.

NFSC

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: December 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First of all go OHIO STATE win the bcs National Title. With that said this game is pretty good the cars are beatiful and the crew members are morons. The cars are highly detailed and are just amazing. But i think the crew members are a letdown they pull in front of you slam and the brakes and maake you lose they also take you on long detoures and no matter how fast you go you can't pass them. The canyon duel is a great idea but it didn't turn out so well no matter how hard you try you can't pass you oppenent and they won't fly of the canyon and you can't make them (I tried it wasn't pretty). Great story line but it's too short it took me maybe 7 hrs to beat. A goood game overall.

NEED FOR SPEED CARBON

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

MY TWO GRANDKIDS LOVE THIS GAME SO MUCH. THE ACTION IS GREAT AND THE CAR DESIGNS TEY LOVE. IT'S A HIT WITH MY BOYS!

Great fun!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This was a gift, and the individual was very happy with this game.

Need for Speed Carbon

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this for my grandson for Christmas 2006. He used it all day and still uses it. Shipping was very quick.

NFS Carbon

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The wording that shows up on the screen while playing is in your viewing area and the challenge isn't as intense as the last NFS Most Wanted

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