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Rating: 
-
This really is a great racing game. I love the selection of cars they have for you and also the autosculpt feature is very cool. The vinyls that are available and ability to move them as you want allow you to create a unique car to tear up the canyon with. The only drawback I see is it could have been more challenging.
Rating: 
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Need for Speed Carbon is a good addition to the Need For Speed Series. Right from the beginning it give you options, and thats what this game is all about. You can choose from 3 different classes of cars, Exotic, Tuner, and Muscle, each with its own perks. This choice can affect certain things such as where you start off, as well as what type music you will be listening to as you're cruising the streets. Customization is anoth factor, you can choose just about everything that you could want to change on your car, especially with the new "Autosculpt" feature. This allows you to modify certain aspect of parts of your car such as the depth of indentations on your hood, or the width of your spoiler.
Aside from all the options that are laid out for you to pick and choose, there is a good story, should you wish to follow it. The graphics of some of the cut-scenes are surprisingly detailed and add to the wow-factor of the game.
As for the races, they are fairly typical of the Need For Speed races. The drift takes some getting used to, but once you have it figured out, getting through the should be a breeze. But now there's a new twist. There are canyon races, including dual (which I'll go over later), drift and sprint. They're pretty much like what they sound, you're high up in a canyon and you have to do your best drifting down, or beating 3 other cars racing down. Now as for canyon duals, you are one on one with another racer, placed behind them, are given points based on how close or far behind you are trailing the other racer. Then after that race, you switch roles, and you are the leader and the other racer follows. You win either by passing the other car in the first race, out distancing it in the second, or by having more points at the end. In both canyon drift and dual, you have to be sure of where you are going because some of the railings will let go should you crash into them, and you will have to start all over.
In Free Roam, you're pretty much allowed to go where ever you would like to go like the previous games, but unfortunately there are no shops to poke around for, so you never really get to know the city map, you just generally get a feel. But with no real need to learn the map, you mostly just end up using free roam to look for the police. Nothing really new as far as the police, pretty much it's the simple, they see you, they try to catch you, you dont let them.
The Last thing thta I would like to mention is how quickley the game is over. It can be finished in little under a week, if you work at it. With out so much emphasis on using free roam, and not a huge quatity of races to win, the game seems to end rather fast. And that's how this game is, quality over quatity. Though you can start the game over again, and choose a different type of car to start off with (ex. muscle), it can get old pretty fast. The Challenge Series can provide some entertainment and extend the gameplay some and can be fun, so long as you don't expect the gold level races to be easy.
So that's what I found in Need For Speed Carbon, very good quality and range of options, but lacking quantity. Hope this helps :)
Rating: -
There are so many different racing games out there heavily thriving to find out which one to gamers is the best. Sony has done extremely well with the Gran Turismo series for their Playstation and PS2 systems, while Xbox has thrived with Forenza Sport racing. Gamecube owners have also succeeded with Mario Kart: Double Dash. But, when it comes to video racing franchises, Need For Speed is king. Since EA unveiled the franchise nearly a decade ago, racing fans have been eating the dust away, trying to make it all the way to first place. Now, with the Gamecube nearly ending, does Need For Speed deliver the final time?
Need For Speed Carbon for the Nintendo Gamecube is the last edition of the franchise for Gamecube owners, and it thrives in the mad dash to be the best. The gameplay of course brings out th elements that delivered from Need For Speed: Most Wanted last year, with the nightlife element from Need For Speed Underground. The object of the game, takes a few twists here. Like before, you have many courses to tackle, without the drag races from the Underground series and Most Wanted, like the return of the drift races, and the infamous canyon duels, where you'll challenge the boss of the neighborhood to a fast and furious showdown. The game features automobiles like the delightful Mazda RX-8, and muscle cars. In the game, you can race against foes, and assistance from crew members that can help you make it to the goal: scouts that help you find shortcuts, blockers that collide into foes cars, and drifters, which give you a boost of extra speed out in the races. The graphics in the game are beautiful, and deliver the atmosphere of the gameplay well. The control also tunes well, with each car in its respected class, exotics, muscle cars, and tuners that are more about control and acceleration.
All in all, I was impressed with Need For Speed Carbon for the Nintendo Gamecube, knowing this will be the end of Need For Speed for gamecube players. This game delivers what it had promised, a thrill of the chase that brings every racing fanatic to start their engines. If you have the Wii or Gamecube I definitely think this is truly a must buy.
Graphics: B 1/2-
Sound: B
Control: B+
Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2-
Overall: B 1/2+
Rating: -
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.
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