Review - Need For Speed: Carbon (PC)

Every year, inevitably, Electronic Arts pushes down the throats of the players 'new' versions of their major franchises - "new" in quotes because, as we know, not always the versions are so new, falling milling repeat that, besides represent a major problem of electronic entertainment today, is able to relegate true best-sellers to oblivion.

"Need for Speed" has lived both sides of the coin, achieving success on his debut in 3DO, but losing to the road over the years, thanks to issues plus lackluster for many platforms. However, in a time when the series was given almost as "dead," riding the wave of tuning, popularized by "The Fast and the Furious," EA has brought to the "Underground," which merited further. Then do not let the ball drop with "Most Wanted", which brought to light again, the police chases.

In parallel, competition has also accelerated the pace, with other interesting franchises such as "Burnout," "Midnight Club", "Flatout," "Test Drive" etc. Given the abundance of options, again drew up a risky scenario for "Need for Speed", as issues like illegal racing and tuning have been exploited to exhaustion in different variations.

Therefore, "Need for Speed: Carbon" comes with a responsibility and so, but fortunately for, while bringing significant and interesting stuff, keep the ingredients that made the series so well, like art to modify the bolide and climate "underground."

Downhill

The major innovation of the game is the Canyon Duel mode, which places two competitors to race on tracks which dangerously surrounding canyons. There are two rounds, placing you as a fighter and hunter: the first is necessary to pursue the enemy, without losing sight of it, keeping a distance within the tolerance limit; the next round, the roles are reversed, then the goal is to outwit your pursuer. However, if the pursuer to overtake and stay more than ten seconds ahead of the other, he wins.

In the first round, the closer you keep the opponent, the more points accumulated, while in another step, he will try, of course, reduce your points by doing the same. To win the duel, you must finish the race with the account of points in the "blue". But this is not the only way to win or lose the race: if, at some point, you hit it hard enough to break through the guardrail, falls gorge below and of course things end.

But what really attracts the Canyon Duel is that this is a race of pure skill, which, as faster, more dangerous is the dispute.The tracks are extremely winding, which makes things even more exciting. If nothing else, it's all in the race: no extra features, such as nitro or SpeedBreaker to facilitate the service.

During the race, a small window displays the face of his opponent and of course their provocations when you become ill. All in favor of the competitive climate, which has everything to do with sport. Moreover, some evidence of the manner Drift happen around canyons and give another climate, since it is much riskier skid since a stronger beat in protection can not only result in loss of points, but in removing the player.

Gang war

The Career mode, as always, is the main dish, covering virtually everything "Need for Speed: Carbon" can offer, with an average of 14 hours. The cars are divided into three categories: Muscle (great good news), Tuner and Exotic. Shortly after choosing one, you can assess whether it was just what best fits your style before you buy.

So, you're presented with news of the Career mode, which now has a map, divided into several parts, which resembles a chessboard of "War." The city is dominated by gangs and the main goal is obviously to win the most possible territories.Occurs, however, that their fields can be attacked by rival - gangs Bushido, Kings and Los Colibri - then sometimes we have to run (literally) to defend them. The ultimate duel for dominance of a territory is against a "boss" - usually the leader of the gang. They are "battles" fought to truly share, in the Canyon Duel mode, which can make you sweat to win.

The plot remains shallow, superficial and Hollywood, but a notable effort to add at least a little more direction to the story.Not just gangs have names and individual identities, but throughout the game you will know their members in a plot led by many dialogues and characters. It is no wonder, but when it comes to a racing game , is a good size.

The police still in pursuit of the runners, then each zone has a meter that shows how the area is covered by the law. If she is "hot" too, is the great possibility of the cops show up to complicate further his life. A good alternative to the police let go of your foot is to change the color of your car and tuna it, dodging any problem.

Teamwork

"Need for Speed: Carbon" introduces the series the "crew members", stripped and unselfish teammates that during some evidence of the career mode, are dedicated to helping you with no apparent desire to contest the victory. They fall into three categories: blocker, as the name suggests, block opponents, delaying them in the race; scout who discovers the shortcuts of the runway, and finally, drafter, which takes its lead in providing the vacuum for you to achieve a reasonable speedup.

To trigger the help of "ally" is necessary to fill a bar. And there would be no more appropriate way to do it: with speed. That's right: the more you accelerate on the runway, the faster the meter reaches the maximum level. Artificial intelligence usually works well because when it's possible the guys do everything to help you - it is clear that if a "drafter" and it is in you in the first and last, for example, not expect that, on command, he exceeds all to provide you with vacuum. It is therefore necessary to be aware when requesting assistance, not to squander chances.

You can count on only a "crew member" for racing, and they are recruited throughout the game. There is a special screen where you manage all of them by selecting them and modifying their vehicles convenience. During races, they talk all the time, mostly to say they are in trouble or phrases to shout encouragement.

Neville, a "blocker," is his first ally, and like all others, possesses skills and even some extra bonus. Each race earns next to Neville, for example, 200 bills you extra cash, and the level of "zone heat" of the area does not increase.

As much as there are times when your ally can not do anything for you, and even with the use limitations imposed by the meter and the fact that I can only run alongside one at a time, the news adds a significant dose of strategy, besides leaving the game a little more varied. Purists who like to run by themselves, have the option of simply not trigger the support of team-mate.

The online mode supports up to eight participants, in versions for PC, Xbox 360, and eventually also on the PlayStation 3, while the current generation, formed by GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox, has no functionality.

Tuning in the limit

The interface style "Conquest" for the career mode the game also did well, primarily because the navigation is quite easy. You can move freely between the different areas (even those not dominated by you), in "Free Roam", or choose a challenge on the map, on the other side of town and instead of having to drive there, the game already automatically loads the race.

The Safe Houses, scattered in different locations on the map, are sites where you can tune up your bolide. At this point, the biggest news is the Autosculpt tool that allows you to customize your car with a depth never before seen, changing size, proportion and other characteristics of the different parties. It's almost like "draw" certain parts and decals, which means that if you dedicate yourself to tunagem it is almost impossible to cross with another vehicle equal to his in online mode.

The graphics are on the level that is usually presented by the series, although we do not impress much. Because the races take place 100% night lighting effects still play a crucial role in the visual, alongside the blots that generate high rates of speed on the screen. The soundtrack, in turn, brings that enviable selection of songs in the style rock. But the biggest change is that even in the dialogues during the race, convey the tension of the race, leaving it more engaging.

Overhaul

"Need for Speed: Carbon" is not the game with greater impact in the series, but managed to renew it enough to not fall into the void, so real risk that affects the franchises overexploited. Canyon Duel, the new format of the Career mode and the "crew members" in addition to the tool Autosculpt guarantee a promising life to the game.

Minimum Requirements
Processor: Pentium IV 1.4 GHz or equivalent Athlon
Processor speed: 1.4 GHz
RAM: 256 MB
Video Memory: 64 MB
Direct3D: Yes
DirectX version: 9.0c
Operating Systems: Windows XP
Space: 6 GB free disk
Other: NVIDIA GeForce3 / NVIDIA GeForce4 (TI series only) and ATI Radeon 8500 or higher.