Review: Need for Speed Carbon (PS2)

Recent entries in the Need For Speed series have seen the franchise hurtle down the wrong road, losing track of its roots in a frantic attempt to compete against Burnout or the extremes of Pimp My Videogame Car. Gamestyle is pleased to report that Carbon represents a three-point turn, and although there is plenty of work left, this about turn is progress.

Carbon works overtime to bring a storyline to the genre, and to some degree succeeds in adding some scripted spice to proceedings. You take the role of a nameless legend, returning to his old stamping ground after bailing out several years before. To say the local police aren't pleased is no surprise, but former friends are angered by your return, or more likely your vanishing act. It's up to you to pay back debts, regain respect and make amends - and the only way to achieve all of these is on the road.

Through progression you acquire new members of your crew who (when selected) can perform specific actions; scouts who can find new routes, or blockers who can take out the opposition. This may sound like a tactical opportunity but, for the most part, whomever you select will just utter repetitive phrases while you overtake opponents. Still, their involvement does make for some pretty cut sequences, which remind you that this is an EA title.

The overall storyline is diminished by the lack of depth; the majority of gangs you overcome in your quest for turf remain faceless, when more characters would have enhanced the experience. The city landscape is divided up into areas of turf, which can be captured by taking on challenges owned by other gangs. These increase in difficulty and act to open up new areas of the city, conveniently out of bounds beforehand. Boss challenges are underwhelming - a real missed opportunity, as they just fade into the melee of racing, and characterless encounters.

At the end of the day, Need For Speed is all about racing, and Carbon presents plenty of opportunities, wrapped up in bite-sized chunks of variety. Good planning has designed a cityscape that comprises of several unique environments, from the twisting mountain roads to the wide-open curves of the endless autobahn. Yet you might as well be cruising the streets of Silent Hill, as they are eerily deserted, with little life or movement.

Racing is easily the best aspect of Carbon, with small numbers of opponents and strong track design, encouraging further play. Police will often join the race, adding a twist and subsequent pursuit long after you've crossed the finish line. The various types of races you can engage in are hit and miss; easily the most satisfying are standard races, or speed chases where you race against opponents, trying to win the league by clocking up the highest average speed. Additional events - not key to progress, but only unlocking bonus customisation options - are the weak link in the chain. Gamestyle is already tired of trying to perform wheel spins around circuits and mastering insane scores whilst drifting. At least the variety of cars ranges from American muscle cars to boy racer Japanese offerings. It is far removed from being the most comprehensive list for a video game, but covers the major bases.

The customisation feature is available for those who enjoy tweaking and creating their own unique enhancement pieces. The actual choices you make are purely visual, despite engines, turbos, suspensions and so on being within your remit. Any customisation selection you make has little impact on the track in terms of performance. Carbon does not convey the sense of speed either, and it's not really because the visuals it throws at you are absolutely breathtaking (far from it, in fact). It feels a little sluggish; stuck in the outside lane while competitors race ahead.

Bizarrely the production of your love and devotion (the car) cannot be shown off outside of your home. Surprisingly, Carbon rests solely on the main story mode, as the Playstation 2 version has not shipped with an online option. Whether this is a reflection of limited development time, poor PS2 online uptake or priorities being elsewhere is open to debate. It is a startling omission in an age where Gamestyle is expecting home console versions all to ship with some form online support.

Arguably the Playstation 2 is starting to show its age in the boy racer genre. Everything must be slick, fast, online and glamorous. Carbon, to its credit, has made some changes to the formula, but it cannot hope make up for blatant omissions such as an online mode. The next instalment should be very interesting.

Rating: 6 / 10

Words by Jason Julier