Need for Speed: Carbon is one of the earlier titles in the Need for Speed racing franchise, a series that has been developed by Electronic Arts for quite some time now. The game had originally come out on PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox, Wii, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, DS, PSP, and mobile devices on the 30th October 2006, and was effectively released on every platform it could at the time. With Need for Speed: Carbon, it’s all about taking the city back for the player and proving to a few old friends that they’ve still got what it takes to run this city!
How to Download Need for Speed: Carbon
You can download a free demo of Need for Speed: Carbon by clicking the download button below. If you like the series, be sure also to download and check out other smashing Need for Speed hits such as Need for Speed Underground 2 (2004) or Need for Speed (2015).
The Game Review
Racing games have never really been known for their story but Need for Speed: Carbon definitely tried to give it a go. The game starts off with the game racing against some of their friends, but by the end of the race, the three of them get arrested, with only the player escaping. By the time they return to the city, they get in trouble with a cop who wants the player to take down the three main districts in the city from a couple of gangs, in return for not having them arrested. From there it’s just a case of the player doing race after race, taking over the city for this certain individual.
When it comes to the controls, it’s pretty typical – depending on the chosen console – but for the most part, it’s just one button to accelerate, one to brake, and one to use a turbo boost. In addition to this, the player can acquire a crew behind them and use them in certain races. In those races, depending on the type of crew member that they’re using, the crew member will do different actions against the opponent, typically disturbing them for a brief moment or even running them off the road. Crew members aren’t required to win all of the races, but they’re a nice extra to make the game a little more accessible for the player.
Gameplay is pretty typical, but what isn’t is the upgrade system. To unlock upgrades in this game, the player has to complete certain races and events that crop up during the game, and providing that they are successful they will be able to implement that part onto the car, improving its overall performance. There are a number of different classic race types in the game, such as Sprint, Circuit, Checkpoint, Drift, and general races. There is also the pursuit mechanic that returned from Need for Speed: Most Wanted, where the player has to outrun the police.
In terms of comparisons, the game borrows a lot from its previous Need for Speed titles, along with classic racers, such as Midnight Club, and even a little bit of Burnout. The game uses a lot of inspiration from its previous titles to create a great Need for Speed title that’s still quite playable to this day.
For anyone that’s ever wanted a great, older racer, then this is definitely the title for them. Need for Speed: Carbon visually might not have aged as incredibly well as some other racing games, but the gameplay more than makes up for that.
