Review:

NEED FOR SPEED CARBON: OWN THE CITY

Genre: Racing
Publisher: EA Games
Players: 1-4 (AD Hoc)
Online play: Yes
Firmware: 2.71

Video:
Windows Media Player: NFS Carbon: Own the City - Trailer
QuickTime Player: NFS Carbon: Own the City - Trailer

Street racing is quite obviously about winning in style, and the new Need For Speed Carbon: Own The City has finally risen above the past two Need For Speed games on the PSP which had quite frankly been a huge disappointment. The new crew-based gameplay, new east coast city, new list of cars and visual parts have all made this game look and feel great. The city is yours for taking from your rivals, but your two wingmen might just make the difference between victory and defeat.



Own The City boasts a possible 29 different cars to race across the city at 200+ mph and customising your car hasn’t been better on our friendly handheld machine. This time around, Own The City also offers a wider selection of what I would call ‘beautiful’ cars, as well as the usual ‘pimp rides’ which are common with the Need For Speed series. The graphics in this game are pretty good, considering the vast selection of cars and size of the city, but a very infrequent glitch can occur at high speeds and the road will disappear for a second or two.



The controls have been a bit of a flop once again for the Need For Speed series. The game wants to look smart and professional, but the handling of all the cars feel very similar, if not the same. This means that two cars with the same acceleration, top speed and handling stats will drive in exactly the same way to each other. Unfortunately, this gives the game an unintentional arcade-feel to it and for this reason; keen racers may find this game very easy.



The AI is okay, and even though your wingmen usually help you out by trapping or damaging your rivals, they can occasionally get in your way and slow you down. Rival cars can be quite clumsy and ruthless when it comes to overtaking, but otherwise they’re able to stick to a good racing line and cover their tail when necessary.

The city can feel quite lonely due to the lack of civilians and lack of traffic on the streets, but we’ve got used to that from the past Need For Speed games. However, we have been treated kindly to a fascinating new feature to all games on the PSP: You can now listen to MP3 music you have stored on your Pro Duo memory unit while using the game. This is a new feature of customisation to your gaming experience and we love it!



Need For Speed Carbon: Own The City is fast and adequately furious, however it seems as though we’ve played this game before, and to be honest we probably have. The concept to the Need For Speed series really hasn’t changed much, and although we have enjoyed the new crew and personalised music features, Own The City is the same as its past titles. This game is worth buying if you like cars and racing games, but really don’t bother if you already have any other Need For Speed games.

The verdict:

Uppers:
- Nice selection of new cars
- Accompanying crew members
- Personalised music tracks

Downers:
- It’s the same as the other Need For Speed titles
- Arcade controls
- No human presence down-town

Overall score: 70%



Here is a list of the cars, for those interested:

Mazda Speed 3
Nissan 240 SX
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
Chevrolet Cobalt SS
VW Golf GTI
Pontiac Solstice
Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
Pontiac Firebird
Toyota MR2
1967 Ford Mustang
Mazda RX-8
Toyota Supra
Audi TT 3.2 Quattro
Chrysler 300C SRT8
Pontiac GTO
Lotus Elise
Ford Mustang GT
Mazda RX-7
1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR
Subaru WRX STI
Nissan 350Z
Aston Martin DB9
Porsche 911 Carrera S
Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Ford GT
Porsche Carrera GT
Lamborghini Gallardo
Lamborghini Murcielago




Henry,

29/01/2007