Racing simulation game
Need For Speed Carbon is an Electronic Arts game that features intense car racing along with an exciting story arc. As the successor to NFS Most Wanted, it added many features to the series while improving on some aspects of the gameplay to deliver a more realistic experience.
Gameplay
Playing the game requires little of your computers: RAM requirements are at 512 MB. It works on all Windows PCs after Windows 7. The playing experience is smooth, especially with later patches.
EA offers a trial so that you can experience a taste of the world before purchasing the product. The campaign is an important part of the experience with a lot of cutscenes and an interesting story to follow as you make your way to the top of the racing food chain.
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New features
As normal with NFS, you need to win races to get more money to unlock new cars and parts. Customisation comes in, especially if you win mini-challenges. However, the game introduces the crew system, with drafters, scouts, and blockers.
Unfortunately, these new integrations in Carbon don't work well as they threw the balance of the system out of order. Also, drift was reintroduced with this game and muscle cars could be used. Lastly, online matches were improved for all systems.
Alternatives
Need for Speed MW is one of the landmark games with the series. EA released a newer edition of the game in 2012 that significantly improved its graphics, making those comparable to Carbon. Most Wanted stands out with its amazing police car chases, while Carbon has a better campaign.
The Forza racing series is the most serious competition NFS has. If you prefer grand police chases and story elements, Forza is not for you. However, if you enjoy a strong car racing element and more customisation, this series will fit your bill.
Solid entry to the series
Overall, there is hardly anything bad to say about this Electronic Arts title. For an NFS game, it does lack in epic chase sequences, and the crew system was badly integrated. Other than that, this title stands as a great addition to any NFS racing collection.
