Need for Speed Carbon

Is it possible to milk the Need For Speed (NFS) franchise any more? Electronic Arts, the game\'s maker, obviously thinks so. The first title came out in 1994 and the latest NFS Carbon marks the twelfth time the racing series has rejuvenated itself. But instead of getting more challenging for veteran fans, the series has been increasingly dumbed down. It looks prettier than ever with a new glossy coat of paint, but the races are getting a little too easy. The premise is simple -- win a myriad of car races, improve your car\'s performance, and then fight to become the top racer in town. Since NFS Underground (2004), the series has also emphasised the \"zhng\" factor, or how you can improve the look of your car with paint jobs and accessories. But strangely, the car\'s performance is never affected. How is it that it can run just as fast after bulky bumpers and side panels are installed?

NFS Carbon also cashes in on the recent \"drifting craze\", popularised by the movies Initial D and The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift. Drifiting basically refers to how cars are made to skid at high speeds around tight corners, and in Carbon, the \"drift races\" take place on treacherous mountain roads. Every time you go up against the top drivers, they will challenge you to a two-part downhill drift match. You are required to keep close to your opponents when you give chase or pull away as far as possible when they are on your tail. The first time you play this, you will probably keep crashing through dividers and over the cliff because your car\'s handling is simply the pits. The low difficulty also applies to other types of races in the game (circuit, speed trap and sprints).

To make the solo game even easier, you now get a \"wing man\", who can help you block off opponents, find shortcuts or slingshot your vehicle ahead. They do help a bit, but it\'s frustrating when they end up blocking your way. Even more annoying is the fact that your wing man can win the race for you. Where is the satisfaction in that? Police chases crop up in the game once again, but they pose little challenge as well. With all that said, people will probably still go out and buy NFS Carbon for the love of the cars. There are favorites like the Subaru Impreza WRX, BMW M3 GTR, Mercedes CLK 500, Lotus Elise, Porsche Cayman and new muscle cars like the Dodge Challenger, all ready to be customised to your liking. Take note that PC users will need a really powerful computer to run the game at smooth frame rates. NFS Carbon is also available for the Xbox 360.