Sunday, April 22, 2007

need for speed most wanted

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (NFS:MW) is a multiplatform racing video game, developed by EA Black Box and first released by Electronic Arts for the United States on 15 November 2005. It is part of the Need for Speed series of games. The game reintroduces police chases into a large body of the game's street racing-oriented gameplay, with certain (but not all) customization options from the Need for Speed: Underground series. The game is also succeded by Need for Speed: Carbon, which serves as a sequel to Most Wanted.

Most Wanted has been released for Windows-based personal computers, the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360 (as a launch title), Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and mobile phones. Another version of Most Wanted, titled Need for Speed: Most Wanted: 5-1-0 has been released for the PlayStation Portable.

Black Edition, a collector's edition of Most Wanted, was released in celebration of the Need for Speed series' tenth anniversary and in conjunction with the release of Most Wanted. The Black Edition features additional races, bonus cars and other additional content. The Black Edition also comes with a special feature DVD that contains interviews and videos about the game. The Black Edition was released for both the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the United States and Australia;[1] only the PlayStation 2 version of Black Edition was released additionally for Europe.[2][1] The Black Edition was also released in many major Asian countries for all platforms.[verification needed]

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Main article: Need for Speed series characters#Most Wanted
A scene of Career mode's introductory cut scenes, featuring Mia (foreground) (played by Josie Maran).
A scene of Career mode's introductory cut scenes, featuring Mia (foreground) (played by Josie Maran).

In the Career mode storyline, the player's career is initially presented in a series of days which shows the stages of event to the present day. It starts when the player challenges a young man named Clarence Callahan, also known as "Razor", in a race, but the scene is interrupted and the story goes back to 6 days before when the player crossed a bridge into Rockport, looking to build up a reputation by winning races against local street racers, ranked according to a "Blacklist." The player character encounters several racers and beats them all, thanks to his heavily-modified BMW M3 GTR (V8), and eventually runs into a local street racing gang which turns out to be quite unfriendly to new drivers on the scene. The leader of this gang is Razor, and he is the #15-ranked street racer on the "Blacklist"—an underground list of the top 15 street racers in Rockport. Razor is also a cheater, and he sabotages the BMW before racing the player, forcing a loss and, in accordance to Blacklist rules, the forfeit of his car. Shortly after, the police arrive as Razor and his gang flee the scene, leading to the player's arrest by Sergeant Cross, one of the most experienced police drivers on the Rockport police force, for street racing.

The player is released because he didn't have a car at the time of his arrest. He is picked up by a mysterious woman named Mia Townsend (Josie Maran), who tells him that Razor has used the player's car to make his way to #1 on the Blacklist, while two of his gang members, Bull and Ronnie, have also taken Blacklist spots two and three, respectively. With help from Mia, a sympathetic street racer named "Rog," and monetary winnings from his pre-Razor races, the player is able to purchase a new car and slowly work up the Blacklist, with the goal of confronting Razor and reclaiming his BMW. As the game progresses, the player beats each member of the Blacklist in one-on-one races and builds up both cash (which is needed to purchase and upgrade cars) and a sizable reputation. Upon defeating Razor and winning the car back, it is revealed that Mia is actually an undercover police officer who has, with the player character's unwitting help, been working to arrest every member of the Blacklist. Cross dispatches the police in full force in an effort to capture the player (now back behind the wheel of his BMW), but five minutes into the pursuit, they are foiled when Mia develops feelings for the player and shows him the route to a bridge under construction. The player jumps over the bridge and makes it to the other side while the police force was unsuccessful. The player leaves Rockport for good, and in the end is listed as a fugitive on the nation's most wanted list.

Need for Speed: Carbon's storyline is a continuation from the end of Most Wanted, and shows the player leaving Palmont City in the same BMW...

Spoilers end here.

The cut scenes in the game are presented in a significantly different style from the Underground series, with CGI effects (encompassing car exteriors and environments) mixed with live action. This presentation of cut scenes is used again in Carbon.

[edit] Gameplay

A standard four car Circuit race in Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
A standard four car Circuit race in Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Most Wanted, like other Need for Speed games, is essentially a driving and racing game, where the player selects one car to reach a destination or race. Police chases have once again been integrated into certain racing sessions, in which the police employ vehicles and tactics to either slow down or halt the player's car. As players take control of faster cars and increasingly rely on nitrous oxide speed boosts (the oxide meter now reloads automatically, for the first time since its introduction in Underground), driving sequences become fast-pace and intense, similar to the Burnout series.

Three distinct regions are offered in the city of Rockport, along with cycling weather. There is no racing in the night, all the action is done between sunrise and sunset. A Grand Theft Auto-like free roam mode is still provided like Need for Speed: Underground 2, but is still limited to Career mode, as well as pursuit-based events in other modes. Most Wanted continues to avoid the use of major vehicle damages on all racing models, as it has been with the Underground series, with only scratched paint and heavily cracked (but not shattered) windscreens comprising the whole of the racers' damage modeling. Police cars, however, are subjectable to extreme physical body damages, and immobilization if they flip over or have been heavily damaged by "pursuit breakers" (see pursuit system) or the player's car.

[edit] Modes

The Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren is one of fastest cars in the game; here a heavily customized version is shown.
The Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren is one of fastest cars in the game; here a heavily customized version is shown.

The game provides players with a selection of game modes, which include a combination of races and police chases. In Career mode, achieving goals by winning races and performing a number of actions, dubbed "Milestones", during police pursuits, as well as a minimum Bounty (see #Pursuit system for details on Milestones and Bounties) are needed to advance in the storyline and race against any of the mode's 15 Blacklist racers. In the Xbox 360 version, the player is awarded with points each time a Blacklist opponent is defeated. Career mode introduces a new feature - the ability to win a Blacklist opponent's car ("pink slip"), bonus functions (e.g. the ability to "Get Out of Jail Free") or car parts and decors ("backroom parts"), after defeating the opponent in question. These come in the form of six markers - the rival's pink slip (which is concealed as a bonus marker), two bonus function markers, and three custom backroom parts markers of which there is a part, visual, and performance marker, called a junkman marker in the game, that the player can select - of which the player can choose only two. New cars and parts are also unlocked as the player progresses through Career mode by beating Blacklist racers.

In addition to the Quick Race and Career modes, there is also a "Challenge" mode comprised of 68 progressively difficult challenges (69 in the Black Edition) where players are required to successfully complete Tollbooth races and pursuit challenges, such as disabling a number of police cars. The pre-tuned cars used in each Challenge is fixed, ranging from mostly Career cars with poor handling to traffic vehicles such as a cement truck or police cars. Additional bonus cars may be unlocked as the player progresses through Challenge mode.

In terms of actual variations of races, Most Wanted inherits several racing modes prevalent in its Underground predecessors. The game's four existing modes: Circuit races, point-to-point Sprint races, Lap Knockout races and Drag races, remain largely unchanged since the first iteration of Underground, while Drifting, Street X, Underground Racing League tournaments and Outrun racing are foregone. Meanwhile, Most Wanted see the introduction of two new racing variations, which places emphasis on speed. The first mode is known as "Tollbooth," where a player races alone to designated checkpoints (toll booths) along a point-to-point route before time runs out (similar to Time Attack modes in arcade-style racing games); the more time a player has as they reach a toll booth, the more time they have to arrive at the next one. The second mode, dubbed "Speedtrap," sees racers competing with each other to get the highest accumulated speed record at multiple traffic cameras. At a speed trap/traffic camera, players accelerate their car to aim for the highest possible speed. Accumulated speed is reduced over a period of time after an opponent crosses the finish line first.

[edit] Pursuit system

The player's car (identified from a dial at the left as having achieved a fourth "Heat" level) is in pursuit by several undercover state police cars and a police helicopter in Free Roam mode. This screenshot also depicts the use of simulated (not actual) HDRR on the sunny sky and surface lighting.
The player's car (identified from a dial at the left as having achieved a fourth "Heat" level) is in pursuit by several undercover state police cars and a police helicopter in Free Roam mode. This screenshot also depicts the use of simulated (not actual) HDRR on the sunny sky and surface lighting.[3]
Police chases make their return to the NFS Franchise after an unpopular absence.
Police chases make their return to the NFS Franchise after an unpopular absence.

Most Wanted features police pursuits in the game for the first time since Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002). In Career mode, police pursuits may occur during a race or during free roaming through the city, depending on the frequency of the police units in the area and the offenses players have committed. The player can initiate a pursuit immediately from the game's Safe House or menu by choosing an unfinished Milestone or a Bounty. Pursuits can also be initiated by selecting an appropriate Challenge (in Challenge mode). Traffic offenses committed by the player are known in game as "Infractions".

The police pursuit system is significantly more complex than its previous Hot Pursuit incarnations. The manner in which the police handle a player is now determined by the number of "Heats", or wanted level, of the player's current car (although this has been similarly utilized in Hot Pursuit 2). Heat levels, which increase with the length of a police pursuit and the amount of damage caused by the player during the pursuit, add a twist to the pursuit in that if the player's driving becomes attention-grabbing, state or even federal authorities might go after the player. The higher the car's Heat level, the more aggressive the police units are against the player, employing additional tactics and tools, such as roadblocks, spike strips, police helicopters and heavier and faster police cars. In fact, about ten police cars may be observed pursuing a single car under higher Heat levels. There are six Heat levels in total, made out of three police divisions (Civic, State and Federal), each with marked and unmarked police cars, as well as police SUVs that would join from the third Heat level and onward. The highest heat level in open play is the fifth heat level, the sixth heat level being only available during the final pursuit. The Black Edition of the game includes a seventh Heat level, featuring Federal SUVs, available only in a Challenge mode mission.

If a car achieves at least heat level 5, Sergeant Cross may also join in the pursuit in a Chevrolet Corvette C6(.R) with customized paintwork.[1] However, these Heat levels cannot be achieved until the player is ranked at least fifth on the Blacklist. Players not fulfilling this criterion have neither the cars nor the experience to deal with Sgt. Cross.

In Career mode, pursuits are integrated into the game in such a way that it is necessary to challenge Blacklist racers. Completing "Milestones," which involves committing at least a specified amount of traffic offences or pursuit lengths during a chase, and collecting an amount of "Bounty", a form of credit accumulated as players continue to evade the police or damage police units, are requirements. A car's Heat level may be reduced by changing the physical appearance of a car by changing body parts or paint color, or using another purchased car to race in the streets. Rap Sheets, with records such as the player's infractions, cost to state, deployed tactics and pursuit lengths, are also available for viewing by "hacking" into police records, and also includes the player's standing in each individual record against those of other Blacklist racers.

Players are provided with several additional features which are useful during pursuits. The Speedbreaker, provided within the driving interface, slows down time (similar to bullet time), momentarily adds weight to the player's car allowing it to become more difficult for other vehicles (especially police vehicles) to push around, and induces a drift. This allows the player a limited amount of time to quickly maneuver the car out of difficult situations, or assess an escape route through a road block or spike strip blockade.[2] Another feature in Most Wanted are Pursuit Breakers, road-side objects which are designed to collapse when a player uses their car to knock down its support, either damaging or disabling following police cars (which can be visually seen in many cases) or forcing units to deal with the subsequent effect of the collapse (in one example, if a player smashes through a gas station, radio chatter from a unit requests haz-mat units to help deal with the explosion at the gas station).[3] In addition, players are also required to ensure that they are not spotted again by the police shortly after evading all police units; a "Cooldown" period is required to be met before police units give up and cancel a perimeter search of the player's car. Cooldown spots, hiding spots where players may park in, are also scattered around the city, helping to shorten the Cooldown period and end pursuits quickly. However, certain hiding spots may still be exposed and may be discovered by searching police units.

While the game features police cars, including those in the form of 2004/2005 Pontiac GTOs and Chevrolet Corvette C6s, Most Wanted does not allow players to play as a pursuing police in chases. However, players may drive several police cars in Challenge mode, but are solely used in checkpoint races and police pursuits, where the police are still pursuing the player.

  • ^ Sergeant Cross's Chevrolet Corvette C6 changes between the cut scenes and gameplay. The Corvette featured in cut scenes is a Corvette C6.R. The car used when he appears in an in-game pursuit has the same body model as other Corvette police cars but sports the unique paint work of his car in cut scenes. This is more likely to be a technical limitation of the game.
  • ^ ^ In addition to applications in police pursuits, both the Speedbreaker and Pursuit Breakers are also available for use in standard races, including Drag races.

[edit] Car customization

As in the preceding Underground installments, the performance and physical appearance of the player's car could be extensively modified, but options for exterior modifications have been simplified to only the essentials, with specific parts (i.e. individual bumpers, side skirts, lights and exhaust pipes) foregone, and are primarily used as methods of decreasing the car's wanted level, compared to increasing a car's "reputation rating" in the Underground games. Additionally, players are allowed to assume a sleeper appearance for cars without penalty in Most Wanted.

[edit] Online play and tech support status

Online play is included with what is described as a "similar feature set to Underground 2" though this time, world-wide play is included with no conflict between the North American and European versions. Prior to the release of Most Wanted, a decision was made not to include online play for the PlayStation 2 version (including the Black Edition, despite fan requests). It is speculated that EA Games had dropped the PlayStation 2's online services in favor of Xbox Live for the Xbox and Xbox 360.[citation needed] However, the PlayStation Portable version of the game would support this feature.[4] Both the PlayStation 2 versions of Underground and Underground 2 had previously included online play.

EA has recently announced they won't be supporting the PC version of the game, either by patches or any other method (as of March 14, 2006). The latest patch for the PC version (1.3) was released on December 6, 2005.[5]

[edit] Cars

Promotional screenshot of Rockport's fall foliage of Most Wanted for the Xbox 360. Depicted here is a Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Promotional screenshot of Rockport's fall foliage of Most Wanted for the Xbox 360. Depicted here is a Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Most Wanted's graphics engine has improved over Need for Speed: Underground 2, most notably the dramatic use of color shading to give the game a sepia, "washed out" tone and extensive use of Bloom Effects; creating a pseudo HDR effect and making the daytime setting seem very bright and surreal.
Most Wanted's graphics engine has improved over Need for Speed: Underground 2, most notably the dramatic use of color shading to give the game a sepia, "washed out" tone and extensive use of Bloom Effects; creating a pseudo HDR effect and making the daytime setting seem very bright and surreal.

Cars included in Most Wanted can be categorized into 3 distinct types, including "Euro imports" and Asian (mostly Japanese) import tuners cars, (mostly European) exotic cars and American muscle cars. The Black Edition of Most Wanted also includes a standard BMW E46 (M3 GTR V8) and a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, along with an array of specially tuned and customized versions of stock models from the standard edition of Most Wanted, such as the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, the Porsche 911 GT2 and the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R .

The following lists models provided in game, including those only made available in the Black Edition:

The customized BMW M3 GTR V8 featured prominently in the game and its cover art is also recreated in real-life by Tuner Tansformation, with a 2-door coupé BMW 330Ci upgraded with M3 GTR performance parts, as well as customized paintwork to the likeness of the in-game depiction. A television program dedicated to the customization of the car debuted on the SPEED Channel on November 14, 2005.[6] [7]

[edit] Soundtrack

Although Most Wanted continues the Need for Speed: Underground series's appeal of modifying and "tuning" custom cars to suit a player's tastes, the customization and visual modifications have been greatly reduced compared to Need for Speed: Underground 2, removing many unnecessary and pointless additions like speakers, neons, and spinners and instead giving users a few basic but varied options to change their car's appearance when their 'heat levels' get too high .
Although Most Wanted continues the Need for Speed: Underground series's appeal of modifying and "tuning" custom cars to suit a player's tastes, the customization and visual modifications have been greatly reduced compared to Need for Speed: Underground 2, removing many unnecessary and pointless additions like speakers, neons, and spinners and instead giving users a few basic but varied options to change their car's appearance when their 'heat levels' get too high .

As in other EA Black Box Need for Speed games, Most Wanted's soundtrack comprises of a licensed selection of hip hop, rock, metalcore and electronica/techno music. Additionally, Paul Linford provided interactive scores for police pursuit sessions. The soundtrack listing is as followed:

  1. Styles of Beyond - "Nine Thou" (Superstars Remix) (3:48)
  2. T.I. Presents The P$C - "Do Ya Thang" (4:05)
  3. Rock - "I Am Rock" (3:23)
  4. Suni Clay - "In A Hood Near You" (3:59)
  5. The Perceptionists - "Let's Move" (2:55)
  6. Juvenile - "Sets Go Up" (3:37)
  7. Hush - "Fired Up" (3:18)
  8. DJ Spooky and Dave Lombardo - "B-Side Wins Again feat. Chuck D" (4:31)
  9. Celldweller feat. Styles of Beyond - "Shapeshifter" (3:17)
  10. Lupe Fiasco - "Tilted" (3:25) (appears on the single Kick, Push)
  11. Ils - "Feed The Addiction" (3:54)
  12. Celldweller - "One Good Reason" (3:24) (appears on the album Celldweller)
  13. Hyper - "We Control" (2:54)
  14. Static-X - "Skinnyman" (3:23) (appears on the album Start a War)
  15. Dieselboy + Kaos - "Barrier Break" (6:27)
  16. Disturbed - "Decadence" (3:18) (appears on the album Ten Thousand Fists)
  17. The Prodigy - "You'll Be Under My Wheels" (3:53)
  18. The Roots and BT - "Tao Of The Machine" (Scott Humphrey's Remix) (3:06)
  19. Stratus - "You Must Follow" (Evol Intent VIP) (3:55)
  20. Mastodon - "Blood And Thunder" (3:41) (appears on the album Leviathan)
  21. Evol Intent, Mayhem & Thinktank - "Broken Sword" (5:59)
  22. Bullet for My Valentine - "Hand Of Blood" (3:17)
  23. Paul Linford and Chris Vrenna - "The Mann" (3:28)
  24. Avenged Sevenfold - "Blinded In Chains" (5:55)
  25. Jamiroquai - "Feels Just Like It Should" (Timo Maas Remix) (3:00)
  26. Paul Linford and Chris Vrenna - "Most Wanted Mash Up" (3:34)

[edit] Reception and criticism

Reviews
Publication Score
IGN
8.5 out of 10[8]
Game Informer
8.5 out of 10[9]
GameSpy
4 out of 5[10]
GameSpot
8.4 out of 10[11]
Game Revolution
B+[12]
1UP
8.6 out of 10[13]
PC Gamer
86 out of 100
PC Zone
88 out of 100
Compilations of multiple reviews
Game Rankings
82 of 100 (based on 23 reviews)[14]
Metacritic
82 out of 100 (based on 19 reviews)[15]

The game enjoyed very good sales and positive reception by gaming magazines and fans alike. However, the driving physics are considered by some to be the worst that EA has ever put out, resulting in slightly lower player ratings.[citation needed]

[edit] Need for Speed: Most Wanted: 5-1-0

Need for Speed: Most Wanted: 5-1-0 is a PlayStation Portable port of Most Wanted, released on the same day as its console and personal computer counterparts. Similar to Most Wanted, Most Wanted: 5-1-0 features a similar Blacklist 15 listing and Career Mode, with the addition of "Tuner Takedown", a "Be The Cop" mode not featured on Most Wanted. Most Wanted: 5-1-0 lacks many elements of its other console and PC counterparts, like cut scenes, a storyline and a free roam mode, and contains minor differences (including listing the real name of a Blacklist racer rather than his/her nickname). The title of the game is based off the numerals "5-1-0", which is the police code for street racing.

[edit] Trivia

  • The "Diggy's Donuts" shops in Rosewood[citation needed] is a homage to the "Piggy's Donuts" shops in the Country Woods track, featured in Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed: High Stakes, and Need for Speed: Carbon.
  • A reference to the Need for Speed: Underground series is made in the game when Rog states, "look what the Underground let loose. let's see how you do in the daylight." Both Need for Speed: Underground and Need for Speed: Underground 2 take place entirely at night, while Most Wanted takes place at daytime. It also implies story continuity, with Most Wanted taking place between the events of Underground 2 and Carbon. Another reference is seen towards the end when Rog sends the main character a message saying "people as far as Bayview are throwing money down on this", whereas Bayview is the setting of Underground 2. Also, in the challenge series, references to the Bayview Police Department are seen. However, police activity is non-existent in Underground 2.
  • The real name of Blacklist racer #9 "Earl" is Eugene James in all versions of the game except for 5-1-0 on the PSP, where he is named Pierre Dupont.[citation needed]
  • Need for Speed: Carbon: Own the City, a PlayStation Portable port of Need for Speed: Carbon, takes place in a city with a layout similar to Rockport (renamed "Coast City"), instead of Palmont in the console versions.[citation needed] The PSP port of the map omits the Camden Beach area.[citation needed]
  • When the player is arrested at a heat level that does not feature civic police cars, the arrest footage will only feature civic police cars.[citation needed]
  • Later shipping PC discs appear to carry the bonus tracks and cars originally present only in the Black Edition.[citation needed]
  • The PC version of Most Wanted features an unusual bug that prevents the game from initiating a normal autorun from the game's disc when Underground is installed; an Underground splash screen instead of one from Most Wanted appears, followed by an error message prompting the user to insert the correct disc. Uninstalling Underground resolves this problem.[verification needed]
  • The 18-Wheeler's paint scheme is very similar to the one of the BMW M3 GTR.[citation needed]
  • A building in Rosewood, near Diamond Park, features a sign that reads "nfsmw [(Need for Speed: Most Wanted)] we're rocking the port [(Rockport)]".[citation needed]
  • Unique performance parts in Most Wanted are dubbed "Junkman Parts". Similarly, a character in Need for Speed: Underground, the Junkman, provides players with unique performance parts.
  • In Drag races, if you concentrate close enough, you will see that all the innocent cars also have the "NFSMW" license plate. You can only see this if you crash into an innocent car and get totaled.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Black Edition) release information at MobyGames. Retrieved on September 22, 2006.
  2. ^ Need for Speed: Most Wanted release information (PlayStation 2 version) at GameSpot. Retrieved on September 23, 2006.
  3. ^ Appears to be a misconception. Most Wanted's graphics system does not utilize SM3.0 HDRR, but an SM2.0 effect known as "Overbright" used by EA Games to simulate HDRR. It increases the brightness of bright areas and decreases the brightness of dark areas, appearing similar to "bloom" effects. The graphics also hacks in the eye-adjustment effect of HDRR when the player car comes out of tunnels; game visuals becomes momentarily blinding before normalizing.
  4. ^ No OL for PS2 Most Wanted, PSP OL confirmed. Tor Thorsen, GameSpot. Retrieved on September 22, 2006.
  5. ^ Need for Speed: Most Wanted patch 1.3 at The Software Patch. Retrieved on September 22, 2006.
  6. ^ Printed description of Tuner Transformation-built BMW. DPEngineering. Retrieved on November 10, 2006.
  7. ^ Tech stuff/Projects at official Tuner Transformation website. Retrieved on November 10, 2006.
  8. ^ Perry, Douglass. Need for Speed: Most Wanted review at IGN. IGN. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
  9. ^ Mason, Lisa. Need for Speed: Most Wanted review at Game Informer. Game Informer. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
  10. ^ Osborne, Scott. Need for Speed: Most Wanted review at GameSpy. GameSpy. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
  11. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff. Need for Speed: Most Wanted review at GameSpot. GameSpot. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
  12. ^ Ferris, Duke. Need for Speed: Most Wanted review at Game Revolution. Game Revolution. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
  13. ^ Anonymous. Need for Speed: Most Wanted review at 1UP. 1UP. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
  14. ^ Need for Speed: Most Wanted for PC. PC Reviews. Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  15. ^ Need for Speed: Most Wanted for PC. PC Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.

[edit] External links

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carbon

Plot outline

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Races with as many as 12 cars racing on the same track are now featured in Carbon; as well as a larger variety of licensed vehicles than its predecessor Need for Speed: Most Wanted; from the "Exotic," "Tuner," and "Muscle" categories.
Races with as many as 12 cars racing on the same track are now featured in Carbon; as well as a larger variety of licensed vehicles than its predecessor Need for Speed: Most Wanted; from the "Exotic," "Tuner," and "Muscle" categories.
Carbon allows the player to change every aspect of their car's appearance; from the exhaust tips to the entire body kit. Here, a stock Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 is compared to a heavily modified Audi Le Mans Quattro, showing the range of possibilities.
Carbon allows the player to change every aspect of their car's appearance; from the exhaust tips to the entire body kit. Here, a stock Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 is compared to a heavily modified Audi Le Mans Quattro, showing the range of possibilities.

The prologue to the beginning of the Career Mode, starts out with the player driving down Carbon Canyon in their BMW M3 GTR, which the player won back from Razor (the antagonist in Need For Speed Most Wanted) in the final Blacklist race in Rockport. The story is recalled throughout the game with the use of FMV sequences, which are presented as "flashbacks". The first flashback recaps the player's last race before he left Palmont, driving Darius's Toyota Supra, in Palmont City (with Kenji, Angie, and Wolf racing against him). As the cars approached the finish, the Palmont PD ambush them and use some sort of EMP device to disable all the cars, apart from the player's. Nikki, the player's friend throughout the game, rushes to the car to drop off a bag containing the prize money. As she tries to pass the bag over to the player a 'cop' pulls her away, and the player makes his escape through an alley that is strangely blocked by Chrysler 300C after the player escapes. The player opens the sack only to find it is filled with paper, implying there were two bags, a decoy and a real one; and that they had been switched without Nikki realizing. As the flashback ends, Darius advises the player to leave the city with his car rather than face the heat. The subsequent introductory race involves Cross (the former Rockport Police Sergeant), who is now a bounty hunter, pursuing the player down a Canyon in his Chevrolet Corvette C6, just as the player is about to drive away. Like the intro race in Most Wanted, this race ends abruptly, fading out as the player's car slams into a truck. The next cut scene shows the BMW M3 GTR totalled and cornered by Cross, who is all too happy to finally settle their old score from Rockport. Eventually, Darius comes to the scene in his Audi Le Mans Quattro. Darius gives Cross the money he needed, and Cross goes away.

As Darius explains to the player now the main concern in Palmont is the current war for territories between rival Racing Crews. There are 4 dominant gangs ruling their respective areas of the city, three of them headed by the player's opponents during the race that fateful night the player left; as well as Darius's "Stacked Deck", along with several minor gangs. Darius recruits the player with the intention of using him to take over the city for "Stacked Deck", to return Darius's favor of saving him from arrest.

As the player progresses through Career Mode and proceeds to win more and more races, the player gains new territories and eventually wins complete control over a gang's entire district. After taking all the territories in one district, the boss of the district's dominant gang challenges the player to a series of 2 races: one on the streets of his or her respective district and the second in the canyons. If the player wins, they are awarded "Marker Cards" similar to those in Need for Speed: Most Wanted; the player can choose two out of a possible six cards, one of which maybe the pink slip to the defeated boss's car. After that, a member of the defeated crew will ask to meet the player, where he/she will then reveal their point-of-view of the night the player fled, giving clues to help the player make sense of the suspicious circumstances of his departure and offer to join your crew.

After the player defeats all three crew bosses, Darius offers to meet up with the player. Instead of congratulating him, he accuses the player of stealing the money that was dropped off in the player's car and asserts that the city is rightfully his own. He then has Cross, who was waiting for the player; arrest him. Next, Darius takes the player's car keys and hands them to Nikki, asking her to bring the player's car to his garage. However, Cross instead releases the player as Nikki tells him of a deal she made with Cross, before handing back the player's keys. She also helps the player connect his crew members' stories to reveal the true nature of the police intervention: Darius had set up the fateful race to allow him to become head of the Dominant "Crew" in Palmont and to drive the player out who was a threat to him. Part of Nikki's deal, includes her racing as part of your crew.

The player is then given access to Silverton, the final District the player has to conquer, controlled by Darius's "Stacked Deck". Here Darius is agitated by the player's dominance and recruits the three other major crew bosses to race against the player; part of the deal presumably, providing them with new cars as well. Once the player defeats of all of Silverton's territories, he is challenged to a series of 4 final races, the first two against all three of the other gang's bosses, the 3rd a street duel and the finale; a Canyon Duel with Darius.

After Darius is finally defeated, he grudgingly hands over the keys to his Audi. Darius then leaves without much left to say, but not before giving a final warning that "there's always someone out there who's faster than you are, and sooner or later they're going to catch up."

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Car Customization

Carbon allows for a considerably larger number of car customization options than the previous game in Most Wanted. The new AutoSculpt feature allows you to take stock after market parts such as spoilers and rims, and shape and mould them to your liking, adding and defining little touches, such as shape, contours, size, etc. It also allows you to layer as many vinyls as you like, which was previously not possible in Most Wanted; and pick from an enormous amount of colors, different paint types for your car, vinyls, rims and other various accessories. There is also the option to tune the performance for your cars by tweaking performance parts like Turbochargers for example, to have more or less Torque or Horsepower; or choosing between Wheels that have very good grip or very good drift characteristics. All the performance tuning options have their advantages and disadvantages however; i.e. Nitrous Oxide systems that have a high velocity provide a quick surge of high power but have much less capacity. This allows for a much greater variation in performance among the same or similar cars.

[edit] Characters

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Need for Speed series characters#Carbon. (Discuss)
Main article: Need for Speed series characters#Carbon

There are several main characters that the player encounters during the game, some of these character's can eventually become part of the player's own street racing "Crew":

Name Casted by Voice by Car(s) Boss of Description
Nikki Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmanuelle Vaugier Ford GT - The player's ex-girlfriend who is on your side for most of the game and reveals much of the back story to you. She becomes a selectable crew member as a "Drafter" later in the game.
Darius Tahmoh Penikett Tahmoh Penikett Audi Le Mans Quattro Stacked Deck The game's chief antagonist and boss of "Stacked Deck", whom you end up racing in the final canyon duel to control all of Palmont. Although he helped you escape in the beginning, he reveals his hidden agenda as you capture territories and as the game progresses.
Cross Dean McKenzie Dean McKenzie Chevrolet Corvette C6 - The former Police Sergeant of the Rockport Police Department who lost his job after failing to stop you from escaping Rockport in NFS: MW. Currently works as a bounty hunter bringing street racers such as yourself to justice, however his hidden agenda in the storyline is never made clear and although he is tipped off by Darius as to your whereabouts, Nikki manages to somehow secretly call him off after making a deal, and you escape from him once more.
Angie Danielle Kremeniuk Danielle Kremeniuk 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
2006 Dodge Challenger Concept		 21st Street She's the Boss of a gang called "21st Street" located in the Kempton District; prefers muscle cars.
Kenji Ken Kirby Ken Kirby
Archie Kao		 Mazda RX-7
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX		 Bushido He's the Boss of a gang called "Bushido" located in the Downtown Palmont District; prefers tuner cars.
Wolf Shaw Madson Shaw Madson Aston Martin DB9
Lamborghini Murcielago		 TFk He's the Boss of a gang called "TFK" located in the Fortuna District; prefers exotic cars.


Pole Position on a circuit race in Need for Speed: Carbon; the player's car in the foreground is a Nissan Skyline R34 GTR V-Spec, a Tier 3 Tuner Car in the game.
Pole Position on a circuit race in Need for Speed: Carbon; the player's car in the foreground is a Nissan Skyline R34 GTR V-Spec, a Tier 3 Tuner Car in the game.

Note that the three crew bosses have two cars listed, the first is their primary car which they use earlier in the Career Mode against the player when he races for control of their respective Districts, and can be won by the player after capturing all of their territory. The second can only be seen after the player defeats all of the above crew bosses and unlocks the final district, Silverton. They then proceed to work for Darius, trying to bring you down under his orders and race against the player. Their final cars have new "Stacked Deck" paint jobs, with vinyl designs similar to that of their former crews. Their racing and handling AI has also somewhat markedly improved from the player's previous encounters with them.

As the game progresses, the player can select the following people to be a crew member; however the player can only hire 3 crew members at a time, and only one active crew member can participate with the player in a race. Since the player can only hire 3 members at a time, it allows for some planning and strategy as to the outcome of races. For example, if some extra cash was needed and the player didn't want attract extra police attention in the territory he was racing in; a combination of at least one Mechanic and Fixer would allow for some extra cash and less heat from the police. While every crew member has a unique skill and specialty, they also reveal to the player a piece of the storyline, recalling what they specifically remember from the mysterious night the player left Palmont in the beginning:

Name Casted by Voice by Car(s) Roles Skills Description
Colin Steve Lawlor Steve Lawlor Tier 1: Alfa Romeo Brera
Tier 2: Porsche Cayman S
Tier 3: Porsche Carrera GT		 Drafter Fabricator Comin is a drafter in the game. A drafter goes in front of you and if you stay right behind him, your car will increse speed.(because of less air resistance)If you stay behind him, you will increase speed and have alot better handling. Ranking member of Wolf's TFK before his defeat. He reveals to the player that he knows what the thief who switched the money bag looked like. Uses Exotics.
Neville Chris Gauthier Chris Gauthier
Brian Scolaro		 Matches Player's STARTING class

Tuner: Tier 1: Mazda Mazdaspeed 3
Tier 2: Renault Clio V6
Tier 3: Nissan 350Z

Muscle: Tier 1: Chrysler 300C
Tier 2: Ford Mustang GT
Tier 3: Shelby GT500 '67

Exotic: Tier 1: Alfa Romeo Brera
Tier 2: Lotus Elise
Tier 3: Lamborghini Gallardo

 Blocker Fixer Your first crew member, portrayed as an awkward, obese, typical social loser; albeit a formidable Blocker, he uses cars in the same class as the player.
Nikki Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmanuelle Vaugier Ford GT Drafter Mechanic The last person to join your crew. She only uses a Ford GT, and is available after you start racing against Darius in Silverton. See above table in the table for more info.
Sal Elias Toufexis Elias Toufexis
Josh Keaton		 Matches Player's STARTING class

Tuner: Tier 1: Mazda RX-8
Tier 2: Volkswagen Golf R32
Tier 3: Toyota Supra

Muscle: Tier 1:Chevrolet Camaro SS
Tier 2: Dodge Charger SRT-8
Tier 3: Shelby GT500 '67

Exotic: Tier 1: Mercedes-Benz CLK-500
Tier 2: Porsche Cayman S
Tier 3: Lamborghini Gallardo

 Scout Fabricator Sal is a scout,which means he tells you where the alleys are and helps you find the shortest way to the finish line. The second racer to join your crew, a young, experienced driver, he is interested by your former "reputation". He uses cars in the same class as the player.
Samson Noah Danby Noah Danby
Joe May		 Tier 1: Chevrolet Camaro SS
Tier 2:Dodge Charger R/T
Tier 3: Plymouth Hemi `Cuda		 Blocker Fixer A member of Angie's "21st Street" Crew before her defeat. The only former crew member to not fly his respective crew's colors, he explains that the driver of the Chrysler 300C that aided your escape in the beginning has a badge on his belt. He favors Muscle Cars.
Yumi Melody Melody
Kim Mai Guest		 Tier 1: Mazda RX-8
Tier 2: Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
Tier 3: Subaru Impreza WRX STi		 Scout Mechanic Formerly a member(possibly second-in-command)to Kenji's "Bushido" before his defeat. Yumi explains she had tuned into the Palmont Police Radio frequency during your escape and explains that the ensuing chaos was all set and planned from the start. Uses Tuners.


Crew Member Name Main Ability / Sub Race Bonus Career Bonus
Colin Drafter / Fabricator Longer Draftstream when active Enables AutoSculpt Spoilers, Exhaust Tips, Wheels and Chop top (Muscle Cars only)
Neville Block / Fixer Zone Heat doesn't increase after the race +$200 add to winnings
Nikki Drafter / Mechanic Speedbreaker and NOS get an extra 50% Car Purchase get an 10% Discount
Sal Scout / Fabricator Zone Heat is reduced after winning Enables AutoSculpt Body Kits, Hoods and Roof Scoops
Samson Blocker / Fixer 10% of winnings is added to total winnings Controlled Zones draw less cop attention
Yumi Scout / Mechanic NOS get a 25% boost Performance Parts Purchase will get a 10% Discount
A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX MR Edition during a circuit race in Carbon.
A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX MR Edition during a circuit race in Carbon.

Other miscellaneous people include:

Name Casted by
Stunt Nikki Silje Halvorsen
David David Footman
Flag Girls Cheryl Dee Chung
Heather Johnson


[edit] Crews

Bushido
a Tuner Crew led by "Kenji", they control the Downtown District of Palmont.
T.F.K.
an Exotic Crew led by "Wolf" who race in the Fortuna District.
21st Street
a Muscle Crew led by "Angie", who controls the Kempton District.
Stacked Deck
the most powerful crew in Palmont the player must race against, with a variety of Exotic, Tuner and Muscle cars of tier 3 origin; led by Darius in the Silverton District.

[edit] Minor crews

Inferno
A minor and weak Muscle Car crew that can be found in some parts of Fortuna.
Los Colibries
A minor crew with muscle Cars that control a small part of Downtown.
Scorpios
A slightly more powerful crew that favors tuner Cars, that can be found in Kempton and are led by a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.
Kings
The weakest of the minor crews, they are found in the Downtown District and only challenge in the player in a few races; and are subsequently completely defeated. They drive all types of cars.
Rotor 4
Another minor crew which drive tuner vehicles that can be found in the Fortuna District.
Black Hearts
A small group, who are mainly in Kempton District. Prefers exotic cars

[edit] Official cars

A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and a Lamborghini Gallardo in a Canyon Duel--a game mode that resembles touge.
A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and a Lamborghini Gallardo in a Canyon Duel--a game mode that resembles touge.

The cars in Need for Speed: Carbon are divided into three categories:

Tuner Cars: Their strongest point is handling, with decent acceleration but slower top speed. They consist of Japanese cars and mainstream European models.

Muscle Cars: Their strongest point is acceleration and have decent top speed. Their handling is also poor though, and such cars are prone to sliding. Most cars are from companies of the United States.

Exotic Cars: Their strongest point is their top speed, and are the most balanced, performance-wise, of the car classes. Most cars are from European companies.

*Exclusive to EA Downloader NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition
**Exclusive to NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition
***Accidentally locked cars that were meant to be available
#only playable in Challenge Series

The official site only lists 46 vehicles, 3 of those being special police cars.[2][3]

[edit] Cut Features

This is a list of some of the features that were originally intended to be a part of Carbon but were cut either due to time restraints, changes in design or difficulty of implementation:

  • A police helicopter that fired vehicle EMP disablers (much like the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious) was supposed to join Police Pursuits in the game at Heat Level 3, but was cut due to the complexity of mapping paths in the air.
  • Customizable license plates. This feature could be unlocked in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. EA chose to cut it because they wouldn't be able to restrict what players would put on their license plates (eg. offensive/obscene words).
  • Drifting races with computer players racing alongside the player; however programmers had difficulty in programming the AI to drift. This feature was included during drift races in Need for Speed: Underground 2.
  • Rain during drift races.
  • A fourth type of crew member: a "Persuader", who could cause traffic to block the player's opponents. This was cut due to programming difficulties.
  • Traffic in Canyon Duel and Race Wars.
  • Many UCAP (motion capture for facial expressions) scenes were cut due to the sheer amount of rendering power needed.
  • 20 Car races were cut from previous-generation (i.e. PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox) console versions of Need for Speed: Carbon due to lack of processing power and ability to handle complex graphics and large races. These versions also do not show the faces of the drivers in their cars, when they talk to the player; instead returning to the "talking cars" cut-scenes from Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
  • A flag girl (the girl in cut scenes before a race who flags the start) for Tuner races (currently there are only Muscle and Exotic flag girls in the game).
  • Including the San Juan district as a fully-explorable starting area prior to Palmont, complete with Police AI. Cut due to complexity and size.
  • The ability to adjust the Pitch of your car's suspension, making it slant downwards.
  • The ability to get more than a 20x bonus multiplier on Drift races.

[edit] Trivia

  • When a player is in pursuit Heat Level 5 or more in the challenge series, Cross's Z06 Corvette will appear; visually exactly the same as his pursuit Corvette from Rockport, down to the police department badge.
  • The San Juan district is unaccessible by free roam. It is only used as a practice course in the beginning of the game (available in the Collectors Edition), or in Pursuit Tag.
  • All the hotels and casinos in Silverton are spoofs of their real-life counterparts (e.g. the London hotel is a spoof of the New York, New York resort and casino, in Las Vegas.
  • Cross's Corvette C6 is the same Corvette C6 from Need For Speed Most Wanted, only the police logos and vinyls were removed.

[edit] Soundtrack

Much like the previous Need For Speed titles, the soundtrack features a variety of electronic, hip-hop, and rock music. The list of licensed tracks is as follows:

  1. Dynamite MC - "Bounce" & "After Party"
  2. Ekstrak feat. Know-1 - "Hard Drivers"
  3. Eagles of Death Metal - "(Don't Speak) I Came to Make a Bang"
  4. Every Move a Picture - "Signs of Life"
  5. Gary Numan/Tubeway Army - "Are 'Friends' Electric?"
  6. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - "Scorpio"
  7. Goldfrapp - "Ride a White Horse (Serge Santiago Remix)"
  8. Kyuss - "Hurricane"
  9. Lady Sovereign - "Love Me or Hate Me"
  10. Ladytron - "Sugar (Jagz Kooner Remix)" & "Fighting In Built Up Areas"
  11. Melody. - "Feel The Rush (Junkie XL Remix)"
  12. Metro Riots - "Thee Small Faces"
  13. Part 2 feat. Fallacy - "One of Dem Days (Remix)"
  14. Pharrell feat. Lauren - "Skateboard P presents: Show You How to Hustle"
  15. Priestess - "I Am the Night, Colour Me Black"
  16. Roots Manuva - "No Love"
  17. Spank Rock - "What It Look Like"
  18. Sway - "Hype Boys"
  19. The Bronx - "Around the Horn"
  20. The Presets - "Steamworks"
  21. The Vacation - "I'm No Good"
  22. Tiga - "Good As Gold"
  23. Tigarah - "Girl Fight (Mr. D Hyphy Mix)"
  24. Tomas Andersson - "Washing Up (Tiga Remix)"
  25. Valient Thorr - "Heatseeker"
  26. Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"
  27. Wolfmother - "Joker & the Thief"
  28. Yonderboi - "People Always Talk About the Weather (Junkie XL Remix)"
12 Racers pitted against each other in the new "Race Wars" tournaments, unique to Carbon.
12 Racers pitted against each other in the new "Race Wars" tournaments, unique to Carbon.

[edit] Critical Reception

Many magazines reviewed the game well. PCFormat gave it a score of 78%, saying that it was "engaging enough," but lacked innovation. IGN.com gave it a 7.9 and 8.2 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions respectively, out of 10 possible points.

"It's not revolutionary, it's not brilliant, but it's good, deep racing." said IGN.com

One criticism of the game is that it doesn't take a lot of time to beat. Gamespot noted that it only took them 7 hours to beat, hugely shorter than the gameplay time needed for its predecessor.

Another major criticism of Need for Speed: Carbon was that with its release, many of the anticipated cars such as the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 were unaccessible in game. After much criticism from common Need for Speed forums such as NFSUnlimited.net and NFScars.net, EA's representative Smoothie later discussed this as a minor problem made during the late production of the game, and respectively, EA released packages of the locked cars available for download for $5.00 USD on the game's website.

It must also be noted that Carbon's road system has not been built to "Most Wanted" caliber, with far too many corners to provide a driving experience. Top speeds are not easily attained, with many of the roads resulting in awkward turns and corners.

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