Graphics wise
NFS:Carbon delivers just about what we have all come to expect from an EA game. It’s looks better and is more well conceived than all the low end racers (
GT Pro Series I’m looking at you), but it can’t hold a candle to
PGR or
Gran Turismo. This is a shame really as the Wii is supposedly more powerful than a Game Cube or even and original Xbox. In reality it barely looks any better than its Game Cube counterpart, and can’t even maintain the same frame rate. I realise it’s a launch game and EA had very little time to get the game together, but I expect a system that’s actually plays GC games to be able to run at least as well as it’s precursor.
Another thing you can always count on when you pick up an EA game is a good, well-rounded feature set. They may not always be the most inspired titles but they do always have excellent productions values and
NFS:Carbon is no different. Besides the basic car unlocking and customisation that, to varying degrees, comes with almost every “Street racer” ever,
NFS offers what EA calls “Auto-Sculpt”.
Initially I had imagined this to be a more in-depth feature, allowing truly original and even outlandish designs but in reality it’s just a series of sliders associated with each piece allowing certain aspects to be edited. While it won’t let you recreate your favourite Transformers vehicles, it does allow for a nice level of visual customisation that was a lot of fun to toy around with.
Yet another new feature added in this year is the “Crew” system wherein you can command a posse of fellow drivers to do your bidding. Scouts will run ahead of you identifying possible shortcuts as you go. Blockers can be called upon to muscle out competition during a race, and drafters will line up in front of you for a short while allowing you to get a temporary boost in speed by staying in line with them. While this certainly sounds like a worthwhile addition that could add a lot of needed depth to a standard racing game, I rarely found myself calling on it. I had little concern for my Crew as characters either.
Another EA staple is painful music. Much to my surprise, the music included on the latest version of
NFS doesn’t make me want to stab my ears with a screwdriver. Not to say I’ll be rushing out and buying any new CDs based on what I’ve heard, but the music works well and the setting for the most part doesn’t make me hate life. Other sound effects are of the above average quality one expects from an EA title. Different vehicles all have their own unique engine noises and, as mentioned before, even the voice-acting of your crewmembers when in-car is refreshingly well done.
The multiplayer is an unfortunate disappointment. It’s almost 2007 and I just can’t get into two-player races. Unless the game implements a catch-up system like
Mario Kart the races usually end up with one player taking an early lead and easily holding it for the remainder of the race. Most of my time on split-screen started off with my competitor and I trying to ram each other into a wall. After those first 30 seconds the winner of the altercation almost always maintained the lead.
The graphics in split-screen mode also take a notable hit in quality. Most jarring of these is the real-time reflections on the cars. While the game does manage to keep up the reflections in multiplayer, the speed at which they are drawn is in the neighbourhood of five-times a second at most. The result is your car appearing to blink as the area maps are being redrawn. It’s just peculiar and once you notice it it’s hard not to think about.
NFS:C is a good racing game. It won’t be heralded years from now as an innovative turning point in the genre, but it does what it does well. Decent graphics, good sounds, fair acting and high production values all serve to accent the classic
NFS game play. The addition of the Wii-specific controls actually adds to the experience, allowing for a more tactile racing game without having to purchase an expensive peripheral wheel. True racing fans should of course stick with
PGR or
Gran Turismo and a force-feedback wheel. But if you own a Wii and are looking to have a fun single-player racing experience, this is by far your best bet.
SPOnG Score: B
Good arcade-ish controls that are only made better by the Wii Remote’s unique features. Competent graphics, sound and FMV drip with the gloss of EA production value. Lack of four-player or online play hurts long-term replayability. Few graphical glitches and slow-down are inexcusable on even a “New-Gen” console. Easily the best racing game in the Wii launch lineup.
