Need for Speed Carbon

Need for Speed: Carbon is a game the celebrates street racing culture.

Need for Speed: Carbon begins where NFS: Most Wanted ends. This is a continuation of that story. There’s no need to play Most Wanted to enjoy Carbon, but it can enhance the experience. The game features an open world, and you can drive around it taking on challenges at your preference. Of course, not everything is unlocked from the start, and you’ll have to work your way up the fame ladder.

As with the game before it, car customization is integral. Not only will you purchase cars and win pink slips, but you’ll continue to upgrade your entire garage. The amount of aftermarket parts you can choose from is staggering, and this isn’t just about performance. The vinyls are fully customizable, and you can move, resize and skew every decal.

You can opt to play in a single-player mode, a multiplayer mode via the Internet and a local co-op mode that supports up to two players. Vehicles are spread across three performance tiers — low, moderate and high — and three classes — exotic, muscle and tuner. There are also some cars that are only available via DLC. All event types are included in the default game, and these include time trials, head-to-head races, races featuring many vehicles and much more.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Need for Speed game without hot pursuits, and that element is certainly there. Throughout the game, you’ll have to be on the lookout for police. Evade them to win even bigger prizes and more street cred, but getting nabbed will hit you in your wallet.

Pros

• Open world
• Vehicle customization
• Hot pursuits

Cons

• Some DLC cars