Carbon illustrates why you shouldn't buy that '81 Chevette you've been thinking about. by Patrick Evans

June 25, 2006 - Need for Speed Most Wanted brought EA’s street racing series back its roots with the reintroduction of law enforcement into their equation. Sending a release just yesterday, EA has announced the upcoming Need for Speed Carbon to every platform, handheld, and PC.

Details thus far are few and far between. Carbon made a very small appearance at E3 in May as a five second clip in their trailer medley projected in their booth. Now, we have a small glimpse at a storyline and gameplay mechanics with this release.

Today’s release reads “What starts in the city is settled in the canyons as Need for Speed Carbon immerses you into the world’s most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing.” It continues by stating players will conquer rival neighborhoods “one block at a time.” Action will shift to Carbon Canyon, where “territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve.”

Without getting more than a couple screenshots and the trailer at E3, it’s possible that the latest title may feature racing similar to that which is popular in the Japan and featured in the new movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Again, this is just speculation from the drifting cars in the demo, now visible at the Need for Speed website.

EA also promises to feature more in-depth car customization through new “Autosculpt” technology, allowing you to represent your city and crew through your machine.

With details incredibly light, and the scheduled release date only months away, expect plenty of information to be released about Carbon in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned to Cheat Code Central for the latest as it comes from EA.

Please note that this preview does represent the handheld versions of the game as they will be quite different. Screenshots provided are intended to illustrate the game on the next generation consoles are from the Xbox 360 version.

By Patrick Evans
CCC Staff Writer

Rating out of 5 Need For Speed Carbon (Wii) NA Graphics Not Available NA Control Not Available NA Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting Not Available NA Play Value Not Available NA Overall Rating - Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.