Need for Speed: Carbon

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 561 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 320 out of 561
  2. Mixed: 200 out of 561
  3. Negative: 41 out of 561
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  1. nyeven
    Mar 30, 2020
    4
    What starts as a pleasant introduction to a sequel to Most Wanted, in the ends turns into an annoying experience due to lack of features and a huge difficulty spike in the last race.

    I'm a huge Need for Speed fan. I've been playing it since Play Station 1 times. I loved Underground, Underground 2 and I loved the resurrection of cop chases in Most Wanted. I went into Carbon believing    What starts as a pleasant introduction to a sequel to Most Wanted, in the ends turns into an annoying experience due to lack of features and a huge difficulty spike in the last race.

    I'm a huge Need for Speed fan. I've been playing it since Play Station 1 times. I loved Underground, Underground 2 and I loved the resurrection of cop chases in Most Wanted.

    I went into Carbon believing it'll be at least as great as Most Wanted. Boy was I wrong. The crew member feature sounds good on paper, but it's horrible in practice. Here's a list of stupid things in Carbon:

    - The game that's based on customization and tuning of cars has a freaking limit to how many cars can you own!
    - Scout crew members were utterly useless because they'd always try to be first, but if they were too fast that would be overpowered. So expect you'll ram into your scout throughout the whole race if you're using it.
    - Switching to Hal to be able to autosculpt is horrendously annoying. It's mindblowing that some dev actually thought that was a good idea...
    - The menu controls and layouts are quite different than Most Wanted but there's no tutorial at the beginning.
    - Once you get used to drift races, the game is piss easy until you arrive at the last race. Have fun grinding it over 100 times because the difficulty spike is humorously sadistic.
    - What's the point of zone information appearing if that zone is in my control!? Good luck running away from cops while zone information takes 50% of your UI space.
    - The most fun moments of the game are cop chases, but at the beginning you get a crew member whose passive ability is to lower the heat after every race... Utterly retarded game design.
    - The only time when I got spiked was when I used a Pursuit Breaker. The game would enter a cinematic where you could see the Breaker destroying cop cars, but your car would be autocontrolled over spikes... Great job devs!

    I had a decent time playing this game for the first 95% of the playthrough but then all the stupid **** piles up and the horribly difficult last race was the last straw for me.

    I'd recommend avoiding this game.    … Expand
  2. modimagic
    Dec 3, 2017
    5
    Playing Need For Speed: Carbon after Underground 2 and Most Wanted was an underwhelming experience. I did not have as much fun as was expected. Now that I have completed it, I will never play it again.

    The graphics were worse than Underground 2 and Most Wanted. Palmont city is presented as a dark and dull place. Underground 2 was so well lit and colourful. Everyone had great    Playing Need For Speed: Carbon after Underground 2 and Most Wanted was an underwhelming experience. I did not have as much fun as was expected. Now that I have completed it, I will never play it again.

    The graphics were worse than Underground 2 and Most Wanted.
    Palmont city is presented as a dark and dull place. Underground 2 was so well lit and colourful.

    Everyone had great expectations from this game. I believe NFS: Carbon could have been a great game if developers Black Box had been given proper time to complete it and not rushed for release.

    I can only wonder what could have been...    … Expand
  3. Macmillan
    Aug 28, 2011
    7
    i like the concept of canyon racing.the way ea has detailed car visuals is also good.the bad thing is races are way too easy n cop chases arnt nessescary.rivals are very few too bt i must say scenary of palmount is good bt ea dosent utilised it in a good manner.it is a good game.bt most wanted is a lord of racing.
  4. Govin_Lock
    Nov 28, 2013
    7
    The graphic is as good as PS2 game, Has team race, good cars and challenging canyon duel. But the story is too short, more lack feature of pursuit and too easy for winning a race.
  5. mclure
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    I liked it, it is more modern than Underground and newer than Most Wanted 1 but it is all during the night with a continuation from where NFS MW left off.
  6. alexkowert
    Aug 31, 2014
    3
    This game is less than nothing! Graphic details are obviously lover than in Most Wanted (2005) but the game is newer, what´s wrong guys? It´s like the, damn, new year, we must present every year a new need for speed, lets sell dat ****. Save your money and keep playing underground 1-2 or most wanted, former days, better days for nfs...
  7. Marick
    Sep 22, 2014
    7
    Yeah. Need for Speed ​​Carbon is a little different than other series. He is trying to bring more story / action than other titles in the series. Unfortunately, the story is not so good. The thing I liked most is that the new mechanics introduced in the 4 "bosses".
  8. 09Ymmit07
    Apr 28, 2016
    10
    This game is absolutely a gem of a game. I started playing it when I was 7, and I still play it now. The graphics were great for it's time, and are still acceptable. The story is great, full of characters but just enough to remember. The cop chases are fun, with good AI. The escaped-busted bar system is one of the most innovative ideas in the racing series. The drifting is made very easy,This game is absolutely a gem of a game. I started playing it when I was 7, and I still play it now. The graphics were great for it's time, and are still acceptable. The story is great, full of characters but just enough to remember. The cop chases are fun, with good AI. The escaped-busted bar system is one of the most innovative ideas in the racing series. The drifting is made very easy, but still enjoyable. I also really liked the idea of capturing territories and racing against the 4 main bosses. The game is quite easy for standards nowadays but gets harder along the way. There is a good variety of cars and customization. You can edit the parts you put on your car with Autosculpt, which I also like because it is another way to make your car more personal. If you liked Most Wanted you will most likely like this too. The map is big enough and nicely distributed. This game is so good, I give it a 10/10. One of the best games out there on the market.… Expand
  9. caligula_king
    Oct 3, 2015
    3
    SOBREVALORADO , aburrido y esto de hacer carreras con equipos no me gusto nada . El peor de la saga . Solo me duro 2 semanas ( lo vendí por segunda mano ) .
  10. BreakingAwesome
    May 13, 2016
    10
    Самая лучшая классическая гонка когда-либо сделанных. Физика машин явно лучше, чем в Мост Вантед. Очень обширная прокачка и тюнинг автомобиля. Всё идеально!
  11. GreenSkullRider
    Jan 29, 2017
    10
    Este fue el juego final de la saga Underground de la Need For Speed, Wow que magistral juego para la época fue este Carbono, La sensación de velocidad y los gráficos fue increíble para cuando salio a la venta. La historia de lo mas cañera, La posibilidad de escoger a nuestros aliados con los pro y los contras que eso significa, Plantilla de vehículos excelente. La música como todos los deEste fue el juego final de la saga Underground de la Need For Speed, Wow que magistral juego para la época fue este Carbono, La sensación de velocidad y los gráficos fue increíble para cuando salio a la venta. La historia de lo mas cañera, La posibilidad de escoger a nuestros aliados con los pro y los contras que eso significa, Plantilla de vehículos excelente. La música como todos los de la saga sublime. Perfecto… Expand
  12. shoma-
    Apr 4, 2021
    8
    Хорошая игра, графика не режет глаз, карбон не затянутый, проходится быстро. Тюнинг хороший, физика аркадная и приятная
  13. TTWR
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    This is one of the best Need for Speed Games out. The story is realistic, and it tightened loose ends from the previous game, such as the autosculpt feature. The online play is set up good, and the amount of cars for the PC version is great. 10/10.
  14. pukkenr1
    Jul 27, 2013
    2
    worst nfs street racing game ever this game for those who dont have any driving skills graphics pure gameplay boring car's customization menu sux game for 10 YO babys...
  15. Dee383
    Apr 27, 2011
    4
    I Bought This Thinking It Would Be As Good As Need For Speed Most Wanted ... But The Storyline Was Boring . Graphics Poor ,, Gameplay Poor ........
  16. Boretobrine
    Nov 15, 2015
    10
    whats with all the negative reviews? i honestly don't get it, not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but this game is pretty damn awesome. first of all, customization is really good, however they did remove neon lights, but oh well. the paint styles are awesome (the styles look better on pc, because candy actually looks like candy paint, and chrome is a lot more reflect-ant on pc) andwhats with all the negative reviews? i honestly don't get it, not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but this game is pretty damn awesome. first of all, customization is really good, however they did remove neon lights, but oh well. the paint styles are awesome (the styles look better on pc, because candy actually looks like candy paint, and chrome is a lot more reflect-ant on pc) and also the body kits are great and u can manually sculpt different parts. the storyline is pretty awesome as well. its a sequel to most wanted (which you should stop praising because this game IS better and you are all just being a bunch of fanboys) and you pretty much return to palmont, your bmw gets wrecked, so you start from scratch and build your reputation up and gain more territory. Eventually you will fight one of the four bosses in the game and once he is defeated in a race, you will fight him in a canyon duel, which by the way is one of the most heart racing events in nfs history. and its just a great attempt. Sadly this was the last nfs game to have extreme customization and a good storyline, however it is fairly short, but it has really high replay value. Also, if you are bored, there are a ton of secrets and extra races to do, and you can even find hidden things by doing glitches (they are hard to do however because this isnt a very glitchy game) and its just a mess load of fun. there are still people making mods for the game as well. i still play this game to this day, and i hope the new nfs game comming out will be just as good.

    or even better!    … Expand
  17. XDavidX
    Nov 17, 2015
    10
    Need For Speed: Carbon is amazing game. For me all the things in this game is perfect. The story is also amazing. Still playing this. Buy this game now, its absolute worth to do this.
  18. kanefriessner
    Jul 11, 2012
    4
    This game is better than Most Wanted, but it has other big problems. The controlling is a bit better, but it's not good enough. The races are more exciting. In sprint or circuit there are 6 opposite racers (plus the ally). The negative in that part is that the AI is cheating again especially the ally racer. Mainly it's 95% chance that your ally win the race, if it's a pathfinder (eg. SAL).This game is better than Most Wanted, but it has other big problems. The controlling is a bit better, but it's not good enough. The races are more exciting. In sprint or circuit there are 6 opposite racers (plus the ally). The negative in that part is that the AI is cheating again especially the ally racer. Mainly it's 95% chance that your ally win the race, if it's a pathfinder (eg. SAL). The cops are more brutal than in Most Wanted, and that things not so helpful which are marked with triangles in the map. The story is really short but it's not too boring (as in Most Wanted or Underground). The selection of cars is little, really little. In the start you can only select from 3 cars. Then you haven't got enough money to buy a new (because you have to tuning your first car to win races with more money), except if you complete a race more then once. And yeah, there are not many races. In one territory, there are only 3 races. And how many territories are in the game? About 20. But in the first 5 territory, you can win those races in about 0.5 hour. In U1, U2 or MW the musics are great, the best part of the game. And now? Where are those metal and rock songs, huh? In this game, the musics are not the best part of the game, maybe the graphics are. Maybe.… Expand
  19. spartan-117
    Oct 2, 2010
    10
    For me the best NFS.Very awsome soundtrack races cars.I like even the bosses.Say hello to my little friend.
  20. JoseO
    Jan 4, 2010
    3
    no widescreen, i dont like the gameplay the graphics are bad, those are the main 3 aspects that made me not like this and some other new versions of NFS. To get it straight, for me i think the best NFS would be just either Most Wanted or Underground 2 with up to date graphics, less cartoonish and more real, with new and more parts, up to date cars, if possible real cities, or if not at no widescreen, i dont like the gameplay the graphics are bad, those are the main 3 aspects that made me not like this and some other new versions of NFS. To get it straight, for me i think the best NFS would be just either Most Wanted or Underground 2 with up to date graphics, less cartoonish and more real, with new and more parts, up to date cars, if possible real cities, or if not at least different cities and maybe 2 or more cities to choose from. This game has 1 thing i love, the fact that u can have your pieces to be longer or shorter, example: your rear bumper can be longer (closer to the floor) or shorter (further from the floor), the rims can be bigger or smaller and the tires can be wider or narrow. That new crew thing its good too, maybe with some mods would be good to keep it as an optional feature.… Expand
  21. DanielC.
    Jan 11, 2007
    2
    I got the demo of this and though, great! So I get the game finally and start playing. The new menu system is not very good or well rendered which at first, made me think it was going to be cheap. However, playing the demo the races were quite good and there "seemed" to be a large variety. When playing the full game I found that the new and improved drag races were few and far between. I I got the demo of this and though, great! So I get the game finally and start playing. The new menu system is not very good or well rendered which at first, made me think it was going to be cheap. However, playing the demo the races were quite good and there "seemed" to be a large variety. When playing the full game I found that the new and improved drag races were few and far between. I have only played about 5?! Most of the races were rubbish and nothing works properly. The graphics suck, the game play is worst and the lack of originallity. Even including the new duals and autp-sculpt system it is not changing direction at all. EA tried to make it somthing that no one wanted it to be. In my oppinion if they should change anything it should be the driving world, its far too boring compared to what we see in top of the line games. Forget autosculpt, its lack of scope and malubility makes it pointless to have and reducing the polygon count just for this doesn't help. I much prefere to just stick to the mod upgrades. Make the next game closer to Underground 1 and 2 with improved and more interesting worlds!… Expand
  22. BrianL.
    Jan 2, 2007
    3
    Just another NFS, please bring back MCO or sell it let the ones that loved this game play on.
  23. SteveO.
    Dec 22, 2006
    4
    Tired & repetitive. Done this 3 times before. Its time to drop the fast & furious style of gaming. Need for speed used to be a great series until it became a yearly update with nothing worth buying the next one for. Gameplay is very short and virtually the same as most wanted except its dark. The pointless mods are only a minor distraction from this and wingman, (WTF!) is that the best Tired & repetitive. Done this 3 times before. Its time to drop the fast & furious style of gaming. Need for speed used to be a great series until it became a yearly update with nothing worth buying the next one for. Gameplay is very short and virtually the same as most wanted except its dark. The pointless mods are only a minor distraction from this and wingman, (WTF!) is that the best they can come up with, not to mention an even lamer story than the last three(honestly). Thankfully the silly car rating has been dropped but again this shortens the game even more. They really need to shelve this series until they can come up with something new, these last 4 games are really below average and getting very stale. This feels more like an add on than a new game.… Expand
  24. Zee
    Feb 27, 2007
    10
    Need For Speed Has always been my favorite games of all time, This one was one of those NFS that blew me away! Tons of fun with crazy police after you crashin into stuff and the way you can feel free to design your car in a crazy way with flames, add nitro-boost, sweet rims, tint your windows, flash those neons under the car, and those crazy upgrades!! 10/10 for sure!!
  25. Stealthgear
    Dec 16, 2014
    7
    After Most Wanted came out, the Underground players were probably upset. Carbon is more like the last real Underground game, but because of the name Carbon, I don't think people knew what this game was about. Its like Underground, Juiced, and Midnight Club on top of the Most Wanted engine. The cop AI is not as good as Hot Pursuit 2 of course. The world map is also typical of Underground 2.After Most Wanted came out, the Underground players were probably upset. Carbon is more like the last real Underground game, but because of the name Carbon, I don't think people knew what this game was about. Its like Underground, Juiced, and Midnight Club on top of the Most Wanted engine. The cop AI is not as good as Hot Pursuit 2 of course. The world map is also typical of Underground 2. The races and challenges are exciting. All the graphics, including facial animations are great. The controls also work fine with joystick and keyboard. The sound on this game is stellar. The music is more electronic and I think they knew what type of person wanted this again. But what is this game really? Its like an Underground game with better graphics and a canyon race which is more exciting than normal. A lot of the cars are the same, but there are muscle cars and more german exotics. Its a better game than Underground 2. Its not like they reinvented anything here. So I think this deserves a 7, even though the presentation is excellent. This game was bound to get lost and forgotten with all the other racing games it is similar to. Yes its one of the best Underground style games. You start off with a slow car and its kind of the same gameplay with city tracks.… Expand
  26. morfil
    Nov 1, 2013
    8
    I thought overall the game was just a bit better than most wanted.

    The customization was better, allowing ride height to be changed and more performance customization details. Autosculpt was a great feature and also you can move the vinyls, skew, rotate, and change colors. I was disappointed though that many things in the game had to be unlocked by completing challenge series or    I thought overall the game was just a bit better than most wanted.

    The customization was better, allowing ride height to be changed and more performance customization details.

    Autosculpt was a great feature and also you can move the vinyls, skew, rotate, and change colors.

    I was disappointed though that many things in the game had to be unlocked by completing challenge series or reward cards, where in most wanted you had to beat bosses.

    Also, most wanted had a bigger focus on police pursuits which I thought was much better than carbon, where you didn't even need to engage in a single pursuit to finish the game (although sometimes you had no choice; they sometimes show up in the middle of races).

    The ending was rather weak, but I won't give it away.    … Expand
  27. DreamStalker
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    This was the first game i played in my life, it was the game of my childhood, I've played almost all the nfs, and this one is one of the bests, i have an extremely affection to this nfs it reminds me a lot of memories, it puts me very nostalgic. I just love it, now in the 2014, i want to have it again...
  28. dimike
    Jan 10, 2021
    8
    Graphics - ok
    Handling - ok
    Music - bad
    story - ok
    gameplay - good
    autosculpt - weird
  29. LuanGamer
    Jun 12, 2015
    10
    Por mim melhor need for speed , investiu muito mais muito bem na sua historia , carros tops , trilha sonora muito boa , e grafico realmente bom pra época , por mim rolava nfs carbon 2 '-'
  30. omar456321
    Feb 22, 2016
    9
    The game is very good:Pursuits are just like in NFSMW '05,races are fun,and having a crew is the best idea EA could ever have!
    The cars are awesome and unlocking is more.
    People say they liked NFSMW '05 but they didn't like Carbon because it has sh*tty graphics.But let's be serious,NFS Carbon has better graphics!
    Buy the game,I give it a 9!
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Awards & Rankings

57
#57 Best PC Game of 2006
18
#18 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. IGN
    82
    The drifting is an acquired taste (but it's good), the canyon duals are decent changes (though not great), and the crews...well, they suck. Of the myriad new features, the addition of muscle cars and the online functionality are the best.
    Read full review
  2. GameBrink
    80
    A great addition to the series for fans and probably a decent rental for most. While things have been upgraded and new elements added on, it’s still NFS and it still gets repetitive and boring after awhile. It’s like EA’s "Madden" of racing.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    74
    Even though the wingman mechanics and canyon races don't quite pan out, it's still a stylish and enjoyable street racer.
    Read full review
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