After the resounding success of "Need for Speed: Most Wanted", which set the bar for street racing to an unattainable (in my opinion) height, the next game in the series had to, if not surpass its predecessor, then at least stay at the same level. "Need for Speed: Carbon" seemed promising to me: night chases, cool cars, a new system of team races. But in fact, it turned out that the magic of the series had gone somewhere.
The plot is once again about bad guys and cars. The story in "Carbon" continues the "Most Wanted" line, but it does it rather weakly. Our hero arrives in the city of Palmont after the finale of the events of the previous game, but faces problems. He is immediately greeted by the well-known police officer Cross from the last iteration, and then the crime boss Darius is announced, who accuses us of running away with a large sum of money. To prove our coolness (and innocence), we will have to prove ourselves again - build a racing empire, capturing city districts and defeating street gang leaders. Along the way, there will be pompous antagonists who are even difficult to take seriously. Unlike the same Razor from "Most Wanted", the local villains are more like caricatures of Hollywood bad guys. There will also be a friend who helps. The role of the heroine is played by Emmanuel Vaujier. But her charisma is clearly inferior to Josie Maran from the last game.
The gameplay has remained familiar: we drive around the open world, participate in races, assemble new cars and tune them. But Carbon tried to bring something new. For example, the territory system. Now the city is divided into districts controlled by different groups. By defeating them in races, we expand our territory. It sounds good in theory, but in practice it quickly turns into a routine. And in terms of time, such a passage takes little time. By the way, the whole game is much shorter than its predecessors.
There are team races - now we have teammates who help in the races - block rivals or pave a shorter path. But their intelligence leaves much to be desired: sometimes they really help, and more often they just get in the way. Honestly, sometimes you think that it would be better to travel alone than with such assistants. The canyon races are memorable. This is one of the main features of Carbon, dueling on winding mountain trails. There is a real sense of tension here, and this is the mechanic I remember the most. And the infuriating chuckles of the opponents that turned on the screen when you made a mistake on some sharp turn. Otherwise, it's still the same "Need for Speed", but with less spectacular chases and a less catchy atmosphere.
If "Most Wanted" impresses with the bright daylight of an autumn city, then "Carbon" has completely gone into darkness. The city seems to be drowned in shades of gray and blue, street lights and bright effects do not save the situation, and the general feeling of gloom depresses rather than adds to the entourage. Yes, perhaps the developers wanted to repeat the "Underground" style, but instead of a stylish night city, they got a visual style that was not the most pleasing to the eye.
"Need for Speed: Carbon" tried to repeat the success of the previous installments, but in the end it turned out to be a pale copy of their best ideas. The racing is still good, there are enough cars, and the canyon duels are really exciting, but otherwise it's a step back (or even two). The graphics have become darker and less pleasant, the plot is lame on all possible legs, and innovations could not save the situation. After the "Most Wanted" drive, playing "Carbon" was more of an obligation than a pleasure.
5 out of 10.
