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- Reviewed on: 11/10/2006
- Released on: 10/31/2006
- Originally published on GameSpot: Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City (PSP) Review
Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City is, for all intents and purposes, an entirely different game from the Need for Speed Carbon that's currently appearing on the Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 2, and so on. The basic conceit is much the same--you and your team of street racers take on other crews in a bid to take total control of the city--but a lot of the details are different and many are better for it.
There's some cloak-and-dagger business going on in Coast City's street racing scene.
Own the City is ultimately a revenge tale, which starts off with a flashback to the event that triggers your character's vengeance. During a street race that both you and your brother, Mick, are competing in, something goes horribly wrong. The accident leaves you in the hospital with some nasty amnesia and Mick dead. But it seems that there was a third car involved, which was no accident at all. Six months later when you get back on your feet, the scene has changed dramatically. So you take to the streets to find out who's responsible for your brother's death with your old racing buddy, Carter, and your brother's ex-girlfriend, Sara, by your side. It's a surprisingly resonant story that takes a little time to flesh out and define some of the core characters. It also has some good twists and turns that really help to steel your character's resolve. The story sequences are pretty slickly produced, with some distinct-looking comic-style art and voice work that tends toward the better side of average.
In its apparent continued effort to expand the Need for Speed geography, EA has set Own the City in an all-new fictional town called Coast City. Like Bayview, Rockport, and Palmont City before it, Coast City is a large, sprawling metropolis with a lot of unique districts. There's plenty of run-down grit in the industrial, junkyard, inner city, and rock quarry areas, but they're not far from the lengthy tracts of winding highways that make their way up into the chilly surrounding mountains. On the other side of town, you'll find the more refined side of Coast City, with a sleek glass-and-steel high-rise district. It also includes a cozier residential district, a nice college campus, and the city's airport. Even if this were a full-fledged console game, the size of Coast City would be respectable. It's got a level of detail and an organic layout that gives you a really strong sense of place. The distinct feel of each district also gives the whole game a lot of personality. But all of that detail comes at a price because at higher speeds, the frame rate can get a little choppy.
Coast City is effectively your playground, and you can tool around as you please. You'll occasionally run into rival racing crews who can challenge you to a race on the spot, as well as cops who don't take too kindly to street racers. Whether you're in a race or just out on the town, there's not a lot of traffic in Coast City. What's there also looks a little cheap, which takes a little away from the game's reality. Your real objective is to take the fight to the rival racing crews throughout Coast City. Each district is controlled by a different crew, and there's a set list of race events that you have to win. If you win a number of events, you'll get to take on the crew boss. If you beat the crew boss, you'll not only take control of that district but also unlock new cars and upgrades for purchase. There's a fairly focused progression to the main story mode. You'll only have access to one or two districts throughout most of the game, limiting which events you can take on at any given time. Typically, though, there are usually more events in each district than you need to win in order to take on the district's crew boss. So there is some flexibility as to which races you take on because of the extra events.
Although the cars handle nicely, the types of races can get monotonous after a while.
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