Once in a while, a game comes along and is soon forgotten before it even has a chance. Need For Speed: Carbon for the Wii seems to have gotten lost in the console launch shuffle, and we really believe it deserves a closer look. Follow the jump for the ups and downs of what we think is a slightly underrated title.

Ben’s View

I recently procured a copy of Need For Speed: Carbon, and I must say that it caught me off guard. I got it for a bargain price and was not expecting much to come of it. I was only slightly more interested in Carbon than I was in GT Pro Series, which isn’t saying much. The first night I sat down with it and ended up playing the Career mode for a good four hours. Time took a backseat and seemed to fly by. The controls are nice and tight (and customizable, which is nice), visuals are fluid and crisp, and the licensed music (EA TRAX dregs) is far less annoying than expected. I’m genuinely impressed with the overall package. The only real downfall is the lack of online multiplayer. Well, that AND the horrible interaction with the user interface.

I read a review about a week before I purchased the game at hand, and remember how they mentioned how it lacked pointing capabilities with the controller. I didn’t think this would be as inconvenient as it really is. I play with the standard control configuration, using the Wiimote on it’s side being held like a steering wheel–ExciteTruck style. Anyways, to interact with the World Map, I have to use the d-pad. This wouldn’t be half bad if they would’ve mapped the buttons accordingly. All menus are setup assuming that you’re holding the Wiimote as you would while pointing at the screen. Up is up, down is down, etc. Even if you pause mid-game while holding the controller on its side, to navigate the menus properly, you’ll have to flip it around again. When you’re working with the map and you want to select your next event, you’ll instinctively try and point at the screen with the controller. Not going to happen. You are forced to use the digital pad, and that makes me cry. It’s just a bit confusing, and very cumbersome. Certainly something that should have been corrected during development.

Enough complaining. I can honestly say that the controls make the game. While I enjoy the selection of real vehicles, and the graphics are nice and pretty, I’ve played many Need For Speed titles over the years. This one is not much different when looked at from a distance. The control you have over the game really makes this game. My heart was pounding like a fine tuned exotic after only a few races, and there was no way I could expect that from a re-hashed EA port. I need to invest a bit more time and try the other modes before I give it my final judgment, but my initial impression after a few nights alone with the game is… Well, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with Need For Speed: Carbon thus far, and it really deserves more attention than it is currently generating.

Drew’s View

I have to agree with Ben on almost all counts for this title: it’s a total blast, despite the utterly absurd menu interface. Hours fly by in career mode. You could be in the middle of a race and suddenly you’re spotted by the cops. Pursuit ensues. Now you have to race to the finish line, dodging police Hummers who try to ram you off the road, and then once the race has been completed, whether you win it or not, you have to race through the city evading the police–a task that gets tougher and tougher as you progress through the game. After you successfully evade the cops, your turf might get challenged by an enemy crew, at which point, the whole thing starts again. A single race can turn into a 20 or 30 minute sprint across the city.

Of course, all that isn’t a huge departure from NFS: Most Wanted. There are some neat additions to the gameplay and, of course, newer cars and a new city to explore (which is huge), but overall the same formula is still there. Carbon’s gameplay is in no way a step back for the series, but it’s only a baby step forward. I do think Carbon has tons of replay potential though. At the beginning of the career mode, you choose whether you want to drive exotics, tuners, or American muscle–meaning you can play through the career mode thrice and have new cars and options each time. On top of that, there are a ton of challenge races and the free roam feature to keep you busy.

Where Carbon really shines is in the Wiimote control scheme. I knew I’d love this game, but I wasn’t so sure I’d love it on the Wii. In the past I have always preferred to use the wheel and pedal setup I have attached to my PC. D-pads and analog sticks just never cut it for me in racing simulations. As for the Wii, the awkwardness of holding the Wiimote like a steering wheel in mid-air in front of me made me very weary. But EA totally pulled it off. It is incredibly responsive and very intuitive. On top of that, there are numerous control options that use the nun-chuck as well. One really cool configuration allows you to steer by tilting the nun-chuck left to right, while braking and accelerating are controlled by tilting the Wiimote like a lever, up and down. It gives you much more control over the throttle, unlike the standard button configuration. This feature really helps you stay in control of the high-horsepower American muscle cars that have the tendency to spin out if you give it too much gas. I can’t wait to see what Wiimote/nun-chuck configurations other developers will cook up for race games in the future. Imagine the possibilities with F-Zero, or dare I say…Mario Kart!

I particularly appreciated the pickup-and-play nature of the controls. After three races, my wife was able to lead the pack to the end of a race. That’s something I’ve never seen happen with a traditional d-pad driven game or even a wheel and pedals for that matter! At the same time, it’s in no way too basic or easy for grizzled veterans of the racing genre either. Somehow it’s just right and incredibly natural. Kudos to EA for adapting the Wiimote motions so well.

So what does everyone think? Have you already given this one a shot, or are you looking forward to doing so? Too much of the same? Let us know.