GENRE
	Racing
	DEVELOPER
	EA Canada
	PUBLISHER
	EA Games
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

The past entries in the Need For Speed series on DS have been less than stellar, but Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City makes a better effort to break the trend. Despite a few hand cramps, audiovisual quibbles and short length, the racing game is a speed machine and has plenty of customization options. Racing fans rejoice!

visuals

The top screen displays the awesome visual speed that the game has to offer, while the bottom screen sports a clutter of placing, points, speed, nitrous levels and a map that can be hard to read in the middle of an intense lap. Own the City is one of the fastest racing titles on DS with never a drop in framerate; although, most crashes tend to look the same, whether your car goes flipping off of some railing or an oncoming vehicle. The game features plenty of city streets, tunnels and industrial areas, but the twisty-turny tracks tend to look to the same, just with different backdrops. Cars look smooth and sleek, but due to the obvious boundaries of the DS engine, some things look slightly unpolished. Other than that, the game lives up to the title of Need for Speed.

audio

Own the City features some licensed music tracks that do well to set the mood for the dark and flashy racer, but with only five tunes, you will often hear the same song in one sitting. The quality of engine sounds and car crashes sound as they should, but once again, a lack of variety hurts compared to the DS launch title Asphalt: Urban GT, which featured a much larger sound base.

gameplay

The main mode of the game is the career mode, which is similar to its console brethren. Own the City begins with comic book style cut scenes. The artwork is solid, with some nice effects and still image quality, but something seems to be missing without any sound effects or voice work outside of some dramatic music. After the intro, it's off to purchase your first car and to stake your first territorial claim with your crew via a multitude of races. Your crew is comprised of two wingmen, who can race with you and perform certain actions if you need them to at any point during a race; for example, a blocker crew mate will push and shove the other racers until they get flipped over. The crew mechanics are strong and helpful, but sometimes your crew mate can get in the way during crucial moments in a race.

The career mode is compelling due to the customization options. It features sixty-six races in six different zones of the city. Each completed race nets you points, and each beatened zone boss gets you unlockables. You can use the points you earn to buy up to fifteen new cars, vinyls and performance upgrades, which are not only useful in continuing the story, but also a fun diversion. Yet, despite the wealth of options, career mode can be finished in less than six hours.

Controlling vehicles in Own the City is easy, but tracks that require sharp turns can get tricky. You may often find yourself bouncing off railings and walls during the sharpest of turns, even when executing what appears to be a perfect drift. The action is fast and enjoyable, but boss races are somewhat of a disappointment. Most races offer up a solid challenge and end fairly close, but boss races, which are required to win the zone, seem easier than regular races. A significant problem with the controls is hand cramping. This isn't so much an Own the City problem as a problem with the DS racing genre in general. After about thirty minutes of continuous play, expect a sore hand for your racing efforts.

multiplayer

Own the City offers single-card and multi-card play. A single-card experience is a boring match up that features only one car, one track and one race. The heavy stuff comes in multi-card play where up to four players can race on twelve different tracks as well as with many different cars.

overall

Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City is a fun and fast-paced racer with plenty of customization options. For racing fans, this is an excellent buy; just don't expect the single player portion to last very long.

7.2/10