Since Need For Speed Underground, the Need for Speed game series evolved from a simple high-speed racer into the more popular underground street racing scene, popularized in the movie The Fast and the Furious. The move, while risky, paid off and last year's Need For Speed Most Wanted took the series to new heights (having the sexy Josie Maran in the game didn't hurt either.) Now EA relies on the theme again with this year's release of Need For Speed Carbon. Although some people will easily be able to spot the cracks in the pavement from this tiresome underground racing theme, EA manages to pack this racer with enough nitrous to make it worth taking a few more laps.

Carbon's story follows closely on the events of Most Wanted. Sergeant Cross, the main pursuer from that game, has begun pursuing your main character from Rockport and into the new vista of Palmont City, shortly after you re-acquire your car and make off with a bag of cash. During an intense opening chase, the Sergeant catches back up with you. But before he can make his successful capture, a pair of former gang allies show up to pay him off, despite not approving of your cowardly actions. After the pair employs you to help win back areas from rival gangs, Carbon's world map then opens up, with a series of events that need to be completed in order to get the debt paid off.

Each of these areas are ruled by street gangs, groups of racers that prove their superiority behind a gas pedal. Three gangs in particular show great power, but they can be beaten as the main player overtakes certain areas by winning select races. After a certain number of races are completed and first-place victories are obtained, the leader of each gangs shows up and offers a challenge of their own. The first is a typical race through the city, but then the second takes place in the canyon, away from the tall buildings and deep within the mountains. It's here that the game builds some intensity, as anything goes. A loss can come very easily here, either by losing the lead for over ten seconds or crashing through any of the weak turn railings.

There are some problems with EA's attempt to build drama within the game. Police chases, which were a highly-requested feature in Most Wanted, are reduced to comical status here. Police cars can be rammed into the wall and easily flipped over, and the cops fail to really set up any kind of efficient speed traps. As a result, the pursuits end much too quickly. Also, the leaders of the street gangs are mere chumps behind the wheel of some pretty rides, and don't pose nearly as much of a threat as they appear to. EA probably would have been wise to put more thought into the story mode, and make those behind the wheel more menacing. For instance, how about other bounty hunters with more dangerous capture tactics than Cross could ever think of?

Despite the hokey drama, the game manages to bring plenty of cars into play. There's three types of cars here: muscle, exotic, and tuner. Each one performs differently, but all of them handle in a refined manner. Muscle car freaks will certainly enjoy tooling around in a Chevy Camaro SS or a Plymouth Barracuda, even if they don't corner as well as the tuner or exotic rides. Others will prefer the more stylish exotic cars, taking a spin in the likes of the Nissan Skyline or the Toyota Supra, among others. Each of these cars have a high amount of customizable parts, so players can design their rides to no end. The customization engine has gotten relatively better over last year's Carbon, with even more rides and parts available through the Collector's Edition upgrade -- which can either be purchased separately at stores or unlocked via Xbox Live for 800 points. It's a bit lame on EA's part to charge for extra content, but there's twelve bonus tracks and other items that are offered as well, so it's worth dropping a few more bucks on.

The gameplay is spot-on when it comes to vehicle efficiency. The cars themselves handle very nicely, no matter which class is chosen. Much of your ride can be tweaked for better performance including Speedbreaker, which temporarily slows down the action. Probably the biggest addition to the gameplay, however, is the ability to rely on a wingman.

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