Need For Speed Carbon

Need For Speed Carbon is all about street racing. The new game offers a story-based single-player game set in the year 2366 and comes complete with racing action, an "on-the-ground" online multiplayer mode, an extensive career mode, a photo mode, and an impressive-looking championship mode.

"For the first time in the Need For Speed series, the open-ended simulation system is ready for a racing game," said game director Rob Nelson. "With a new driving physics engine, more realistic driving physics, a car that reacts more realistically to collisions, and a breathtaking new rendering technology, the game now presents the world of street racing to players and their friends, just like the great cars of the past."

"We've been fortunate enough to take Need For Speed Carbon out of its box," added Mike West, executive producer of the game. "Our first attempt to build on this very promising foundation was really successful, and we are proud to be the developer of this amazing new game."

Need For Speed Carbon will feature an "enhanced visual engine" with enhanced lighting, enhanced terrain, and 3D world-building support. This advanced technology "will deliver the most realistic street racing experience in the game," said Nick Knight, executive producer of Need For Speed Carbon. The world-building capabilities of the engine will also allow the game to make the most of its next-gen technology.

"It's an obvious question," added Wayne Petty, senior producer of Need For Speed Carbon. "For example, there's an actual [Electronic Arts] logo next to the front entrance." This logo has been fully implemented in all Need For Speed Carbon games thus far.

As a first-person shooter, Need For Speed Carbon's gameplay will be very different from previous Need For Speed games. Instead of racing each car on the track in a car with a fixed camera angle, players will race on roads, sidewalks, and outcroppings. In turn, these areas will have a much more realistic look to them.

As for the damage modeling, players will find it very realistic, as will the vehicles that will be on the racetrack. "We'll be giving the player more damage in the game," said Petty. "You won't be racing your cars in a well-lit street, but you will see them falling in the streets. It will show off the realistic damage and behaviour of the car, from the impact of a camera angle to the handling and movement of the car."

As for the lighting, players will have to visit the Game Center to get a look at the new lighting system. "We've been working on that for a while now," said Petty. "Our artists have been working on that. And so, the lighting really is integral to the gameplay. So, it'll be nice to see that."

And what about the vehicles? Petty has had to beef up the production values of each vehicle, adding a boost to the damage model. "We've got a new engine that is real enough to handle even a vehicle with this car. The development of that engine has been a lot of work," said Petty.

Ecco veterans aren't left out either. Luke Smit has also previously worked on PlayStation titles Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes. "There is a little bit more to the team on that front," he explained.

"It's been a lot of work to get them running in a true open-world game, and it's made all the better with that little bit more time. The art and animation is just there," explained Smit.

But being able to design a character from scratch in The Phantom Pain has been a much more liberating experience than it was in past games. "When you look at some of the maps, you look at our original maps, which are small but packed with lots of people and they've really gone all the way back," he said. "So it's been a great experience from a gameplay perspective, I think. It's very freeing."

Smit said he is also excited by how big The Phantom Pain is, particularly in the gameplay department. "One of the things I really like about it is that it's something that's much bigger than any game you've ever played before," he said. "The huge open world in the game is bigger than any game you've ever played before. It's massive, so there's tons of people and you can expect there to be plenty of combat, but then you're also discovering new ways to interact with the characters that you meet and discover new things that you couldn't have otherwise. It's an adventure that's going to get you on your own way and get you interested in the story. But if you haven't played a few games like it, I really hope you get a lot of fun and that it gets you invested in the characters and the story."

Another big aspect of Phantom Pain is the new Deuce and Damned mode that's coming.