Being a hardcore NFS fan I got a go on this game right on its day of release! though even being a hardcore fan I wouldn't rate this game as a must have but its a nice addition to the series.
The best part of the game that really stands out is that Free Roam makes it to the PSP finally. Yes, you can now roam around the city as you could in NFS Underground 2 and Most Wanted. Like NFS Underground all races in Carbon take place after dark. There is a little bit of Most Wanted 5-1-0 also mixed in here - cops roam the streets!!! and they come after you if you mess with them and are they tough to shake off.
The story line sounds kind of cheapo - maybe its because we are used to the awesome animated-movies of NFS Most Wanted. The slide show type story telling doesn't seem to have much of an effect and even the story sounds a little too much to believe.
The new features in Game play include building a team, each of your team members help you (cheat?) in the race. I'm not all taken away by this feature but nonetheless its cool.
The game graphics haven’t changed much since Most Wanted - the roads now have climbs and dives and are really wide (which i did not expect for a canyon race game) but the wide roads simply add value to the game I really hate hitting around walls all the time. Soundtracks pretty cool too.
Overall, a 4/5 for the game don’t expect a revolutionary new game over NFS MW - but its a cool game to sport on your PSP.
Now waiting to get my hands on the PC and XBOX 360 version…