NFS Carbon demo on Live

By Tom Bramwell Published 4 October, 2006

If you've got a gig to spare.

Need For Speed Carbon has joined the list of downloadable game demos on Xbox Live Marketplace, although it's 1GB so you'll probably want to put the tea on before you start downloading it.

Should be useful for gauging whether you can be bothered with this year's update to EA's increasingly successful racing game series, due out on 360, Xbox, PS2, Cube, PSP, DS and GBA on 3rd November.

As you'll know if you've been following it, NFS Carbon sees you racing around a city trying to take over neighbourhoods one at a time, with the action eventually heading to Carbon Canyon where there's, you know, more racing.

Look for our review of NFS Carbon later on this month.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (44) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Darkedge #1 5 years ago

    NFS should've stopped a long time ago. Like Cilla Blacks career

  • Salubrious_K #2 5 years ago

    That's an insult to Cilla!

  • Mr_Whacker #3 5 years ago

    But long may Cilla's carer continue.

  • kangarootoo #4 5 years ago

    I just started playing NFS Most Wanted again recently. Great game, way better than Burnout these days.

  • coojam #5 5 years ago

    I loved Most Wanted until I realised it was the same thing over and over and over and over an....you get the point. This demo is taking AGES to download too. Been going since 10.30am and its only on 19%

  • peterfll #6 5 years ago

    Argh, NFS better than Burnout - blasphemy!

  • foxy2006 #7 5 years ago

    This series cannot continue.

    The most blatant cash cow in the industry

  • reality_cheque #8 5 years ago

    It's not better than burnout, nor is burnout better than NFS. Both different games that happen to have an arcade driving style.

    Personally, I'd start it downloading BEFORE putting my tea on. Then it's downloading while I'm preheating the oven :)

  • Wrestlevania #9 5 years ago

    They've churned this one out bloody quickly, too, which doesn't bode well for it being particularly innovative over Most Wanted. Hopefully they've fixed the police chase mechanics and made free-roaming more fun.

  • reality_cheque #10 5 years ago

    I'd say FIFA or one of the sports games (Tiger Woods) was the biggest cash cow.

    There are bigger differences between NFS:U and NFS:MW than there are between Tiger Woods 06 and TW07.

  • kangarootoo #11 5 years ago

    @coojam

    I am only about 3 blacklist members in, so maybe my enthusiasm will wane after a while.

    On the Buronout front, OK they are different games. BO2 was the pinnacle for me, BO3 was still really good, then it all went downhill a bit for my tastes. I honestly find NFS:MW more entertaining than any of the recent BO games I've played.
    Edited by 1 at 04/10/06 @ 13:19

  • Stormflood #12 5 years ago

    They really need to sort out download speeds. This is what I'd expect from a free service.

    1%


    /does some jobs


    1%

  • reality_cheque #13 5 years ago

    It's probably because everyone is downloading the same file at the same time. I downloaded ALL of the X06 videos in about 30 minutes, they were downloading faster than I could add them to my list...

  • peterfll #14 5 years ago

    Each to their own of course. I *love* the Burnout games. All of 'em. 1 through to Revenge.

    Gimme gimme gimme.

    NFS I've tried. I had the demo from the marketplace for quite a while, but it just didn't gel for me. I didn't think it was bad, I just couldn't see it keeping my interest going.

    I will be downloading the new demo of course. And I do think it's one of EA's better yearly franchises......

    ps Just realised I have actually owned an NFS game on the original Xbox. I must be going mad....

  • numptyboymatt #15 5 years ago

    You mean you have downloaded as much as a whole 1%? OH how I, and my pitiful 0% envy you :o(

    Well, W@nk my dog!!! - Im up to 4% after only a few minutes!
    Edited by 1 at 04/10/06 @ 13:32

  • tiddles #16 5 years ago

    Really liked what I played of NFS:MW on the 360, but one thing ruined the experience for me - the utterly shonky frame-rate. It's never been great on previous NFS games, but on Most Wanted it was so bad (with really intrusive stuttering) it kind of spoilt the whole game. Here's hoping they've made some progress in this area for Carbon...

  • OnlyMe #17 5 years ago

    I miss the Need for Speed of old. The ones where you raced with and against exotic cars, instead of some blimped up whoremobile. Need For Speed was great up and until Hot Pursuit 2 (although that doesn't quite hold up to 3 and 4). Underground ruined the series, Most Wanted was Underground in daylight, and Carbon looks like it's going back to the Underground style again - that is, before I've tried the demo. Downloading now, but I've very very low expecations.

  • lazygamer #18 5 years ago

    well, that was a waste of time.

    I loved NFSMW (until the last couple on the blacklist, then it became a chore), and this is nothing like it.

    The car modding thing is good, but that's about it.

    @tiddles: the frame rate seems even worse in carbon, which is a shame considering the game looks no better.
    Edited by 2 at 04/10/06 @ 13:50

  • Zuiyo #19 5 years ago

    OMG. I just tried it. It's awful.

  • brooza664 #20 5 years ago

    I liked Need For Speed 2: Hot Pursuit. I wasn't too keen on Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2...
    Edited by 1 at 04/10/06 @ 13:49

  • OnlyMe #21 5 years ago

    You meant Need For Speed III - Hot Pursuit, I assume. So you pun doesn't work ;).

  • Stormflood #22 5 years ago

    OMG. I just tried it. It's awful.

    Hmm. Well I'm at 37%, I'm not stopping now!

  • OnlyMe #23 5 years ago

    Damn, I forgot about Porche Unleashed!

    They NEED to do another one of those, be it with Ferrarris instead, or just a plain remake! Porsche Unleashed was the best semi-sim ever!*

    *I'm talking about the PC version here, the console versions were rather horrible.

  • whoslotte #24 5 years ago

    For this game, I don't even have a byte spare...

  • jamesbee #25 5 years ago

    Dear me it's horrible! Oh so horrible! It's as horrible as it was on the xbox. What is with the frame rate? I can't remember the last NFS that had anything approaching a decent sensation of speed or smooth frame rates. You don't so much move forward as judder around the track, it doesn't even look that nice!

  • asphaltcowboy #26 5 years ago

    Well, im still interested in playing it - loads of demos to download once I get the net sorted in my house!

  • OnlyMe #27 5 years ago

    What the hell? This must be the worst yet! What have the done to the controls? The car is all over the place, and the graphics were worse than the first Underground game, not to mention controls.

    I can't find any reason why people would like this game. This game should not sell well, under any circumstances. But unfortunately, it will.

  • Kuma #28 5 years ago

    This looks worse than NFSU2 on the Xbox! Nice car modding though if you like that sort of thing.

  • Wicks #29 5 years ago

    Bring back Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit again

    Those spike strips bring back memories

  • Stormflood #30 5 years ago

    Christ that was horrible.

    Should be called NFS:Boats. Nasty handling and Xbox graphics.

    /deletes

  • Mr_Whacker #31 5 years ago

    That sounds so bad I'll have to see it now!

  • el-bandito #32 5 years ago

    OnlyMe: NFS: Porsche was done by TDU developers Eden I think

    As for the demo... poor... the framerate is possibly the worst I've seen on a console racing game... dreadful.

  • jonsaan #33 5 years ago

    Need for Speed: Cilla Black Edition. Don't give them ideas.

  • kangarootoo #34 5 years ago

    Bear in mind its just a demo. Stuff like framerate can be sorted before release if its recognised as a big issue (not saying it will be, just that it can be).

  • OnlyMe #35 5 years ago

    Unfortunately, framerate is the least of the issues I have with this game.

    el bandido: I certainly see similarities between TDU and Porsche Unleashed. I prefer Porsche Unleashed though, it's just something special.

  • stephen #36 5 years ago

    Any sign of a PC demo of this?

  • jack_klugman #37 5 years ago

    What proportion of that 1GB is taken up with the 720p EA logo and intro. movie?

  • some1 #38 5 years ago

    In a word: disappointing. Here we are, nearly a year into the 360's life cycle, and the graphics look lamentably 1st gen. Controls are poor, drifting is way too easy. NFS:MW was better. The only mitigating feature was the auto sculpting.

  • bloodflowers #39 5 years ago

    Hm. Garbage. NFSMW was the first time for many years that any NFS game was good, and this is a step back towards NFSU, both of which sucked pretty damn hard. Still, it's another 40 quid to not spend.

  • AFX #40 5 years ago

    Hmm, well the race wasn't too bad but the drift level is just plain rubbish. Like PGR without any of the style.
    Edited by 2 at 05/10/06 @ 07:51

  • Talha #41 5 years ago

    @OnlyME: I wholeheartedly agree with you on Porsche Unleashed. The PC version IS the best semi-sim ever, considering it was six years ago.

    @Kanga: Hate to spoil your fun - wait till you have to nudge 22 police cars to get through. That is where I gave up! (Despite the glowing review I wrote....) The one big trouble with NFS games is that they are fun to start and a chore to finish.


    @Everyone else: Let up on it. NFS is not in the same vein as a FIFA or TW. They try to do something different every year.

    That said, this game looks diabolical - the new worst in the series (taking the crown away from the Underground games).

    T

  • The-Bodybuilder #42 5 years ago

    downloaded and played this morning prior to leaving for uni (i'm making this post on my pda in my lecture as i speak).

    crap. looks worse than pgr 2. framerates bad, but least of its troubles. feels like driving vaseline on ice.

    /will delete when i get back.

  • Darren #43 5 years ago

    Oh dear... I've always been a big fan of the NFS games ever since playing NFS 3 on the PlayStation and PC and I admit that I rather enjoyed last year's Most Wanted on the 360/PC. It had a stodgy framerate and some minor v-sync tearing (on the 360 anyway) but it played well enough and was quite good fun really.

    NFS Carbon has a superb car modification feature and that's about it, it feels like NFS: Underground 3 with garish graphics (which aren't anywhere near as good as Most Wanted). It's nice to see they've fixed the v-sync tearing but, unfortunately, it's come at the cost of the framerate which is even shonkier than last year. The Drift race is particularly bad yet the scenery is basic and there's only your car on the track so why the feck does it have slowdown. Elsewhere, on the Canyon and Circuit tracks the framerate is better but it still has a tendency to go a bit "treacly" more often than it should considering this is nothing more than a last-gen port.

    I must say I'm very disappointed by both it's lack of speed and total lack of ambition. One thing's for sure though, this game really does have a Need For Speed...

  • JonFE #44 5 years ago

    What's the point of releasing a demo in such poor shape (apart from doing potential customers a service, by helping them avoid it :) ?

  • reality_cheque #45 5 years ago

    If I was responsible for sales of a certain game and my game was shit, there wouldn't be a demo released until the day after it hit the shops. And if the game was good I'd make sure the demo did it justice.

    I'm looking at you, Blazing Angels, NFS:Carbon, Chromehounds and TDU.