Need For Speed Carbon details News

Details on Need For Speed Carbon have been monoxidously thin since its name first appeared at E3 last month, but a few scans have popped up from US and UK magazines this week offering more of an outline.

NFS Carbon - apparently so called due of its relationship with "Carbon Canyon" in California, where racers often meet up to drive around very fast and probably "race for pinks" and the like - is due out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, Xbox and PSP this winter.

Those of you wondering whether it shares more in common with the ludicrously popular Need For Speed Underground games or the recent Most Wanted digression will probably find elements of both, by the sound of it, with lots of cop chases but also a definite sense of building up a "crew".

This time your gang of racing pals will have unique characteristics in each of their favour. Some will be better at ramming people off the road, others at slipstreaming and so on, and these skills will come into play during the "canyon races" the title hints at, where you have to race after opponents without getting caught out by the scenery.

Or something to that effect anyway. You'll also, word has it, spend time working across each of the game's three broad maps trying to win control of their seven respective territories, each of which will bring with it certain bonuses. Like modding discounts. Because like NFSU, there's going to be plenty of that to help you build up your garage out of the game's 50-100 cars.

All of which is promising but, as you can tell, a bit rough around the edges with certain things still to be nailed down. For example, some of the cars apparently haven't even been unveiled in real life yet, and there's talk of how the game may use the PS3's tilt sensor, but that it's still TBC.

Expect a bit more clarify, then, as we move closer to the game's release later this year - with Leipzig's Game Convention in August, in particular, a likely place to find out more.