We get an exclusive look at EA's latest entry in the Need for Speed series.

Need for Speed Carbon is the latest entry in EA's long-running racing series. The last few entries have tweaked the established formula to good effect, which has resulted in high expectations for new games in the franchise. We had the chance to get an early look at a work-in-progress version of the game on the Xbox 360 and on the original Xbox to see how the game is shaping up.
This year's game is an ambitious expansion of the key features that have made the series popular, along with new elements that have come out of the team's research into the racing scene. The big hooks this year are canyon racing, racing crews, and car-class affiliation. The heart of the game's career mode is a battle for control of a city. The setting is a massive free-roaming metropolis that's bigger than the one seen in last year's Most Wanted. In addition, you'll find massive canyons that will serve as the stage for the unique boss battles. The action will find you building up a crew of racers to help you take over the city neighborhood by neighborhood and mastering the three car classes--tuner, muscle, and exotic. Furthermore, EA's Vancouver-based studio is trying out some interesting expansions of the car-customization feature seen in previous games.
You are cast as an established racer who got involved in the blacklist shenanigans of Most Wanted, and you're now returning to the game's city to right a wrong that was done to you. The exact details of the story are being kept under wraps, especially when it comes to what, if any, ties it has to Most Wanted's narrative (which naturally makes us think that there are ties), and so we weren't able to find out too much. One thing we do know is that the game's narrative will again play out via cinematics handled by the director that did Most Wanted's. However, in keeping with the overall tone, the cinematics will have a different feel from Most Wanted's awesomely campy movies. We, naturally, hope that we get at least some scenes of over-the-top racing drama, though we're curious to see exactly what's going on in Carbon's story.
In terms of gameplay, Need for Speed Carbon stays true to the open-world framework of its predecessors, but still manages to trick it out considerably. The core experience has you traveling through the massive city that is the main stage for the game's action and challenging other crews for control of their territory. As you defeat them you'll take their hood and your rep will grow. Obviously, taking on racing crews will present a sizable challenge that is more than one man can handle. Fortunately, you'll be able to recruit a posse of wingmen to help you out in your quest. The wingmen will present a unique new twist to the gameplay, as each will offer unique abilities you can call on during a race to give you an edge. What we've heard of so far are blockers, scouts, and drafters. So, for example, you could call on a blocker wingman to help you get past or slow down an opponent. Where things get really interesting with the wingmen, though, are the abilities they'll have outside of a race. Though the team isn't giving up all the details on how this will all work just yet, they did share the different out-of-race abilities and offered some info on what to expect from them, like how mechanics and fabricators will affect how much you'll be able to customize the performance and visual aspects of your car, while influencers will impact how you interact with groups, such as the police, in the game.



In NFS Carbon you'll have wingmen racing alongside you and attempting to help you out.

Once you and your crew have managed to defeat the opposition in an area, you'll find yourself in a boss fight that highlights another unique addition to the experience, the canyon race. The canyon races are unique two-stage competitions that find you testing your skills against a boss for points. The first leg of the race finds you trying to follow close behind the boss as he races to a finish line at the bottom of a hill. Your goal is to stick as close as possible to him, as you'll earn points based on your proximity. The second leg of the race finds you in the lead, and you'll be trying to put as much distance between you and the boss as you tear down the route again. This time out your points are on the line, as the boss will be draining points from you to varying degrees depending on his proximity to you. Your goal is to reach the finish line with some points intact. Though extremely challenging, the races offer the potential for instant victories if you can manage to meet certain conditions, such as staying in front for a certain amount of time or getting a sizable lead when being followed. You can also lose just as fast if you happen to collide with some of the destructible barriers that are set on parts of the track.