surprisingly good...a must have for gamers on the go
GAMEPLAY---8.4/10
there are about 3 new race events added-TAKEDOWN, where you take out rivals...this is kind of lame considering u can get burnout to do the same thing 10 times better....DELIVERY, where you race against rivals to get to a certain location. this is pretty cool because you can choose any route you want to get there...even though the GPS system points you into the direction...ESCAPE, where you try to escape an area while rivals chase you. it's like takedown and delivery mushed together. territory takeover remains here from the original.
this time around the cops dont really play a part in the game because they dont go around chasing you during races, however through FREE ROAM, which is also new from the previous NFS on PSP, you can find them around sometimes. you can still customize your car to fit your style-- the variety available is similar to that of Most Wanted on the PS2. also, the map is the same from most wanted...which is weird since supposedly its a different city...
they did keep the wingmen for this edition and i think they are more useful than the PS2 version. some are a mix of both..like both a drafter and a fixer, which is conveniant. still, problems like them messing you up in the race remains.
GRAPHICS----8.7/10
graphics are pretty smooth on the psp..not many annoying glitches that'll piss you off. when your going max speed the surroundings might be less visible but who cares thats how its supose to look in reality anyway. the game is set in a dusk/dawn kind of time of the day. the menus are easy to work with and the presentation is very cool there are alot of grafitti paint drippings and backgrounds on messages and titles and what not so it makes it look official. also, whichever color you pick for the crew tag determines the main color of your menus, which is a cool add.
also..remember in original carbon when the cutscenes had live action greenscreen goin on. this time around the characters are drawn out...very good i might add....and are like frozen like an image but it works into the game very well.
SOUND----7.7/10
ehh the car sounds and nitro could have sounded way better. however, very good voice acting and the same music from original Carbon is carried over. this time its better because for the menus you can actually use the MP3 music you have stored in your PSP so you can listen to that..only in menus though. this is great b/c the menu song in Carbon for PS2 was the same annoying song over and over again. this time around its more pleasing to the ears.
Value----8.7/10
Own the City has a very good story..the minute you start your sucked into it. the game is pretty long..ive played about 6 hours and im not even half done. id say its about a 15-20 hr game. there are about 30 somewhat cars in this one and a handful of muscle cars to choose from, especially classics. they did take out challenge mode so there isnt much of a replay value. cept for this one thing that you go around the city in free roam and try to find crates to unlock things like art. nevertheless, next to burnout, its the best racing game on the PSP
Overall, Carbon: own the city is fun and entertaining for a portable game to take around. its a must have for need for speed fans and deserves a check from gamers in general