When one mentions long running venerable racing franchises, the conversation will eventually turn to Need For Speed. This long running series has been around almost a decade at this point, with each generation getting more and more refined. The pinnacle, at last in fan's eyes, was Need For Speed: Underground 2. Need For Speed: Most Wanted, while not a bad game, was definitely a misfire for the series. It sure features excellent graphics and cool gameplay, but it didn't match the cool rain-soaked streets of Need For Speed: Underground 2. Now with the next generation's new consoles just over the horizon, EA has taken a slight backstep with Need For Speed: Carbon. So what does this version in store for us?

All of the classic race types are here: Sprint, Drag, Circuit, and Drift. Thats right the most wanted race type, which was, ironically, left out of Need For Speed: Most Wanted, is making a comeback for Need For Speed: Carbon. Drifting has been improved significantly, with new drifting physics put into play. EA consulted real life drifting experts on how cars of differing weights would handle drifting around slippery roads, and the results can be seen immediately in the game. Your judged by how far the rear end of your car sticks out as it drifts, and your given bonus points for entering the drift with more speed. Chaining drifts will score major points, so the riskier players will be rewarded with more points.

New to the game is the canyon race. This import from japan has two cars racing down a windy mountain. One starts out in front, while the other spends the way down trying to overtake.Once both cars reach the bottom of the hill (and not the quick way), the cars switch places, and now the pursing car becomes the pursued. The winner is the one who manages to stay in the lead the longest. Since canyon roads are nortoriously dangerous to drive on, you risk crashing through the barrier and plummeting your car into certain doom. This dangerous fight down the mountain makes for some exciting gameplay. Of course, they made your car fix itself, since it wouldn't be fair with the new customization options.

Over 900 decals are available for to you use, as well as 90,000 different paint combinations. This would be enough to make most mod lovers drool, but EA didn't stop there. First, they added the ability to put decals anywhere on the body of your car. No more rips, flags, and tears unique to the sides. Now you can put that hot decal on the roof, if you feel up to it. By far the best new innovation is the morphing feature. This allows you to mold the shape of your car with the analog sticks. With this, players will be able to create all kinds of cars models, allowing for a smooth experience.

So what is it that sets Need For Speed: Carbon apart? Well this time, it isn't about your lone driver trying to conquer the streets. This time, you recruit a team of skilled drivers to race with you, each of which has a special functions. One, for example, can serve as a blocker, allowing you to keep the lead longer. There will be up to four different types of team members to recruit, each of which will help out your driver as you race. You can also organize a crew online if you have Xbox Live, as the game will support online racing.

Need For Speed: Carbon is shaping up to be the best Need For Speed game yet. We will have more info once it hits stores this fall.