Need for Speed Carbon Q&A Part III - Race Modes
Steve Anthony - Line Producer
The Need for Speed Community Team had a chance to sit down with the Line Producer for Need for Speed Carbon, Steve Anthony, to get his take on some of the hot topics within the Need for Speed community.
Part III: Need for Speed Carbon - Race Modes
Community Team: What are all the race modes in Carbon?
Steve Anthony: This year we have a large variety of games modes consisting of new cool modes coupled with classic popular modes synonymous with the Need for Speed franchise. The two major new modes we have brought into Need for Speed this year are Canyon Duel and Drift.
Firstly, Canyon Duel really is something new for Need for Speed with a brand new style of gameplay. The game mode is inspired by Touge racing from Japan which is becoming hugely popular in the street racing scene. The mode is split into two legs; the first leg sees the player chase their opponent down the treacherous canyon roads, trying to keep as close as possible to score as many points as possible. The closer the player races with the opponent, the more points they will accumulate. The second leg sees the player go from being the chaser to being chased, and the mindset now switches to defending your previously set score. The player must now keep ahead of their opponent and try and get away from the chaser. The larger the distance, the less points are deducted. If the player manages to get to the bottom of the canyon run with points remaining then they win. If they don't then they lose! The other key element to this mode is that there are several end states to the gameplay. At any point the player can smash through the canyon barriers which will result in a loss. Alternatively if the player manages to get far enough away from their opponent for a protracted period of time, they will win. Conversely if either player manages to overtake their opponent and maintain the new position this will result in an instant win. There is no doubt about it - the Canyon Duels in Need for Speed Carbon are the most illicit game mode we have created in the franchise and I hope our fans enjoy playing it as much as we do!
Secondly, we have drift which sees it return to the Need For Speed franchise for the first time since Underground 2. This time around the drift mechanic really focuses on speed and the speed at which the player can drift. The player will be rewarded more points the faster they manage to drift. What this does is make the mode a lot faster than it ever has been before, and makes it a much more intense experience. I am sure our fans will love this mode more than ever.
In addition we have a host of classics in Carbon, such as circuit, checkpoint, speedtrap and sprint. Following on from the success of Most Wanted, we have also brought back a better, more honed Challenge Series for Need for Speed Carbon. Also we have some cool new online modes that the player can indulge in - Pursuit Tag and Pursuit Knockout.
Finally we have a next gen only game mode called Race Wars which sees the player battle against a huge pack of opponents. The goal is simple - battle your way through the grid and hang onto first place. It's a lot tougher than it sounds!
CT: Are all these modes available for both offline & online play?
SA: All modes in the game can be played online in Need for Speed Carbon. This year we specifically we have two exclusive online modes which are cop orientated. These are Pursuit Tag and Pursuit Knockout. In Pursuit Tag it's your job to avoid the other players who play the cops and are hunting you down throughout the city. Avoid them long enough and you can record a best score on the online leaderboards. Get busted and you return as a cop in pursuit of the one that busted you.
go to page 2 | 
