Drift competitions can take place on these winding tracks, which is a perfect fit for the nature of drifting. Many sections of the track are on the edge of a cliff, so it's possible to veer off if you're not careful. Much like Sega's Initial D series, the races take place on downhill roads that are narrow and twisty. Canyon racing in Need For Speed Carbon is a nice change of pace from the regular street races. For checkpoint or drift events, and the new canyon events, it's all up to you to get it done. Your crew doesn't show up in all of your races, however. Your mates also chime in with the same canned voice clips over and over again, although that's something you'll probably be willing to put up with given the benefits they provide during competition.

The blocker's job is to take people out for you, but if you get too close behind your teammate he'll inexplicably hit the brakes or swerve into you. Then again, crew AI is pretty dumb if they aren't activated to perform their designated roles. For example, you may want to consider bringing a shortcut-finding scout along if you race on a new track, or pull in behind a drafter for a speed boost in the speed trap events. The three different crew abilities are useful in different ways, too. There are nice benefits to having a buddy on the track, the main one being you still win the race if your teammate wins.

They are much more important to you during races, wherein you can select one crewman from a maximum of three total to join you for each race event. Crew members have special abilities that can help you with off-the-track activities, like generating more money or unlocking more parts for use in car customization. As you win races and gain territory, you can bolster your place among the city's street racing hierarchy by hiring on more crew members to help out. Events are tied together with a well-produced (though corny) story that uses live actors as the main characters. The game starts off with you coming to Palmont City with only a car and a hope to reclaim a city that was once yours. The addition of crew-based racing and a very good set of Wii controls help to make Carbon another excellent edition to the Need For Speed series. There are still a variety of racing events that take place within a free-roaming city, but this time there are also special canyon races that will test your limits as a driver. Need For Speed Carbon has a lot of new things to spice up the traditional street racing recipe that EA has created over the past few games.

Game need for speed carbon