No need to spend hundreds on a new console to enjoy driving games
With modern-day gaming consoles cranking out more computing power than ever before, video games can wind up eliciting excitement from car enthusiasts to nearly the same level as seeing or driving a given performance machine in person.
The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are waiting for buyers at the local department store, but you don't need to spend hundreds on the latest console to get into a great game. I've found a few cross-console titles that are available for "older" systems, so I've dusted off the trusty old PS2 and tried a few, to help you choose one you'll like.
Racing games make a great pastime for a rainy weekend, a night out with the guys, or an entertaining evening with the kids. Either of the games featured below can be picked up for a reasonable price as a used / pre-owned purchase at your local video store.
Need for Speed: Carbon(Available on PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PC)
If you've ever played the older Need for Speed games like Hot Pursuit 2 and Porsche Unleashed, you'll probably find the first 15 minutes of Carbon to be disappointingly cheesy.
There's what seems a half-baked storyline about some automotive gangs which control certain parts of the city, which is surrounded by three deadly canyons.
Tuners, Muscles and Exotics, they're called--and you choose one to represent.
Each has a certain turf within the city, and they don't play well together. Grudges are taken out between members of competing scenes in one of the three canyons when razzing each other through text messages while driving around doesn't cut it.
There was a time when Need for Speed games had no characters or stories--and the focus was the cars. Carbon sees the game becoming increasingly story-driven, as you pilot around the mysterious city which seems to be perpetually stuck in time just after a 3 a.m. rainstorm.
With modern-day gaming consoles cranking out more computing power than ever before, video games can wind up eliciting excitement from car enthusiasts to nearly the same level as seeing or driving a given performance machine in person.
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| Need for Speed: Carbon |
The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are waiting for buyers at the local department store, but you don't need to spend hundreds on the latest console to get into a great game. I've found a few cross-console titles that are available for "older" systems, so I've dusted off the trusty old PS2 and tried a few, to help you choose one you'll like.
Racing games make a great pastime for a rainy weekend, a night out with the guys, or an entertaining evening with the kids. Either of the games featured below can be picked up for a reasonable price as a used / pre-owned purchase at your local video store.
Need for Speed: Carbon(Available on PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PC)
If you've ever played the older Need for Speed games like Hot Pursuit 2 and Porsche Unleashed, you'll probably find the first 15 minutes of Carbon to be disappointingly cheesy.
 |
| Need for Speed: Carbon |
There's what seems a half-baked storyline about some automotive gangs which control certain parts of the city, which is surrounded by three deadly canyons.
Tuners, Muscles and Exotics, they're called--and you choose one to represent.
Each has a certain turf within the city, and they don't play well together. Grudges are taken out between members of competing scenes in one of the three canyons when razzing each other through text messages while driving around doesn't cut it.
There was a time when Need for Speed games had no characters or stories--and the focus was the cars. Carbon sees the game becoming increasingly story-driven, as you pilot around the mysterious city which seems to be perpetually stuck in time just after a 3 a.m. rainstorm.