Need for Speed: Carbon -- Own the City [DS]

The DS crowd has more than enough ways to boost its brain power and raise a kennelful of virtual and cuddly dogs, but when it comes to one of gaming's most popular genres -- racing -- the number of quality options is pretty thin. Once you get past Mario Kart DS, which I admit may just be the most enjoyable way to use your DS, there aren't too many reasons to step on the gas. Electronic Arts' Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City attempts to give gamers another excuse to get behind the wheel (and this time in a slightly more gritty and urban setting than Mario and his buds tool around in). While it's a vast improvement over last year's NFS Most Wanted, it still doesn't quite have the horsepower to make you want to ditch the Italian One and opt for a life of body kits and NOS.

Released alongside its big console counterparts, Own the City is essentially an entirely different game. It borrows elements introduced on the larger last-gen and next-gen machines, but implements them in a slightly different way. Among its other problems, Most Wanted felt thin without a storyline to hang things on. The addition of a plot in Own the City is a step in the right direction, and the backstory is reasonably compelling.

You're a young driver who ends up spending six months in the hospital after a violent crash during a race. You're the lucky one, though. The crash killed your brother, so now your job is to learn about a mystery car that was also involved and, hopefully, find those responsible for your situation. Things are played out in comic book-style screens, but it doesn't work as well here as it does on Sony's handheld, where voice acting complements the artwork. The limitations of the hardware, though -- and perhaps the continued desire to boost your brain power by forcing you to read -- means dealing with text balloon after text balloon to keep up with the action.

In addition to the text-centric story, there are other ways that this chunk of Carbon doesn't fare as well as the other versions presentation-wise. Unlike the free-roaming world that you're allowed to explore on the 360, PS2 and even on the PSP, here things are a bit more old school. An onscreen map will tell you about available races and what the rewards of each are, and then you hit the A button and -- bang -- you're at the starting line. But that's where things get interesting.