They may be a magnet for bad publicity, but it certainly can't be denied that their franchises sell well. Two of Electronic Arts' games have reached rather high sales, making EA games a high seller on two continents.

In the United States, EA Sports' Madden NFL '07 has sold over 5 million copies across the different consoles. As a result of these figures, a press release EA sent out, they proclaimed Madden to be "North America's most popular game of 2006".

Over in the United Kingdom, it's their underground racing game that's taking up the Electronic Arts banner. Gamasutra reports Need for Speed: Carbon as the new leader of the pack by pushing another EA title, FIFA '07, out of the top spot and into second place.

With best-selling games in two countries, as well as additional games in their lineup in the top ten lists, EA should be quite pleased with their results this year. This is one of EA's best years in the business, making them a company to watch out for yet again in 2007.

It's barely been a month since Need for Speed Carbon hit the roads and onto store shelves, and still, they remain to be sizzling hot. But of course. After all, it's not everyday that we have a game versatile enough to paint not only the console-town red, but the handhelds as well.

What we have here are UK packshot images of Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City for the PSP and the DS. Yeah, so they may be just packshots. But behind those are even bigger stories, even bigger sceneries, even bigger race adventures. So if you're one of the few that has still yet to grab a copy of this game for your handheld or console, then we're telling you, right now would be the best time for you to judge a story by its cover.

 

Buy: [NFS Carbon: Own the City (PSP)]
Buy: [NFS Carbon: Own the City (Nintendo DS)]

The end of the month is coming up, and while you guys will be out there running around trick-or-treating, we thought we'd tickle your gaming sweet tooth by giving you a compilation list of the games coming out for the next few days. Once again, save
yourself the trouble of sweating out a long walk to you local retail store, and enjoy our Halloween treat for  'ya.

And while there's a lot of games to look forward to, we'll have to honestly say that our top picks would have to be The Sims 2: Pets (Sickeningly cute animals, go figure), and FEAR (This one just for this holiday's sake).

Nintendo DS

• 10/30/06 Children of Mana
• 10/30/06 Pokemon Ranger
• 10/31/06 Konductra
• 10/31/06 Nacho Libre
• 10/31/06 The Sims 2: Pets
• 10/31/06 Tom and Jerry Tales
• 10/31/06 Scurge: Hive
• 11/01/06 Chicken Little: Ace in Action

See the full list after the jump!

We have some more screenshots of Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City for the PSP before it comes your way in a few more weeks. Blessed with great rides that you could customize and a very neat soundtrack, it has all the formulas for success. Plus, the game will feature actress/model Emmanuelle Vaugier, now that has to draw a lot of attention.

Just so you guys are in the know, the PSP version would have an exclusive content which includes a greater focus on team racing and three play modes - Crew Tag, Escape, and Delivery. If it has unique factors, it also has similarities with the console versions and they are -  exploring an open environment and the recruitment of drivers to help achieve the taste of sweet victory. So with that, let's just wait and see if one of EA's pride and joy lives up to expectations when it comes out.

Preorder: [Need for Speed Carbon: Own The City]

  

  

Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City is drifting in fast (and furious) to retail stores soon. But with regard to its companion game, NFS Carbon, that one is parking its scorching wheels in the garages of Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, GBA, PSP, PC and mobile. That's virtually every gaming platform out there.

Anyway, back to NFS Carbon: Own the City. Down at Game Videos, doublespy just uploaded a trailer that introduces the Krimson Crew. The trailer looks like it came right out of a graphic novel, and totally something not like a racing game. It hints at a story and justifies the game's feature of allowing you to gather your own crew.

And you thought that this racing game was just like any other racing game? After watching the video, you'd see how much EA Sports had detached themselves from this stereotype. Apparently, there seems to be a solid story backed-up beyond all that racing and drifting. And it seems to be a story worthy of a movie.

Curious about the story? Watch the vid and find out.

Download: [NFS Carbon: Own the City 'X' trailer]
Pre-Order: [NFS Carbon: Own the City (PSP)]

Electronic Arts' Need for Speed Carbon, the latest in the Need for Speed series, is named after a real place in the real world: Carbon Canyon in California. And speaking of real, let's segue over to the cars in the game and look at how real they are. And remember, as pretty as those rides look, you can always modify your car to your tastes. Remember:

• You have over 50 "completely" customizable cars to choose from.
• You can modify even the smallest bits (like the number of spokes), you can morph parts (pull, twist, stretch some pieces to customize the look of the car), and you can put on any of 900+ decals and 90,000+ paint combinations.

Fans of the movie "Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift" will notice all the burned rubber, smoke, and drifting (I tried to watch it but I was drowsy from too much videogaming that I "drifted" in and out of sleep). This game is drifting over onto the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, GBA, PSP, PC and mobile.

  

Buy: [Need for Speed: Carbon Xbox 360]
Buy: [Need for Speed: Carbon PSP]

In what may well be the best game soundtrack of the year, EA's Need for Speed: Carbon features an international soundtrack comprising of some 30 diverse cuts that reflect the game's three distinct car classes, including Exotics, Muscles and Tuners.

The Exotic class consists of a mix of the new UK Grime scene, Muscles are fueled by riff-heavy power bands, and Tuners deliver a newly revitalized sub-genre of 'Electro' (electronic music).

Artists announced for the car classes are the following:

• Muscle Class : Kyuss (US), Eagles of Death Metal (US), Metro Riots (UK), Wolfmother (Australia)
• Tuner Class : Ladytron (UK), Goldfrapp (UK), The Presets (Australia), Melody (Japan), Tiga (Canada)
• Exotic Class : Lady Sovereign (UK), Roots Manuva (UK), Sway (UK), Pharrell (US), Spank Rock (US)

Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA added, "Street racing is an international outlaw sport with a velocity all its own, Need for Speed Carbon takes a cinematically sonic approach to the sport's different personalities and the crews that rule it. We've spent close to a year working with artists and labels from around the world to ensure that not only does the music capture the true hardcore styles of the sport, it also pushes it forward with breakthrough new artists. By combining these genres, we've now taken the premier street racing simulation brand in the industry to an unstoppable new level."

Need for Speed: Carbon will be available on most platforms including PSP, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation3, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation2, Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube.

Buy: [Need for Speed: Carbon Xbox 360]
Buy: [Need for Speed: Carbon PSP]

Need For Speed: Carbon releases a new introductory trailer that's meant to make you yearn for more.

The video starts off with the character revving up his engine and showing off some cool drift moves to an unidentified driver. Apparently, the anonymous driver used to be from the area, but from some undisclosed reason. Taking on the territorial tone, the character then goes to warn the other driver that things aren't the same in Carbon anymore. It's definitely changed as it is now a battleground. You now have to fight for territory in the city.

You then see some neat curved mountainside racing action, with racers edging out each other on the risky highway. The character closes the trailer with a really cool line: "I heard you were back in town. Now I wanna hear you're gone."

Ooohhh...that's some tough talk right there. But more than just smart-aleck comments and witty comebacks, this game definitely is set to deliver action.

Download: [Need For Speed: Carbon Intro Trailer]

With all of the great titles being released its easy to tell that Christmas is coming up soon. The PSP makes sure to make itself noticed in the Christmas rush. Many great titles will be available within the next few months. Take a look at the list below.

September:
29: Infected
29: Mercury Meltdown
TBC B-Boy
TBC Destiny's End

October:
6:  Capcom Puzzle World
6:  Open Season
13:  Power Stone Collection
20:  Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
20:  The Sims 2: Pets
27:  Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light
27:  Ford Street Racing: LA Duel
27:  Metal Slug Anthology
TBC Rengoku II: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N.

November:
3:  Need For Speed: Carbon
3: Scooby Doo! Who's Watching Who
10: Capcom Classic Collection Reloaded
10: Thrillville
10: WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007
17: BattleZone
TBC Brothers In Arms: D-Day
TBC Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
TBC Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony
TBC Eragon
TBC Football Manager 2007
TBC Hard Rock Casino
TBC Legend of the Dragon
TBC NBA '07
TBC Pro Evolution Soccer 6
TBC Scarface: Money. Power. Respect.
TBC Test Drive Unlimited
TBC The Hustle: Detroit Streets

Car aficionados, listen up. We got swell Need for Speeed:Carbon news for you. We got our hands on the factsheet, and we're going to give you a rundown of the things you have took out for in this brand-spanking game.

If you're following news at QJ lately, you're probably aware that this game allows players to build their own crew, and go on all-out war with others who want to take over the city. Basically, the goal is to take over one city at a time, and making your rivals literally bite their own dust as you zoom your way past them.

This "crew feature" is a first in Need for Speed history, and of course will be accessible in virtually any platform imaginable: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, GBA, PSP, PC and mobile. Users also get to customize their own wheels with the " Autoscuplt car customization," with a selection of 50 real-world licensed cars. There are also the Tuner, American Muscle, and Exotic car classes "to prove once and for all who makes the best set of wheels."

Hmmm... it seems that competition is really the heart of this game. And really challenging ones at that. Imagine racing in the dangerous canyons just to ultimately prove who's really the king of the road. EA's game is surely a recipe for an adrenaline rush, and is expected to hit stores on November 10. For more game updates, just stay tuned here at QJ.

Pre-Order: [Need for Speed: Carbon]