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The Plot
In the game, the player starts out by driving down Carbon Canyon in the BMW M3 GTR belonging to the
player, which the player retrieved from Razor (the antagonist in Need For Speed Most Wanted) and
subsequently left Rockport with. A recap of his last race, driving Darius' Toyota Supra, in Palmont
City (with Kenji, Angie, and Wolf) is then shown. As the race comes to an end, police use an EMP
device to disable all the racecars except for the player's. Then Nikki comes to drop off a sack
inside Daruis' Supra, but as she tries to get in a cop pulls her away, and the player makes his
escape through an alley that a stock Chrysler 300C quickly conceals. The player opens the sack only
to find it is filled with useless paper.
As the flashback ends we hear Darius advising the player to leave the city with his car rather than
face the heat. The subsequent intro race focuses on Agent Cross (a returning character from Need
For Speed: Most Wanted) pursuing the player down the Canyon. Like the intro race in Most Wanted,
this race ends abruptly, fading out as the player's car runs into a construction zone. The next
cutscene shows the M3 crashing into a truck and cornered by Cross, who is all too happy to finally
"settle (their) score from Rockport."
However, Cross' celebration is interrupted when Darius and Nikki arrive on the scene. Darius
dismisses Cross before bringing the player up to the current speed on the changes within Palmont
since the player left. The main concern is the current war for territories between rivaling gangs.
There are 4 dominant gangs ruling respective areas of the city, three of them headed up by the
player's opponents during the race that fateful night as well as Darius' Stacked Deck, along with
several minor gangs.
Darius then recruits the player with the intention of helping take over the city for the Stacked
Deck, to return Darius' favor in saving the player from arrest twice. However, the player's M3 was
totaled in the pursuit, so Darius has Nikki help the player attain a ride. The player is introduced
to Neville, who becomes his first "crew" member. The player then has to make a choice between a
Tuner (Mazda RX-8), an Exotic (Alfa Romeo Brera), or a Muscle (Chevrolet Camaro SS) for his first
new car. The car he chooses will also determine what territory he starts in as well as which gang
he will face.
As the player inevitably proceeds to win more and more races, the player gains new territories and
eventually wins complete control over a gang's territory. After taking all the territories in one
section, the boss of the district's dominant gang challenges the player to a series of 2 races: one
on the streets and one in the canyons, in that order. If the player wins, they are awarded marker
cards similar to those in Most Wanted only the player can choose two out of a possible six, of
which one of the first four may be the pink slip to the defeated boss' car. (Even if the player
fails to win that car, it will still be unlocked for use in non-Career races.)
After that, a member of the defeated crew will ask to meet the player, where he/she will then
reveal their point-of-view of the night the player fled, giving clues to help the player make sense
of the suspicious circumstances of his departure and offer to join the player's crew. Nikki also
gives her point-of-view at about 30% career completion. She tells the player that she was knocked
down during the chaos and the sack which indeed contained the race's prize money was switched by an
unknown thief. Of course, Cross is watching this particular meeting from a nearby alley.
After the player defeats the three crew bosses, Darius offers to meet up with the player. Instead
of congratulating him, he accuses the player of stealing the money that was dropped off in the
player's car and asserts that the city is rightfully Darius' own. He then has Cross - who was
already waiting for the player - to arrest him. Next, Darius takes the players car keys and hands
them to Nikki, asking her to bring the player's car to Darius's garage and leaves. Cross then
releases the player as Nikki tells him of a side deal she made with Cross, before handing back the
player's keys.
She also helps the player connect his crew members' stories to reveal the true nature of the police
intervention: Darius set up the whole thing to drive the player out and come out richer. Part of
the deal includes Nikki racing as part of your crew.
The player is then given access to Silverton, controlled by Darius' Stacked Deck. As the player
begins to start the first race in this new realm, Darius is informed of the fact. He becomes
agitated and recruits the nearby three major crew bosses and gives them new cars so that the player
can be defeated once and for all. Darius gives orders to ensure that the threat offered by the
player will be diminished.
Once the player gains control of all of Silverton's territories, he is challenged to a series of 4
races, the first two of which are against all three of the other gangs' bosses. However, the player
defeats the bosses, and Darius challenges the player to a street duel. Here Darius admits that he
didn't just steal the money, he spent it to make Nikki his second-in-command. The player wins, and
they enter a canyon race.
After Darius is defeated in both races, he comes over to the player and hands over his Audi (Oddly
enough, the car does not end up in the player's garage but is instead unlocked as a "bonus" for
non-career races.). Darius then leaves Palmont City, but not before warning that "there's always
someone faster than you, and sooner or later they're going to catch up."
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