|
|
             |
|
|
|
||
|
Platform: Xbox Genre: Racing Publisher: Infogrames Developer: Monster Games ESRB: E (Everyone) Released: Q4 2001
Support AE! Buy Games Here:
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: |
Nascar Heat 2002Score: 6.5/10 |
||
|
Pros: - Great visuals and car models - Tight control and camera angles - Realistic AI
|
Cons: - Slight pop up and significant slowdown - Very little track variation - Bad collision physics - Mediocre soundtrack
|
Related Links: Review: NASCAR Heat 2002 (PS2) Review: NASCAR Thunder 2003 (PS2)
|
|
|
"Each [car] accurately displays its commercial sponsorship, reflects and casts a shadow realistically and handles believably."
|
|||
|
At first glance, non-racing fans will think the Xbox needed another launch racing title like it needs another controller port (read: a hole in the head) and street racing fans will scoff at the almost simultaneous release of two nearly identical Nascar racing titles. But to Nascar racing fans, that percentage of the public with gritty engine oil in their blood, commercial stickers on their headboards and achy necks permanently curved left, the appropriation of, and the differences between the EA and Infogrames Xbox racers is as clear as a good racing day.
While Nascar Thunder by EA catered to the “pick up and go” racing crowd, Infogrames’ Nascar Heat 2002 offers players the subtleties of real Nascar simulation. The races are presented like a televised program with a full motion video of the announcer but when the cars rev up and hit the oval, Nascar Heat does many things right but shows it’s console launch roots in a variety of ways. To begin with, the car models are fairly solid - what you would expect from an Xbox racer. Each accurately displays its commercial sponsorship, reflects and casts a shadow realistically and handles believably. It’s fun at the beginning to scroll through the colorful roster of racers (I like the M&M’s car) and see the shiny designs. Once you hit the asphalt, Nascar fans will appreciate the precise designs of the racetracks, the stadium seats and other particulars of the 20+ tracks from cities all over the states but for others the large variety may seem reduced by the uniformity. Scrolling through the tracks, you’ll find they are realistically reproduced but unfortunately this translates into very little variety. Either way, anyone can see that Monster Games did a great job recreating the experience however boring or exciting you may think it is.
The soundtrack is pretty typical adrenaline racing fair with the added boost of an in game commentator and supporters from your stable yelling encouragement into your ear mic. The roaring engines are truthful to their real life counterparts but on a broad basis the intricacies of sound are sometimes dulled and sketchy. The tracks are complete with clouds of muffler exhaust, oily tire marks criss-crossing each other and 43 racers on screen at once. This, regrettably, is accompanied by significant slow down and stammering controls but adds to the realism greatly when you see an ocean of cars ahead of or behind you. As in real-life, the races are cluttered with sponsorship material and a perfect arc of blue sky straddling the track. For the most part, while the race winds round and round, the environments hold up but even in regular play, Nascar Heat suffers from occasional frame rate reductions and slight, almost unnoticeable pop-up in the distance. There is a nice collection of view points to choose from including first-person and in the cockpit and at the end of each race, supplementing the overall rounded feel of the game, there is a recordable and adjustable replay mode with plenty of angles and switches to fool around with. Even while Nascar Heat is pretty accessible, it presents many options for tweaking and customizing along with realistic physics that make the adjustments worth the trouble. There are a variety of game modes to test your skills including Race the Pro’s, Beat the Heat and Championship mode. The most meticulous of them all that makes the hard core Nascar racer squeeze the most out of the games simulative aspects is the Race the Pro’s mode. Here, the actual times and driving paths of the pros have been replicated for your personal enjoyment and subsequent brain blasting frustration. If you’re bent on proving that you’re a better armchair athlete than your favorite Nascar driver, this mode is for you. Others might enjoy the Beat the Heat mode that assigns the player a multitude of tasks to complete that help prepare you for the challenges of the Championship mode. Here you race a full season on all of the tracks and hopefully work your way up through the ranks while you adjust and add to your car to improve it’s performance.
The games AI is one of its strongest points. The competition reacts to your movements realistically, no matter how sporadic, and responds accordingly in intense crash situations. Consequently, the computer drivers will also regard you defensively and offensively by drafting around you or cutting you off. The controls are very similar to most driving games but lack the need for the precision of the left analog stick on such a featureless course - as a result, it’s much easier to maneuver around the smooth curves with the less twitchy direction pad. While the game enjoys great driving physics, it lacks realism when cars collide and steel crunches against steel. The car models hardly show any damage and no matter how badly you wipe out, you’ll always land on your wheels like a cat. Overall, Nascar Heat turns out to be just what you’d expect from a racing launch title. It’s obvious that many of the blatant shortcomings could have been patched up if more time was put into the production so I’m sure this is not a perfect example of the Xbox’s power. At the same time, it successfully presents one of the most realistic Nascar racing games available - if only I was a Nascar fan. - Doug Flowe
(February 23, 2002)
Search for Related Topics:
...More Racing Game Reviews...
|
|||
