s always, there’s plenty of arguing around the NASCAR video game water cooler these days. Just as you’ll always get conflicting opinions about who’s responsible after a multi-car wreck, EA’s NASCAR fanbase is split in different directions. Some want to see a no-holds-barred sim experience like they used to get in the old Papyrus-developed titles. Others are more casual and just want to race as their favorite driver. Me? I’m in the middle. Given these divergent audiences, players of this year’s game will likely be pleased in some areas in disappointed in others.
The career mode receives the most significant upgrade. Not only are there many more design options for your created car, but the overall flow is miles better than the last game. Reputation points unlock better sponsorships and team offers (which contain certain on-track goals), and performance points let you beef up the aero, engine, or durability aspects of your car. Both kinds of points are earned by racing well and by passing the driver challenges, which are like last year’s license tests.
What makes this new structure cool also makes it dangerous. It’s much easier to hit the track and get right into the Sprint Cup/Nationwide/Craftsman Truck series without the hassle of licenses. But since you can stockpile rep/performance points by completing driver challenges at any time, you can stack it so you come right out of the career gate with a hot rod. I’ll take this tradeoff, however, given how easy this career mode is to get into.
Despite the improvements made to this year’s title – including a noticeable bump in graphical quality – it still doesn’t have all the corners dialed in yet. AI cars take better racing lines than in 08, but they still don’t show near enough variety or smarts to pit at different times, take rim-riding race lines, or avoid plowing into each other during a caution. Other legacy problems persist, such as the poor quality of the spotters, the lack of interactive pit stops, the fact that being affected by aero damage doesn’t exist, and frankly an overall absence of innovation.
Over the past five or so years, this series has refused to build itself up from year to year in any one significant direction. Unfortunately, it has become the Casey Mears of the EA Tiburon stable – surrounded by a top-flight organization but seemingly unable to turn all that potential into a legitimate championship run.