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NASCAR Challenge
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Graphics & Sound:
Before every game in the world went 3D, it was common to have a game that was made in 2D that really needed the feeling of depth added. This was sometimes achieved by using something called 2 1/2 D... essentially, 3D cues are faked without all of the heavy processing. This is the technique that was used for NASCAR Challenge. While it's true that no one will look at NASCAR and think that someone has made a 3D engine for the Game Boy Color, the scaling of the vehicles as they approach or pull away does a nice job of inferring depth. The cars are colorful, but have little detail, and the tracks are fairly simple, but this is probably due to the limitations of the GBC. The sound is about average, with the sound effects sounding somewhat like their real life counterparts, but no more so than other GBC games. NASCAR does have a built-in Rumble device, however, and it will work regardless of whether you have a rumble pak.
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Gameplay:
One interesting feature of NASCAR Challenge is the fact that there is a functioning pit, and you have some influence as to how long you take. When you enter the pits, one factor that makes or breaks you is how precisely you come to a stop. Once you come to a stop, your pit crew takes over, getting you ready to get back into the race. The downfall of NASCAR is that there are only three tracks to race on. They are varied as far as difficulty and even scenery, but three tracks severely limits the replay value. There are a couple of modes; you can aslo choose to race tracks individually or all three in sequence, but three just isn't enough to pull off a decent championship.
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Difficulty:
Racing around the track is fairly easy - the curves are well marked, giving you a warning just before each turn. Speed is not a big problem, either, as it seems that your vehicle will usually go faster than your opponents (once up to speed). The problem is passing cars without running into them. NASCAR has been programmed with that too familiar 'the-opponents -don't-get-hurt-as-much-as-you-do' dynamic, so when you bump into another car (from in front of or behind them), you will spin out and take time to recover, as the other car spins for a second and then continues on his merry way. If the cars are close together, this can mean that a few will hit you in succession, leaving you to sit and spin as they all shoot off down the road. The most aggravating part of this is that in the Practice mode (with no opponents), you may make record laps with the greatest of ease. My advice is to try to get a really good qualifying position and then work on holding onto the lead (and advancing) without hitting other cars.
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Game Mechanics:
I am quite pleased to see that NASCAR Challenge is not an above view racing game. That is really outdated. The 2 1/2 D view works nicely for NASCAR, but it seems that the depth of view is too short... or the turns are too quick. Either way, it's likely that the culprit is GBC's limitations. The limited number of tracks, however, is something that should have been worked around. I don't know for sure what the fewest number of tracks ever in a racing game is, but I doubt that it would be fewer than fewer. The game can actually be fun, too - but there's just not enough tracks to keep it interesting.
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-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins |
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