NASCAR: SimRacing hits the track with one goal in mind: win over the NASCAR fans who are still clutching onto their copies of Papyrus’ last
NASCAR game with little hope of letting go (trust me folks, I know some of these guys personally). And, in that respect,
SimRacing delivers nearly everything a hardcore NASCAR fan could want: real-life drivers, paint schemes, and real tracks. However, this NASCAR game shouldn’t be confused with EA’s console offerings since with all the glitz and glamour comes a racer that is anything but arcade.
NASCAR: SimRacing delivers on its promise of sim-style action that is true to what the game’s target audience wants. While the game may be too “real” for some fans, the hardcore ones will eat it up. Like other sports games, NASCAR: SimRacing offers a variety of play modes that should appeal to nearly every racing fan.
The core single-player mode is Career, which takes a more low-key approach than other NASCAR games. Career mode is all about trying to manage a team and take it to the top – which translates into a lot of decision making. You have to decide on where you want to compete, such as the Nextel Series or Craftsman Truck Series, and what equipment and crews you compete with. This aspect isn’t as fully-developed as it could have been, and usually boils down to just waiting around for R&D to get done with researching whatever you’ve dumped funds into.
You also have to sign sponsors and keep them happy (via your performance), otherwise they’ll pull support. These elements present one of Career mode’s more interesting dynamics because in order to do really well in a race, you have to keep up in your R&D. But in order to do that, you have to keep sponsors happy. The situation isn’t as dire as it sounds since sponsor money isn’t hard to obtain. There is, however, some inconsistency in the mechanic that presents some problems. Sponsors are, at times, too picky, and even if you’ve just won three races in a row, will turn on you if you have poor showings in your next three races.
For the most part, Career mode simply feels like something to do while not online, and isn’t all that engaging. It’s the 43-player multiplayer where the game’s real fun can be found.
Online performance is really good and goes beyond just racing to win. For starters, you can use a headset and communicate with other drivers – making both friends and enemies along the way. If you want, you can even join leagues and build up little drafting strategies with people. My only disappointment was that the servers were pretty empty when I played. But hopefully the word will get out and more of the hardcore fans will assimilate.
