NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control features a ton of goodies, for even the most basic racing fan to drool about. Some of the latest features this year include the car switching, an interactive crew chief, a beefed up Fight to the Top career mode, a microphone communication system and more. Add to this 60 drivers, 42 tracks (22 Nextel, 13 fantasy, 2 Busch) and so on.
The thing you probably all want to know about is this Total Team Control deal, right? Well, lemme break it down for you all. You can hop around and are able to coordinate with the rest of your cars in efforts to gain ground, slide behind someone’s draft, box someone out, etc. This opens up a lot of room to get into deeper strategy, rather than just concentrating on finishing in one piece. You now have to contend with your team and supporting them as such. Interestingly enough, you can’t just hop into anyone’s car at any moment to “steal” the glory so to speak. You have to watch who you bump into out there, or they may not be so inclined for you to hitch a ride for a celebratory champagne shower. You can also bust out the mic, and start shouting some directions, which surprisingly I have heard is glitch free, aside from the occasional mistaken curse word. It’s actually pretty hilarious if you do have a genuine foul mouth, as you can get deducted points and everything.
There is also a Season Mode and Chase for the Cup, both offering lots of reply value, but the real kicker is the Fight to the Top. It’s basically like the franchise mode for the football/basketball games out there, you can check stats, offers, sign contracts, run your own team, garner prestige, and work with folks like Craftsman, Nextel, NNS and Whelen as you live your NASCAR dreams.
It’s pretty incredible to me how long these races are most of the time…like 300 laps for a standard race. Which can take a long time on the ‘ol PS2. Thankfully, you can adjust the number of laps for a quick dash to the finish line, before school or work.
You will need all your strength and wits about you, as the A.I. is pretty cagey. Cars will ram, nudge, poke, jostle and generally harass you into giving up your position. All the while you have to look out for your rear guard car, switch to your leader, watch out for cars you're lapping, and then make the odd pit stop or two. There are a few blemishes though. Sometimes your A.I. buddies will turn on you if you randomly bump them, which can hurt your prestige, as well as your crucial positioning.
