 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | EA Tiburon |
| Publisher: | EA Sports | |
| Genre: | Racing | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 (2-4 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (online play), Custom Soundtracks, In-game Dolby Digital, HDTV 480p | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Growing up in the heart of NASCAR country (pre-globalization through ESPN, Texas expansion, etc.), I am certainly well versed in the sport’s nuances. Even though I’ve never been a big fan of watching it on TV, I can certainly understand the appeal to those that enjoy it. Fast cars jockey for position, colorful personalities are behind the wheel, and there’s even the chance that you’ll see someone’s spleen get smeared all over the pavement. Good times for sure, and an easy way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
However, much like the sport itself, EA’s NASCAR series seems to be stuck in a perpetual cycle of minimal changes to the same formula year after year. This year’s edition is no different, as it returns with basically the same gameplay modes and a smattering of new features. In the end, this means that this year’s installment will probably only appeal to hardcore NASCAR fans that need their yearly fix.
To me, the most important improvement to the game is a renewed sense of speed. Although the game itself doesn’t seem to run any faster than before framerate wise, EA has certainly made the game feel faster with good use of motion blur and other tricks. Speed is more critical in NASCAR than it is in virtually any other automotive sport, because without it you’re simply turning left over and over again, so it’s good to see EA realize this.
Driver attributes are the game’s other major addition this year, and they are a nice touch as well. The system takes virtually every action you perform during a race into account, either adding or subtracting experience points based on the strength of your performance. A high meter increases your driver’s attributes, improving performance and earning skill points to use in unlocking new tracks, cars, and sponsors.
Aside from that, things are virtually unchanged from before. You’ve still got various gameplay modes, including Fight to the Top, Season, Chase for the Cup, and Dodge Challenges. In Fight to the Top, you start out as a nobody racing in the Whelen Modified and Craftsman Truck series, and work your way up to a NASCAR champion. Along the way you’ll win over legions of fans, earn money, and do all the other things necessary to build a career. New qualifying rounds help determine exactly where you’ll start out, with higher medals offering you the chance to skip some of the low-level grunt work. Dodge Challenges are basically recreated scenarios from last year’s season, while Season is your standard season mode and Chase for the Cup finds you racing in the final 10 races of the year to determine the champion.
Graphically, on Xbox the game feels like a PS2 port with a few Xbox-specific effects tacked on for good measure. It looks even worse on PS2 however, making one yearn for a new installment on the PS3. Now that this game is technically “last gen” (as of November 19th) it’s certainly not going to impress anyone, but that may work in its favor since gamers are likely to be a little less forgiving. Regardless, it’s not anywhere near some of the original Xbox or PS2’s best racers graphically.
Bottom Line:
I can’t find anything egregiously wrong with NASCAR 07, but it simply has failed to impress me in any meaningful way. I don’t even buy NASCAR games every year (although I’ve played my fair share of them), and NASCAR 07 still feels stale to me. It’s not a horrible racing game if you must have a new NASCAR title this year, but there are much better racing games out there.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 5.5 |
Posted: 2006-11-21 22:05:35 PST