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Nascar video games, probably more so than any other sports game, has always had the biggest “split” in terms of casual versus hardcore fans. On one hand, you want the casual Nascar observers who are looking for the “Sega Daytona USA experience with licensed drivers and real world tracks”, and on the other hand you have the hardcores that want to build/tweak their engines, exhaust, suspension, and micromanage their pit crew, as well as have cars take very realistic damage from wall-rubbing and/or even the slightest collision. These are the folks that point to the old Papyrus-developed Nascar game series on PC that leaned heavily hardcore. To start this off, let me preface this hands-on by saying I fall somewhere down the middle on this one. I’m by no means a Nascar hardcore guy, but I’m also far from being someone who wants (or expects) a licensed Nascar game to be the second coming of Sega’s old “Daytona” arcade racer. I personally don’t mind a more realistic damage model, but then again I don’t want each “rub” or “wall scrape” to be catastrophic either. I would also be completely LOST as it pertains to pit-crew management, as well as playing auto-mechanic with each internal part/system inside of my car. One thing I’ve found from playing Nascar 09 is that EA seems to be targeting the desires of the “somewhere down the middle” Nascar gamer. So for me personally, I’ve found the game to be targeted directly at me. The game offers two game difficulty models. These “models” are really the realism setting for your car. “Normal” is for the casual racer, while “Pro” is for the hardcores who want the most realistic car handling, damage model, tire degradation, etc. It’s important to note, however, that you can dive into the car setup in either mode and adjust things like “camber” and “differential ratio”. I have to commend EA for its clever use of Jeff Gordon to help direct you through the experience from the moment you fire up the game. Jeff is frequently on-screen to offer you voice-over advice about how to drive the menu, what to do first, what options are available to you, and he gives some surprisingly detailed and helpful guidance about each mode of play. I have to admit, he’s actually quite helpful, and this usage of a cover athlete as your “virtual guide” is actually quite innovative. The first thing Jeff G. asks you to do is go customize your car. There’s a very detailed paint/decal interface that lets you customize the look of your personalized vehicle in every way. There’s also a vast array of sponsor decals- both real-world and fictional- that you can use as sponsors for your car. (Note: there is deeper “sponsorship” in the game as you get “rep”, and that “higher rep sponsorship” helps later in the game as you climb the ladder of game achievements, challenge modes, and racing success.) However- getting back to the car customization- getting to personalize your very own Nascar ride is actually a lot of fun. I found myself tinkering with the car “look” options for about half an hour and not realizing it. In the end, my virtual driver “Scooter Hemphill”, was quite happy with the look of his black and green 154 car.
From there, Jeff Gordon directed me to try the Sprint Challenge mode. This is probably a very good idea. There’s about 50+ Sprint Challenges that you can complete in the game. These challenges accomplish 2 things. First, they teach the nuances of Nascar racing, and are a really good instructional tool. Secondly, they award “points” that you can use to boost car/handling attributes. You’ll definitely want to do that before jumping into career mode. Obviously, the better the car handling/speed/acceleration/braking/etc., the more success you’ll have in the Chase for the Nascar Sprint Cup career mode. The first Sprint Challenge I tried was keeping my car at or above 155mp (even on turns) at Daytona…while also avoiding the wall. Since this is the first “challenge”, there’s no other cars on the track with you. (The challenges increase with difficulty as you progress through them, incidentally, so not all challenges will allow you an open course, especially as you progress.) I did okay, despite narrowly missing the wall on some turns. I completed the challenge and received some “challenge points” to boost my car’s attributes. It must also be said that Nascar 09 is quite a graphics feast. The cars, tracks, sky…everything…looks photo real. The game also gives you a fantastic sense of speed. The sounds and cockpits are also first rate. I personally would give the graphics and sounds a solid 10 out of 10. 3rd person replays of parts of your race would easily fool an unknowing observer into thinking they were watching a real Nascar race, which is probably the highest sound/graphics praise you can give a sports game. As for the car handling, it’s a mixed bag. Playing on “Normal” (i.e. casual) will let you handle just about every turn without much issue whatsoever. It will make you feel good about yourself for a bit, until you realize that anything resembling realism is being tossed out the window. (Think “Daytona USA”) However, bumping it up to Pro handling will probably make you have an intimate relationship with the wall on many turns. Personally, I think “Pro” would be fine for those who use the XBOX 360 wireless racing wheel, (something I recently discussed with Madden Planet’s Damon Peterson, who has the wheel and confirmed how awesome the wheel is for the game, and what a night and day difference it is). However, let it be said that the “Pro” model is extremely difficult if you plan on using the standard XBOX controller. I can understand this to a degree, because most of the hardcore Nascar fans who would play on pro would probably be sporting the XBOX wireless wheel anyway. Frankly, for my part, this game – to me- has so much quality in it that I may just go out and shell out the $100 for the wheel at a time when my wife probably won’t want to kill me for doing so… but that’s obviously a topic beyond the scope of this hands-on report. ;)  From there, I went back into Sprint Challenge mode, and was asked to “draft” another car for x many seconds during two laps at Daytona. I managed to pull that off on my second try, since I had too many wall collisions the first time. That rectified, I completed the challenge and got my challenge points that I put towards my car handling. The third challenge was to do half a lap, and bring my car under control into a 45mph entry into the pit area. After coming in way too fast on my first attempt, I completed that third challenge with flying colors.
However, the fourth Sprint Challenge was where I hit the wall (in more ways than one.) Driver Casey Kain challenged me to overtake him in a three lap race. Unfortunately, he starts out with a 14 car lead. Unfortunately, my insistence on using the “Pro” handling model with the standard XBOX controller had me hitting smacking into more walls than Tara Reid at an after-hours club. I have yet to complete that challenge, and I suspect that without the wheel controller, I’ll probably have to find a custom handling balance somewhere between “Normal” and “Pro”.
Or…I risk it and go purchase the wheel…and hope she won’t notice. ;) I’ll be posting more hands-on as I tweak the settings and dive into career mode with Scooter Hemphill in the black and green 154 car. So far, I’ve really enjoyed Nascar 09. Until next time, remember… Rubbin’s Racin’.
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