NASCAR 09 Review

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(More customer reviews)NASCAR games are typically underperformers and far from the kind of simulated experience I've wanted for so long. Here the game developers have sought to fix some of those issues.

There is more realism to how the cars handle. Tire wear and fuel issues are also more realistic (you actually get a fuel gauge this time) and pit stops offer more opportunities for adjustments (i.e. you can adjust air in only one tire). Also, this time each individual corner affects the car differently. In previous games, each corner was treated as a clone of the others with only a few exections (the "egg" shaped tracks, Pocono, etc.)It is also nice that the AI can no longer plow into you with seeming overwhelming force with little you can do to resist their aggressions. This means you can now drive in a pack much more easily - and isn't that what NASCAR racing is all about?

Off the track there is a lot more going on this year. One of the big let downs in previous games was the lack of anything to do when not racing. Here there is a lot going on in the garage. I happen to like Jeff Gordon, about as much as any driver (not my fave, but he's OK) so it didn't bother me to have him around as a guide through the game. I can imagine some die-hard Gordon-haters moaning and groaning about it. Don't worry, Jeff is not the only driver you encounter in the game. Also, when Gordon speaks it's in very brief snippets. He acts as more of a menu for getting around the garage. In NASCAR 09 you can do more with the car in the garage. Actually, the biggest change is that there is a garage. You can spend tedious hours (which I enjoy) working on your paint scheme. It's not quite the paint shop in Forza 2, but it does offer more than past editions.

The coolest part of this game? Spending XP points to level up your ride! This gives the game a RPG flavor. I've never seen anything like that in a racing game.

One major complaint is that you still cannot get anywhere "rim riding" - that is, taking the high line around a track. To go fast, you need to stick to the bottom during turns as much as possible. Go high, get passed. So, if you are planning on driving in a Kasey Kahne style, or like Dale Jr. has been recently, you are basically setting yourself up to lose. This is a little annoying, because even though there may be two or three racing grooves for traction, the bottom one is the only one that gives consistent speed. If you're not in the bottom groove, the speed goes to the other cars on the track. By default, that makes every track a one-groove track. You can always duck down to the bottom to pass and return to the top later. But be careful, as with previous versions of the game if you hit the apron you are almost certainly going to spin. It's ridiculously slippery down there, so don't plan on making Kyle Busch manoeuvers down on the apron.

Pros:
- Better car "feel" creates a way more interesting experience
- Better graphics
- More adjustments to the cars
- More to do off track
- Cockpit view looks much better
- Anytime you get to spend points to level up, you got yourself and addicting game

Cons:
- Same old terrible generic rock music (I just turn it off completely)
- Must traverse the bottom of the track to gain spots, no "rim riding"
- Some key info is hard to see, such as the telemetry screen that you can pop up during a race. You can't read it while driving, but it's there. You will also crash while trying to look at the deep-bottom-right side of the screen, where your track position and lap number are shown.

Things to make you pull your hair out:
- When a caution flag is throw, you lose control of you car. So, even though you could drive off to a safe spot, the game locks you in harms way. This way, on-coming cars will pile up into you and set you down pit road for what should have only been a solo spin on the front stretch
- You will get in a crash. It will often times not be your fault. The game doesn't care, you get penalized. A.) You will get shuffled to 43rd position (I thought NASCAR froze the field when the yellow came out?!) B. You will then get black flagged for rough driving if you so much as ding another car after a crash. Suddenly, the game programmers get fastidious about rules.
- When the caution comes out, you have to wait as the field does a complete lap before you can enter the pits. During this time, a driver normally talks to his crew chief about adjustments, etc. In the game, you just watch the car go around, then hit pit road, then get a 3-5 second window to make pit decisions. Hey, programmers, why not use that time the player spends watching the car drive around to allow for decision about what's going to happen on pit road? Duh!

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NASCAR 09 X360

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