NASCAR 08
- May 10, 2007 00:00 AM PST
NASCAR 08 is on its final lap before it crosses the finish line this July. Abracadabra homes!
At EA's Summer Preview event, NASCAR 08 had its own pretty setup conveniently near the food table, so it obviously drew a lot of attention. NASCAR 08 is the first new-generation title for the series, and the difference shows. If I were to describe the game, I'd say the cars drive around the track and sometimes they hits things, but hey, I'm no Ricky Bobby.
A better idea would be for me to list the highlights:
- First new-gen NASCAR title
- Updated physics engine makes driving more realistic
- Lots of support and customization
- Hundreds of options to tweak and tune, including braking help, stability, and traction control
- Accesible to NASCAR first-timers, but enough customizable options to make the game difficult enough for hardcore race fans
Shake 'n bake!
Graphically, the game makes a noticeable jump from last generation, as it definitely should and is expected to. Like the real sport, there are advertisements on just about every inch of the track's walls and cars from big sponsors like Nextel and Home Depot. Seeing as how the Web is killing the Yellow Pages, it's nice to see that advertisers are finding other ways to bombard us with banners aside from Internet pop-ups.
If you're like me, and not an awesome racecar maneuverer, then you'll want to pay attention to the green path that gives you an ideal line that you should follow to steer the track just right. If the line turns red, then you know you're going too fast.
You can tweak or turn on a variety of options or helpers in the game like breaking help, antilock brakes, stability control, steering control, traction control, and auto shifting/clutch. You'd want to turn some of these on if you're having trouble moving up in the ranks. There's also a nice cockpit/cage view if you want the full NASCAR experience, or you can just re-watch your free Blu-ray copy of Talladega Nights you received with your new PS3. You don't have a PS3 you say? Well, I guess you can use your lowly DVD...
