NASCAR The Game: 2013 Beta Preview

By – John Williamson

The NASCAR series has been sorely neglected on the PC for almost a decade.  Back in 2005, EA released NASCAR SimRacing before sporadically delivering the odd console exclusive.  Now that the license has expired and been acquired by Eutechnyx, it’s possible to envision the emergence of a loyal fanbase buoyed by a substantive PC version.    After all these years, is this the NASCAR game we have all been waiting for?

NASCAR The Game: 2013 features a fully fledged career mode containing 50 events spanned across 23 fully licensed tracks per season.  You begin your journey constructing a team and selecting a suitable manufacturer. Initially, your vehicle is extremely underpowered and primitive with only a few minor sponsors who supply low payouts.  As each race unfolds, you are rated on your performance and credits are granted for reaching certain objectives.  Grafting through these early events provide the opportunity to purchase engine, braking and performance based-upgrades to make your car more competitive and move up to the business end of the field.

Your career is based on the traditional Sprint Cup Series with an allocation of points for top positions.  Once you have maxed out the default car to its full potential, novelty items can be bought including a NASCAR neon sign to personalize your garage.  In addition, Pro Driver Setups can be procured for selected circuits which provide the perfect ammunition to maximize your driving skills.  This is a proficient system which encourages you to keep playing.  The game also ensures that the career doesn’t become monotonous with some infrequent Invitational Events to add variety.  These can range from Eliminator races to 5 lap Time Trials in which Gold,Silver and Bronze target times must be beaten.  Without a shadow of doubt the largest omission is the option to save mid-race.  This is essential if doing a 500 lap competition where real world interruptions are extremely likely.

Perhaps the most impressive feat throughout is the ability to adapt the career to each player in terms of skill and time invested.  If you wish, it is possible to play 100% races, with fuel usage, damage and extensive tyre wear. All practice sessions are included to hone the perfect setup for particular tracks.  It is staggering to comprehend the amount of content provided if you approach the career from this perspective.  On the contrary, if you require a quicker and more casual experience it’s possible to select visual damage, various levels of tyre wear degradation and 5% race distances.  This customizability is exceptional and allows you to tinker with the options until they reflect your play style.  These can all be configured before each race at any stage which is vital as it enables you to enhance the realism while you slowly improve.

The immersion is heightened by a stylized pre-race introduction from Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip.  If you are successful and attain first place, the first task is to smoke the rear tyres and wow the capacity crowd.  After completing a long race, this is a welcome celebration although during shorter distances this becomes a chore and a barrier from progressing to the next event. This concept should have been developed further to add credits based on your ability to send the grandstands into a frenzy.  Despite the odd flaw, the career is highly polished and captures the essence of NASCAR and its appeal.

 Even if the career mode becomes stale or simply doesn’t interest you, there are a wealth of additional single player alternatives.  You can compete in a single season as your favourite driver or engage in numerous challenges.  There are Head to Head Time Trial exercises where you beat the optimum time set by legendary drivers.  Another feature is the Highlights section based on real life events where you either re-write history or reenact it.  These tasks range from 2011-2013 and are exceedingly diverse.  One moment you are challenged to overtake 1st place via the outside line on the final corner and then the next maximizing fuel efficiency at the front of the pack.  In contrast to the career portion, these events are superb in catering to those who are short on time and seek a quick thrill.  There is a synergy between all of the modes and none of them feel tacked on.  No matter what level of dedication you put into the game, there is fun to be had for all, a feat not often achieved by the majority of racing games.  There is also a multiplayer option, but this was not available to me before the review deadline.

The physics engine adopts a simcade approach which encapsulates the nuances of oval track racing.  Each circuit feels notably different and corners require some repeat gameplay to discover the perfect racing line.  The most adept strategy is to gently and smoothly apply the accelerator out of the corner gradually increasing speed.  If you brake too late, or your entry speed is too high, the end result is a wider line which drifts into the AI’s path. Patience is key, as any sort of over exuberant driving will cause a pile up.  Also, attempting to drift around the tracks is a foolish move which renders the car uncontrollable and massively slows you down.  Some may consider this frustrating as the physics take some time become familiarized with. As you would expect, there is major focus on drafting (slipstreaming) which is executed well and ensures close wheel to wheel racing.  If you spend too long in the dirty air of any car in front, your radiator overheats and can lead to an engine malfunction.

This adds a tactical element to overtaking which constantly keeps you on your toes. Instead of a racing line indicator, the game uses a warning system which prompts you when to ease off the gas, and brake.  It’s vital to follow these guidelines as they demonstrate exactly how to approach the main corners.  There is a flashback system present but this is restricted to the use of two retries.  Additional attempts can be purchased for in game credits. This removes the perception that one mistake could ruin a perfect race at any moment.  As a result, the whole experience is less intense.  Cautions are well executed with excellent replays and the opportunity to pit.  One inclusion I adored was the vibration of the fantastic cockpit viewpoint under heavy acceleration.

The only issue I have with the physics is the lack of grip in comparison with the AI.  On some tracks it appears that you struggle to turn into tight sections whilst your opposition easily passes by.  Often, running a racing line in a similar vein to the AI will result in sliding while they experience perfect traction. This is compounded in the career mode, when your vehicle is cumbersome.  Despite this occurring every so often, it doesn’t detract from the core physics of the game which are admirable.

NASCAR The Game: 2013’s opponent AI is for the most part competently done.  There are a number of difficulties ranging from Easy to Champion.  I found the competitors to be fairly challenging on Hard who drive aggressively and consistently perform quick lap times.  On lower settings, the AI tends to be particularly slow in terms of cornering speed.  Also, there is a lack of consistency on certain layouts.  I found it possible to set a time 6 seconds faster than the AI on the medium difficulty, and the next moment struggling to construct a top 5 lap.  The rationale for this could be that some tracks take longer to master.  Overtaking backmarkers is problematic especially when you suddenly tailgate them under braking.  In case you are struggling, it’s possible to modify the driver assists to heighten your competitiveness.

Parameters such as steering assist, ABS, traction control, and spin control can be adjusted to varying levels.  If all this seems like too much work, there is an excellent tutorial which auto-configures the aids based on a 2 lap performance. Another intriguing feature is the Proximity detector which is a radar at the bottom of your screen illustrating the exact position of your rivals.  In theory, this is an ingenious idea, but is located in an awkward position.  It is physically impossible to concentrate on the road ahead whilst peering down to this device which is out of your peripheral vision.  Fortunately enough, your spotter remarks which side of the track is clear.

In addition to the various gameplay selections, there are a host of personalization choices at your fingertips including the option to design your own custom paint job.  The menu permits you to add stickers, custom text and even select the outside shade of your car number.  Font styles can be changed and the whole system is strikingly easy to use.  I was able to construct a vehicle which was certainly unique. I can foresee the community with these tools at their disposal creating extraordinary templates for others to download.

Technically, the game is visually appealing with an excellent sound design.  Each vehicle is modeled expertly and is a fair reflection on their real life counterparts.  The engine sounds exhibit the grunt of a typical NASCAR motor which are notably audible when drafting.  I would highly recommend using the cockpit camera, as you can almost feel each gear change from the audio alone.  The options menu contains a number of variables to achieve a smooth frame rate from texture quality, MSAA, FXAA, Draw distance and others.  On maximum settings the graphics are stunning and creates an aura of photo-realism.  The only areas which could be improved is the texture work of the large crowds and text on the bonnet.

There are some performance related problems at this time with V-Sync.  The frame rate is set to target either 30fps or 60fps, and on the Ultra preset, I discovered the cap would cause some stuttering and an inconsistent FPS. MSI Afterburner reports that GPU utilization was only 62% when achieving 42 FPS.  Another bug which severely affected my enjoyment during the review, was the never ending formation lap which failed to start the race.  The only way to remedy this is to return to the desktop and re-load the game.  However, it must be emphasized that this critique was conducted during BETA, and I’m confident these problems will be resolved in time for the retail version.

Conclusion – Is It Worth Your Money?

NASCAR The Game: 2013 sets a solid foundation for an impeccable racing series.  The physics are complex and realistic with a challenging AI.  Coupled with a freedom to map the game to your skillsets, the formula is there to create a racer for a wide audience.  The amount of content for the price is astonishing from the huge career mode to individual challenges over a 3 year history.  Considering this is Eutechnyx’s first NASCAR title to be released on PC, it is clearly worthy of recognition.  I would highly recommend giving it a look, even if you have just a passing interest in NASCAR as a sport.  This review was conducted during a BETA testing stage, and will be available for release on the 24th July.   Pre-Purchase orders will cost £26.99 ($35.99) which will increase to £29.99 ($39.99) after this period.