Customer Reviews

NASCAR 09

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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!

It's been quite a while since I've played a NASCAR game that I've liked, dating back to the old PC game that was much more simulation that simple game. Electronic Arts (EA) has the license for NASCAR games on console systems, so if they don't deliver or if you aren't happy with what they have delivered you're left doing what I've had to do over the last several years -- skip it. Not so this season! Finally NASCAR racing that is challenging, yet not overly so, and still F-U-N.
In previous incarnations, at least over the last few years, the game was challenging, but not in a good way. For example, in NASCAR08 beginners (like I normally am) were easily frustrated as the computer controlled (artificial intelligence or a.i.) drivers were very aggressive and would spin out human drivers in an instant. Instead of avoiding wrecks, the a.i. drivers would simply barrel on through the human driver and end your race. NASCAR07 had problems and frustrations of it's own and failed to deliver a product that could be recommended for purchase.
NASCAR09 has taken much of the best of previous versions and put the fun back in the game for novice level players. It is much easier to set fair and realistic competitive levels for the computer controlled drivers and thanks to that even a novice can grab the game and run a fun race.
NASCAR09 brings a Madden like reputation system to the game that lets players build up their reputation and gain rewards for doing so. In the career mode gamers sign team and sponsor contracts and again get rewards for completing the obligations that those contracts bring. Basically, if you complete your contracts you'll get performance points that are used to improve how well your vehicle performs on the various track types. In addition to gaining points from completing contracts you'll earn points from completing tasks in the Sprint Driver Challenges mode -- a series of 'mini-games' that help you get familiar with the game's controls and performance of the various vehicles.
There are a few areas where the game could be improved, and eventually make it 'the perfect racing game'. For example, bringing back some variation of the team control mode of a few years back would be such a place. In addition, the game really needs to include another variation of the drivers reputation system, in this case a reputation system for driver agressiveness and grudges -- if a driver is too agressive and is too dangerous on the track, at least to other drivers, the a.i. drivers should take take note and vary their style to try to take revenge and offer some payback.
Thanks EA for finally offering a fun and highly playable NASCAR game, it's a honor to be able to recommend this one for purchase for racing fans. Once you do get the game go along with the intro modes and jump into the Sprint Driver Challenges. You'll be amazed at how quickly time passes as you enjoy playing the game.

First off, I'm a NASCAR fan, so naturally I could not resist being able to drive some of the tracks I love to watch my favorite drivers run on in real life. While this may not be the most realistic simulator-style racing game out there (NASCAR or otherwise), I still have to say they got a lot of stuff right. Take the tracks, for example. Each one meticulously rendered down to the letter. Very few games put such focus on great gameplay, realism, and eye candy and get it (close to) right. The sounds are decent as well, giving you a sense of being in a real "stock" car.

Overall the game is fun, albeit it flat-out annoying at times. The AI players are no more lifelike and "intelligent" (as their name implies) than a box of paper clips. Be prepared to be run over - frequently - by the idiot who couldn't tell a brake pedal from a jelly donut. While it's certainly leaps and bounds over the abomination that was NASCAR '08, there is still much left to be desired (look forward to Gran Turismo's NASCAR Mode).

If you looking for a decently-made NASCAR game for the XBOX 360, then you can't go wrong with NASCAR '09. Just don't be afraid to put some of those AI guys in the wall when they deserve it...

It seems that EA can never get it right with their games, and probably never will as long as they hold the exclusive license to America's top motorsport (thankfully, they no longer have their greedy mitts on the F1 license, now posessed by Codemasters). This year, they seemed to be too lazy...or too tight wadded to acquire car licenses...so they added the create a car feature, making the players make the cars the way they should've been made in the first place.

Now...this feature is good and all...but its about the only good thing in the entire game. Car handling is still far from perfected, even with the inclusion of two different racing styles. The AI are still dumb as rocks, and will give you little to no room, and are almost impossible to work with at tracks where working together is a necessity (i.e. drafting at Daytona...which is a joke in this years game).

Most of the bugs online have been fixed, but EA decided rather than hosting all the custom paintschemes so that all playes could see each others cars, you must be a friend of a player to see his/her customized ride. Major bummer.

My suggestion: if you LOVE NASCAR, and absolutely positively need the most up to date edition, go for it. However, if you are just looking for a fun racing game, I suggest you look elsewhere (Grid and Burnout, while they are arcade racers, are a heck of a lot of fun online).

The game play is much improved over last year. The 09 version has many more driver assists, so a new player can start racing without continuously crashing into walls and other cars. So this year I'm actually enjoying playing the game. I like the racing in close quarters with other cars, which you don't get to do in most other racing games.

I'm only giving 3 stars because the game has a ridiculous amount of bugs in the career mode. It will say that I haven't met my sponser's goals, and then immediately it will say that I have. I'm continouosly having to go to the paint shop to redo my cars because the game doesn't think I have the right one. It says I can load a car from disk in the paint shop, but no. There are save options, but no load. The game will often lose my paint selection, giving me the awesome gray on gray look. Again forcing me to go back to the paint shop.

Nice attempt EA. Maybe next time you should try doing some testing though.

As with %90 of all EA games, this one is filled with bugs, glitches extreme lag and random system lock-ups. Seeing as though NASCAR 08 is no longer available to play online (EA shut down the servers so we had to buy 09 in order to play online)we have to play this crap. Constant lag regaurdless of your ISP speeds due to EA's horrible servers makes online game play frustrating. Single player is plauged with glitches, cars flipping over at Bristol, memory randomly locks up system and must be restarted losing all memory, profile curruption (forcing you to completely start game over with zero memory), HUD is embarrassing (Heads Up Display is terrible, outside of HUD is fine but looking at the center of the screen, EA has tinted the display so it looks like you are looking through dirty plastic. Thats not HD quality to me). If you can play NASCAR on your PC, your options are much greater with games that are over 7 years old. This game is way behind and as always, EA never supported this game the way it should have been. Ohh and EA has posted on thier website that online play will be removed on October 1st 2010.

This game locks up my X-Box on about every third challenge I play. You have no choice but to restart the system. I downloaded the update through X-Box Live but it still does it. Even though the gameplay is fairly fun, this just ruins the game completely. Where's the fun in restarting you system over and over. At first I thought it might be my X-Box with a problem, but my other games play fine for hours.

When compared to last year's game, this was year's game was bound to be an improvement. I wasn't expecting much. I've learned not to. Regardless, I found that this year's edition of NASCAR is one of my all-time favorites. It's playable, but not easy.

Let's start with the graphics. They are fantastic. The sun glimmers off of the asphalt. Imperfections can be seen in the track, including cracks in the painted lines and bumps on the SAFER barriers. The grandstands are not the most detailed, but once your car gets out on the track, it makes little difference. There are some flaws. For example, when you are on the backstretch at Dover, there is a buggy shadow that moves along the outside wall, but it's a great looking game overall.

The audio is decent, yet unspectacular. The stock cars sound like stock cars. The crowd sounds like a crowd.

Now onto gameplay. There is a great deal of customization, so you're bound to find a setting that works well for you. I found that the auto-braking made going around the corners easy, but it prevented me from accelerating off of the corner like I wanted it to. Also, it made the game a little too easy. I found that using manual braking with a low level of stability and traction control made the cars handle best. You still had to exhibit skill negotiating the corners, but it made the cars stable enough that you weren't wrecking on the straightaways, a noted problem last year. In short, the cars drive really well, and it's possible to have side-by-side racing this year, which is really, really fun. On the flip side, they don't handle so well that you can just dirt track through the corners. I like to drive off my right-rear tire, but if I'm not careful, I can use up my tires very easily. Even the loosest race car will begin to plow at the end of a run if the tires are abused. The pit road adjustments can help, however. The air pressure, wedge, and trackbar adjustments work well, allowing me to drive deeply into the corners, roll through the center, and get back in the gas early. I have had bad handling race cars, yet I've been able to get them right with adjustments in the pits. The key is to get your car handling well that you can negotiate the corners without burning up your tires. Another plus about this game is that it is important that you take care of your stuff.

The AI, on the other hand, has never been a strong point in EA's versions of NASCAR, and it's not great here, either. It hampers the overall feel of the game. It is tough to avoid bumping another car, and the game will black flag you for it. I got black-flagged for getting hit in the rear end at Martinsville. When I play a NASCAR game, I want it to be as close to an actual race as possilbe. On the good side, there have been races where I've been a 2nd place car and finished 2nd. That's good. I've been able to run down the leader, only to watch the car behind me pass me and pull away. That's good. You'll see that during a real race. What I don't like is when I take the lead, all of the sudden everybody gets faster. The lapped cars blow by me and pull away. If I'm on the pole, I can never pull away. I never seem to catch the tail end of the field, yet if I fall back to second, I'll hit lapped traffic right away. If I short pit, I'm light years faster than the field when I leave pit road, giving me a prime opportunity to make up 10 or so seconds on the track (yes, you read that right). With my new 10 second lead, I'll find myself back in second within 10 or 15 laps. While it doesn't make the game terrible, it prevents NASCAR 09 from being all that it could be.

You do have the ability to modify many settings from how frequently you pit, to the diffculty level of your opponents, to turning off yellow and/or black flags, to changing how your car handles. Again, this is the greatest strength of the game.

Whereas career mode in this game isn't as deep as it used to be, it still puts an emphasis on keeping your car owner (and sponsor) happy. You'll receive performance boosts if you can please your sponsors. If you don't please them, your reputation will suffer. A higher reputation will land you a more quality ride, even allowing you to sign with Gibbs, Hendrick, Childress, Roush, and Evernham. You can move through the Craftsman Truck Series, Nationwide Series, and finally to Sprint Cup. There is no modified series this year. I haven't tapped into other features such as the scenario racing, but they sound fun.

Overall, where does that put this game? It's a stellar NASCAR title. The racing is fun. The AI is far from perfect, but the game truly allows you to race as you want to race, making this a pick up for any NASCAR fan or fan of racing games in general.

I became a Nascar fan two years ago and I anxiously picked up nascar 08. It was a fun game, and after a while it was enjoyable. The controls were very touchy. Nascar 09 is a much better step up. Its easier to figure out what you want and even though I hate Jeff Gordon he helps you get your career started. The graphics are amazing on my elite 1080p. The controls are not as touchy and I am almost through a whole craftsman season and I find myself putting the controls on hard. If you are a fan of racing games i suggest this game, it is truly realistic. Now, I only want the xbox steering wheel to make it the most true racing experience yet. Buy 09.

This game is very easy to just pick up and play if you don't want to get involved with the meat and poatoes of the game.

You have the option of starting from the ground up in all three major NASCAR series-CraftsMan Trucks, NationWide, and Sprint Cup.

On the other hand if your thing is unlimited tweaking of every possible thing on the car and TONS of "paint booth" things you won't be disappointed. This game is 100% better than last years.

You can look forward to endless hours of fun. The multiplayer is very smooth also, as can be expected with XBox Live