Customer Reviews

NASCAR Racing: 2002 Season

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Words can't describe how awesome of a game this is,no, wait, this is no game at all, this is a honest to goodness transition of America's favorite motorsport to a breathtaking simulator that is on your desktop. It has what a fan wants, a driver seat in the action of 750 horses marching foward at blinding speeds like horsemen fighting for position down a backstrip of Daytona. EA can't touch Papyrus's passion for realism. EA's version of realism is starting from 24th and winding up at 1st in 2 laps, 1 if you are lucky. Papyrus doesn't want to sugarcoat the experience, they want you to know both the pleasures and excitement of Nascar racing, but also the misfortune of breakdowns and failed engines. Damage is handled beautifully, smoke flows, rubber squeals, it's everything a Nascar fan could want, buy it now, for some premium racing. You must know the track and all it's grooves and weak spots, as well as when to use the draft and with whom and when to just rebel against an orderly pack and to carry others with you to create a draft line more to your liking and to challenge theirs to come out on top. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Park will tell you how real it is, and you won't hear them saying the same about Thunder, plus you can get updates on your game and race over the net and make your own paintjobs, trust me, this is awesome.

OK, I want to start off by saying that I was EXTREMELY disappointed with N4 when it came out last year. I think the graphics are a sick joke, the sound was marginal at best, and the gameplay was OK overall. With that being said, N2002 is NOT just N4 with a couple of new tracks and new paint jobs for the cars. I'm sure if you go to Papyrus' website, they'll go on and on about new graphics engines, physics models, and a host of other technobabble improvements they've made. Well, I'm going to take my cue from Forrest Gump on all that and say "I'm not a smart man" when it comes to the how's and why's of computer games. All I know is, the graphics are near perfect, the gameplay is superb, and I've finally found the game to shelve my copy of "NASCAR Heat" for a while.

I have a little different perspective on the game that I haven't seen addressed very much in other reviews.
1--Good news: The game is much more stable! This is the main reason I got it. Unlike N4, most of the crashes in this game are on the track where they belong, not on my desktop when I try to quit the program.
2--Good news: Latest paint jobs, and more of them. Bad news: No Jimmy Spencer. And no Sterling Marlin, who wasn't in the game last year either. Jimmy and Sterling are on the same team this year; does the owner have something against video games? Very puzzling. But you can download them for free off the internet, so no big deal.
3--Good news: Better sound effects. Bad news: Annoying "wrinng-wrinng-wrinng" tire sound in hood-cam view. But that forces me to drive from inside the car, where you can't hear the "wrinng," which is more realistic perspective anyway.
4--Bad news: If you painted your own cars in N4, there doesn't seem to be any way to use them in NR2002. They'll look like you've been racing in the Twlight Zone 500. And the paint program no longer has those little decals you can slap on the side of your car to make it more realistic. Why did they get rid of them? Dumb.
5--Good news: Car is easier to drive! (I said easier, not easy.)
6--Good and bad news: Graphics are excellent, but if you don't have a top-of-the-line computer to handle higher res, they're not better than N4 and in some ways are slightly worse (blurry), except on practice track when you're driving alone.
7--Bottom line: Despite the flaws, this is worth every penny, even if you have N4. Buy it.

First, bought this game at a store and paid ... more than I would have if I looked here first. Last time I do that. If I see something I want I'm checking Amazon.com FIRST!!

Now, on with the review. Played NASCAR on Play Station and that's what made me want the game. OH MY GOD what incredible graphics and realism. While playing the game I could swear I was at Daytona! It is evident that an enormous amount of time and energy went into the developement of this game. It's worth every cent.

Draw backs, if any, BE PATIENT. This sim is so close to the real thing, you will have to practice, practice, practice. It is not forgiving at all, if you make a mistake your in the wall. Can be frustrating at times, but as you learn it will be very rewarding. Strongly suggest you view the driving lessons, they are very helpful. The only way to become good is to spend time behind the wheel.

Enough of this review, I'm going back to racing!

N2002 is much improved over N4, the handling and race physics are much more realistic, the racing is much more intense as in N2002, you are able to bump and rub without sending you into a big spin. There are more setup options available, new tracks, lessons on driving and much more.
As far as the realism goes... tire wear... remember the tire wear... tires actually wear more like they do in NASCAR, no more running 70 laps at Daytona without new rubber!
All in all, much more enjoyable play for all skill levels, closer racing, and faster! (If you dont use the new SLOWER "fast" setups.. make your own!)
The only drawback is it takes a bit more powerful system to run than N4, tweak your graphic setting to keep the frame rate over 20-30 or the game gets a little tough to deal with visually.

I have to agree with the guy from Frisco, TX. I will buy the new 2002 just because I love the racing sims and I like to have the latest. 2002 is very simimlar to N4. I was amazed at how alike they actually are and why Papyrus did not offer the 2002 stuff as a patch to N4. The games are so alike, I had a hard time remembering which I was racing, except for the sounds. I feel this has been just another "upgrade" to grab more of our dough!

This is the absolute BEST SIM ON THE MARKET!!! It has all the drivers (except Sterling Marlin for some reason), all the tracks, and everything you could want in a NASCAR game (except Sterling Marlin). The driving is easy, the AI is realistic, but it is somewhat difficult to get a decent qualifying time at Daytona on default difficulty. The damage is realistic, the sound is incredible, and the graphics are great.

The only beef I have with this game is the frame rate when you get around many cars. An accident in the front of the field while your in the back is impossible to miss due to the frame rate dipping to about 1 frame/5seconds. Then again, it was a 38 car crash.

All in all this is a outstanding game, better than any other NASCAR game out there on the market, especially EA Sports. It doesnt matter whether you have NASCAR 4 or not, go out and buy this game. You will NOT be dissapointed!

I have been a fan of Sierras NASCAR series since NASCAR Racing 2. This version is the second best on the market now that NASCAR Racing 2003 has arrived. This one is a much better choice if you don't have a lot of computing power. The physics are second only to the newest 2003 version as well as the graphics. Dale Jr. used this sim in the off season (will probably use 2003 now) and that should be all the testimate you need. :) If you like racing, you'll LOVE this sim.

A fine realistic game that is tough to learn but worth the effort. The system requirments are too high but if you can run it more power to you. There are compatibility issues with some video cards but if it will run you will enjoy it.

good gameplay, sound better then the real V8, my son don't like
racegames buth this game he play's the hole day with the spaekers, 5.1 digi , on loud so the V8 roars throuh the street.
Sorry for my Englisch.

Keep on playing