Customer Reviews

NASCAR Sim Racing

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

Uninstalled this peice of garbage today. This game definately does not live up to the hype. Is it better than Thunder 04? maybe. Is it a realistic Nascar sim? NO. If your looking for a Sim Nascar Game buy anything made by Papyrus Racing Games. From Nascar 4 to Nascar 2003. They are not perfect but they are way closer than this. I really had my hopes up that EA would get it right this time but once again they fell way short. EA has exclusive rights to Nascar Sims now and since there is no competition they don't have to worry about making anything better. I've been racing online for 4 years and playing racing games for several years before that. If your looking for a new racing game even if it's not a Nascar game for the PC look elsewhere GTR and R Factor come to mind as games that show way more promise than this one.

This is an absolute joke of a game. If a car spins and you pass them to proceed to the yellow, you are disqualified for passing a car after the yellow comes out. If you stop behind the car that spun, you are disqualified for going too slow under caution. In other words, if any car spins in front of you, you are disqualified. This is true even with the 1.0.2.5 patch. This game is proof that EA cares about nothing but the bottom line. It is not playable.

Ridiculously buggy even after the patch. If there is a yellow flag, chances are you will be blackflagged and taken out of the race. Trying to bring in the elements of sponsorship and working your way through the different divisions was a great concept, too bad what should be the easiest part to program (the NASCAR rules themselves) turn this game into an unplayable mess.

I guess we're left with an aging Papyrus Nascar Racing 2003 as the only decent NASCAR sim.

Don't let the new title fool you this is nothing more then NASCAR Thunder 2004 tweaked and updated. The engine is exactly the same. This game was released as a beta and has not been playble online (as it was advertised it would be). EA has spent 4 months developing a patch that didn't fix anything other then add more problems.

The game was suppose to be the NASCAR Racing 2003 replacement. Unfornately EA spent all there money on marketing/hype lies instead of making a game that can actually be a replacement. Of all the racing leagues on the net. I don't think any of them switched to this. In fact NSR is pretty much a standing joke of the community and gives you a bad taste in your mouth just thinking about it.

EA had there one chance with SimRacing and they blew it as far as I'm concerned. I seriously doubt they will patch this thing up to anything playable (like they promised) and the next great patch will be NSR 2006. I for one doubt anyone is going to be fooled this time.

We didn't like crappy NASCAR Thunder before you bought out papyrus (EAs exclusive NASCAR deal) and we certainly don't like it afterwords!

In closing avoid NSR like the plague

I would like to note that this review is for the demo version of the game only, and also to voice my opinions on the reported features of the game. Based on the demo, I do not plan on purchasing this game.

Good things:
The best aspect of this game is that it's new, so all the recent rule changes, such as the no-race-back-to-the-yellow rule, or the green-white-checkered rule are enforced. This game also features the "Chase for the Cup" points format used in this past season. The tracks are also modeled accurately and the graphics on each track are very well done. All the track logos are up-to-date (the one exception being there are no alcohol logos allowed). The graphics and sound engines are top of the line. I am also intrigued by the prospect of a "Career Mode" that is included in this game. This game has many strong points and should attract a wide audience, which will lead to great online support.

Bad Things:
While the tracks are modeled beautifully, it should be noted that not all tracks are included. Most notably missing is Pocono Raceway, one of the few "unique" tracks remaining on the circuit. Also missing are the Busch and Truck series tracks. The car models are subpar, appearing very toy-ish, especially the tire models. The worst aspect is the 3-D cockpit, modeled so poorly (cartoon-ish) that it serioulsy detracts from the realism of the game. As for online support, I believe the best support sites will not be switching allegiances to this game.

Other problems I had:
I have been used to driving racing games from Papyrus for years, so maybe I'm a little biased toward their style of gaming engine. I always felt that the Papy engine gave each of their games a level of excitement, as if I were always driving on the edge and the slightest mistake would ruin my day. This is not the case with NASCAR SimRacing. For me, the car will not settle into a corner the way I'm used to. I find myself having to drag the brake pedal and turn sharply just the make the corner without hitting the wall. There's very little smoothness to the driving style.

Again, perhaps I am biased to the Papy style. But I have driven other games from other companies (like GTR, Richard Burns Rally, even NASCAR Heat) and have had success. Why I can't even make a decent lap in any EA Sports offering is beyond me.

Overall:
If you are looking for a game with an up-to-date rules package, accurate track modeling, and a nifty-sounding career mode all included in a "simulation," this is probably your game. However, I do not recommend this game to "serious" sim-racers who want a thrilling experience on every level (graphically, physically, mentally, etc.). I believe that this game offers an alternative to the competition, not a replacement. This is not the sim that will make me turn away from the classic offering from Papyrus. For the serious gamer, I recommend one of two things: 1) Buy NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, or 2) wait another year. Maybe EA will have something better by then.

Happy Sim-Racing!

-Dave

Despite all that is wrong with this game, you can see some glimmers of hope that represents potential. Unfortunately, the game's bugginess right now will be its demise unless the patch squad is working round the clock. Many of us bought into the hype that has not been delivered. It is hard to imagine how this product could have gone into production and out the door in its current state. Unless it was a bunch of monkeys running behind the racing wheels and performing the beta test, the blatent black and yellow flag issues will drive hard core simmers nuts. There is no way any human beings who tested this game could not have seen these bugs. As previously stated, it is virtually unplayable as shipped. EA should be hammered with a class action suit and refund everybody who shelled out their hard earned money on this product that clearly fails the "fitness of purpose" test. It clearly does not perform in the manner for which it was designed. Factor in that I doubled my RAM to 1GB and added a new ATI 9800 display card, I have $350 invested in a game that sits idly on my shelf waiting for a fix. I hope the cigar chomping EA execs are pleased with their decision to rush this out in time to capitalize on the Daytona 500 hype. They have clearly underestimated the sim racing community who may not be the largest group in the world, but have come to expect quality and demand it. Get this thing patched (several times), stand behind your development efforts, and give the consumer the sim that you promised.

Yes, the graphics aredisappointing, and the game physics lags well behind Papyrus's NASCAR Racing 2003. But what really takes the cake with this game is the bugginess, especially with yellow and black flag rules. Under a yellow flag, you follow the on-screen and spotter directions, and you will likely get black-flagged for passing someone you weren't supposed to. if you slow down to get in the right spot, you will be black flagged. If there is a wreck in front of you and you pass a wrecked car after the caution - black flag! I tried about 30 times and not ONCE did I finish a race without getting black flagged for some absurd reason. Papyrus figured out how to fix these problems years ago, but the EA monopoly doesn't have to, apparently. NASCAR SimRacing is an absolutely unplayable game and I have sent it back for a refund. Don't waste your time and money!

As adverttised on the box,the box promises online racing with 43 drivers racing on the same track.(when you race any more than 17 online the flags don't work at all ).The ranking system promised does'nt work either( ex. it takes away points for bump drafting at restrictor plate tracks). As far as leagues go, the league organizers have to call their own flags which most of the time causes a war with players because they missed somthing and which results with players quiting.I bought this game because I wanted a sim racing experience not the arcade kidde version you sold me for 40 bucks. Now everytime i see the EA games commercial i really laugh when they say its in the game because its not in this one. I've given my game discs to my 2yr old he has fun playing frisbee with them . I will never buy a game again unless a read reviews other than the ones posted on Ea's site because i now know they were tainted by the allmighty dollar and if Ryan Newman played this game that i have he must be blind.This is to the Nascar stars dont do endorsements for products that you dont test yourself .Bottomline everyone pass on this game unless you find out they fixed the problems in a more current review.

I bought this game a year ago, and still haven't got it to work! EA has stopped supporting this game long ago. This game is total crap anyway. The ONLY real NASCAR Sim is NASCAR Racing 2003 Season by Papyrus. That game is continuously updated and supported by the largest single game following that I have ever seen. There are addons available for free through third party websites including Grand National, Craftsman Truck, ARCA Re/Max, and IROC. Those websites also keep all the paint schemes current, and are easily found through a Google or Yahoo search. Use what the real NASCAR drivers race online with, there are tons of open leagues available. [...] Do not buy NASCAR Sim Racing, or you will be dissapointed.

Please Don't Throw your money away.
There are so many errors in the game, it is almost impossible to play till they come out with patches to fix the game. There is major issues with Black Flag and Yellow Flag rules. You can be black flaged for no reason. The Graphics are no better than Nascar 2003. If you don't believe me check out all the sim racing forums and see what they are saying about this game before you buy, and you will see that it is not worth the $40.