NASCAR 08

Dirt roads are fine, but you need something a little more concrete. Highways and byways are yesteryear’s racetracks. You crave the smooth, high-speed courses – the kind that makes oil drip from Lightning McQueen’s mouth – that only an international speedway can bring. You want NASCAR, the boldest name in racing.

Since the early days of PlayStation 2, NASCAR has been a prominent figure in video games. From its days of Thunder to the years spent chasing the Cup, gamers turned to this racing sport for cutting-edge gameplay. NASCAR 08, the series’ first major entry into next-gen gaming, had years of PS2 sequels riding on its wheels. With “Race the Car of Tomorrow” as its tagline, the game shoots for current enjoyment from a semi-futuristic premise.

Vehicle Telemetry Visor

Commonly known in the game as VTV, the Vehicle Telemetry Visor is an updated way of viewing your vehicle’s status. In addition to the MPH, RPM, lap time, position, and body damage signals, VTV shows your fuel gauge, oil temperature and pressure, current gear, and water temperature. A slingshot meter indicates when you can pull ahead during a draft.

When training, players get a special draft view that throws holographic rectangles from the rear of your nearest opponent. These rectangles act as a guide to where you can draft. Stay within the rectangles and drive closer to your opponent to pick up speed. The game reiterates that drafting is used to lower wind resistance. But in a game world, you don’t currently feel the effects of wind, though I’m hoping that changes when a special fan-equipped PlayStation 4 arrives in 2015 (hey, it could happen).

Challenge Time

The recent NASCAR games have started out like DVDs with a trailer set that can’t be skipped. At least one challenge was brought forth at the beginning and it had to be completed before proceeding to the actual game. NASCAR 08 does not stray from this idea. But instead of completing just one challenge, you’ll have to finish 10 of them before proceeding to your first actual race.

Easy (bronze), Medium (silver) and Hard (gold) difficulties and medals are accessible. But unlike Gran Turismo, where your success determines the medal received, you must pick one of the difficulties ahead of time, which lowers or heightens the requirements. The time limit in a speed challenge, for example, will be lower for the Hard difficulty setting than it is for Medium and Easy.

There are dozens of challenge in NASCAR 08, but you don’t have to play them all at once. The first 10 contain the expected objectives: avoid a car pileup, draft through a lap, slingshot past six opponents, stay above the listed speed minimum, etc. There’s quite a bit of buildup for each type, especially for the pit challenge, which requires you to slow down before entering the pit area (very, very easy to do). The announcer talks about this session like it’s going to be the most challenging thing you’ve ever done. NASCAR newbies might find the commentary helpful, but the rest of you will be laughing once it’s over. Press and hold the L2 button to brake and drive toward the glowing pit sign. Done, mission complete.

Turning Point

Of the many things players look for in a NASCAR game, control and graphic upgrades are at the top of the list. New modes also rank high, and that’s not exclusive to racing – developers of new football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and golf games are expected to create new content as well.

At the start, NASCAR 08 doesn’t feel that different from its predecessors. The default vehicle handling is about where you’d expect it to be: tight but capable of losing traction when driving over slick surfaces. Handling may be tweaked to make the car tighter or looser, which is helpful if you’re using a wheel peripheral, but I chose to stick with the default setting when using a SIXAXIS.

The crash mechanics have changed since the last generation, with damage now looking more realistic but occurring in a less realistic manner. When bumping into the side of an opponent, you might notice that scratch marks have been left behind. If the bump is fast and harsh enough, one side of your vehicle may have been crumpled. Luckily, your rear is still intact – or is it? Side bumps may lead to rear-end damage. Rather than crumple in response to the type of collision (as in the previous NASCAR games), damage occasionally appears in the wrong places. You won’t see the damage unfold – it just appears in the wrong spot after getting hit.

Similarly, the sound effects are a bit off. Engine sounds are the bulk of what you’ll hear, and they’re not particularly accurate with what’s happening on screen. There are times when I’d be several hundred yards ahead or behind of my opponents, but it would sound like another vehicle (or several!) was nearby. The opposite was also true – I could be near several opponents and hear no more than a few engines.

This takes away from the game’s next-gen prowess, as does the intro, which stutters like a CD without skip protection. You’ll be much more enthused by the night courses, which showcase some really impressive lighting and shadow effects. Chances are you expected that – the NASCAR series is known for lighting and shadows, and its sunsets are amazing. But the intro is distracting enough to make you forget that this is a next-gen game.

The Game of Yesterday

Though it’s nice to be playing NASCAR on Sony’s new console, the series’ first PS3 outing is not as remarkable as its first outing on PS2. You’ll be impressed from time to time but never blown away. The gameplay is entertaining but doesn’t contain any significant hooks to enamor its players. I like it but am left wanting more – not more from what the game contains, but more of what was present in past NASCAR games (realistic physics, improved controls, and groundbreaking collision effects) that failed to appear in this edition.

Gameplay: 7.0
NASCAR 08 plays well but isn’t spectacular, and in no way feels like a next-gen experience. You’ll start to enjoy it as soon as the boring challenges end, but the game never gets to that point where you are entirely consumed in the experience. While EA’s previous offerings had mainstream appeal, this one is only recommended to hardcore NASCAR fans – assuming they don’t mind having a retooled and scaled-down version of last year’s game.

Graphics: 7.2
The graphics are noticeably richer than NASCAR 07 on PS2, but you’ll have to wait for a night course before any eye-popping effects are shown. Body damage looks more realistic but is incurred with less realism.

Sound: 6.0
Rock and country are Ok separately but make for a weird mix when used together. Most of NASCAR 08’s licensed tracks go for that style – a rock sound with a country voice, or some other mix.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
It’s good to know that this is still an easy series to jump into – if you’re new to NASCAR. For series veterans, the races won’t be that difficult to overcome.

Concept: 6.0
PlayStation 2 NASCAR that’s been deep-fried, re-seasoned, and re-dressed with a high-res engine.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Limited online options (only one style of racing, custom or pre-made) and a lack of offline multiplayer keep NASCAR 08 a few steps below its PS2 predecessors.

Overall: 7.0
Though the series still provides solid NASCAR racing, its first PS3 offering is not primed for next-gen excellence.