The Case

NASCAR is the name of the organization hosting those racing programs that regularly bring so many Americans together with their best mates and their favourite brews. The races are fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled affairs with drivers speeding around elliptical tracks, making a one left turn after the next while trying to make their way through the pack of fellow racers. So is Eutechnyx’s attempt to replicate the heart-pumping nature of the sport in NASCAR ‘14 going to make a flying start, or will it stall on the grid as the flag drops?

The Trial

If you’re from outside the U.S. then there’s is a good chance that while you may have heard of NASCAR, you don’t know much about it. Like many, you may be wondering just what’s so difficult about racing anti-clockwise around a track while trying to overtake other drivers. In reality, there is a lot more skill and concentration involved than one would think, as the turns are banked high, and unlike the Formula 1, there is no advantage in terms of horsepower as every car is built to the same specifications.

As with most racing games, when you start the game you set up a driver profile with your choice of name, country, car manufacturer, and so on. From there you can choose either to start a new career, in which you start a racing season, choose a team and try to finish the season with the highest rank possible, or you can jump right into individual races to familiarize yourself with the cars’ mechanics and handling, which are quite different from traditional F1 games.

The career mode is where the action’s at, and seems to prove quite faithful to the NASCAR racing format itself. When you take part in a race event, you’ll find that you must first participate in practice laps before the event, where you get a certain amount of time on the track to set up your car. Once this session ends, or you are happy, then you move on to qualifying. This is where you try to perform laps in the shortest time possible to earn a higher starting position. Next, you get a final practice session to iron out any kinks in your strategy before you take to the track for the main race.

On Race Day, you finally race alongside other drivers in the real contest: competing over the pre-selected number of laps while trying to work your way to the first place. With all cars being equal, this is easier said than done. Victory comes down to preparation and your position in the driving line when going around banked turns. Get either of those wrong and you’ll find yourself struggling to catch the leading pack, and likely, repeatedly lapped. When the event ends, you find out how you’ve done and how many points you earned during the race. You are also shown how your lap times stack up to the competition, and as you move on to the next track in the series, the process starts all over again.

Unfortunately, there is no option to save your place halfway through an event. So much time spent going around an elliptical track gets pretty monotonous, and you’ll find your concentration drifting. The game has a steep learning curve, as winning a race seems no easy task, even if you keep your car tuned up. Starting off with a few instant races may be the best place to start, as this mode will give you the option to race against other drivers without the pressure of competing for championship points and standing. The races are still as tough as the career mode, so don’t expect to be placing first instantly.

The game’s graphics are nothing special, and feel like a simple port from the console version with no added flourishes. While the cars, with their decals and sponsors logos, seem authentic and look like they do on TV, the tracks feel rather mundane and un-detailed. There are also issues with collision detection, as sometimes when cars join the track from a pit lane, they go straight through approaching vehicles without consequence. The sound effects such as engine noise and tire squeals are genre-standard, and your pit chief talks to you throughout the race. This gets fairly annoying after 15 laps, as there is not much variation in his script.

The game’s AI is not very clever (and that’s putting it kindly); the drivers are quite aggressive, and will bump you about if you fail to hold the line. Get into the middle of a pack of drivers, and it turns into a game of bumper cars. Starting out in career mode, this occurs frequently and you’ll often find yourself out of the competition early on. In order to remain competitive, you’ve got to manage your fuel and tires, so timing pit-stops is crucial. You must also watch your temperature gauge, as drafting behind the car ahead of you for too long will cause the engine to overheat, putting you out of the race. These aspects help add a sense of realism to the game.

NASCAR 14 is best played with a gamepad or a steering wheel, as driving with the keyboard alone is like trying to pilot a car with bald tires down a wet road. Finishing a single lap in this condition is a challenge, let alone an entire race. Thankfully, the game sports a multiplayer mode, which does help to salvage the game somewhat. The multiplayer mode offers a system of online 16-player racing leagues that pit you against real people, and not some shoddy AI whose only aim is to put you into a wall at every chance it gets. It is here that you can take part in custom races and track your place on the online leaderboards.  

The Verdict

NASCAR 14 is much better suited for regular NASCAR fans than those with a passing familiarity with the sport. It’s not a bad game, but its various flaws and glitches do spoil much of the fun. For an average-at-best driving game, the price is a bit high, and it lacks sufficient content to make it an essential purchase.

Case Review