Here's where I'm coming from. I got started on Papyrus sims on the PC 10-15 years ago. I went from those games to the EA Nascar games for X-Box but was really disappointed, particularly in the graphics, even after putting in some time on them. I didn't bother to even try the EA versions for the PS3. Today, prior to buying Nascar 2011, I've been driving F1 2007, Dirt2, and GT5 for the PS3. I love all three games and they have set the standard for my expectations. With this in mind, to sum up my thoughts on Nascar 2011 - while it approaches (but doesn't meet) the standards set by the other three games, it blows away the EA games. I am glad I bought this game if anything else, to support a new developer in creating a good Nascar racing game again. It looks like this will be more of a process (with patches) than an event (with initial release).
I bought this game yesterday and put in about three hours with it last night, and raced in 17 different online races, trying out Martinsville, Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta. Here is a list of Likes, Eh, and Dis-Likes:
Likes -
* Graphics (other than the resolution, see below) - the immersion is good, I like the sense of speed, and I can pick out detail a good distance down the track, which helps in choosing a passing strategy, avoiding a wreck, etc. I caught myself getting tunnel vision on the racing line, and using my (virtual) peripheral vision for gauging where I was relative to the wall, the yellow line, other cars, etc.
* Spotter - so far, so good. Yeah, the repetitive "you're clear" can get a little annoying, but when in traffic I relied entirely on the spotter's guidance and I thought it worked well
* Little details - The bits of rubber building up on your windshield. Bumps in the track. Changing light conditions with shadows, reflections, the change in sound of the air as your car gets close to the wall, etc. I am sure I will notice more as I spend more time with the game.
* The Draft - I like how the draft is portrayed with the option of having it visualized with "wingtip contrails" coming off the spoiler of the car in front of me. Looks cool - caught myself watching the draft instead of watching my racing line. The feel of the draft seemed right to me as well.
* Two cockpit views - one "to scale" and one "wide angle". I switched between both depending on whether I wanted to try to use my mirrors or not. I don't usually race any sim using the outside views.
* Ticker tape at the top of the HUD - good for a quick glance to see time differences and closure rates between you and the car in front, and the car behind
* Damage model - not bad, didn't experience it much, but did notice rubbing the wall a few times in one race was starting to really impact my top speeds on the super speedways
Eh -
* Force-feedback programming seems simpler than F1, GT5, or Dirt2. Granted, these other sims have different types of racing, but even Nascar driving in GT5 had more "feel" to it. I hope Eutechnyx improves this with a patch.
* Driving physics - I thought the superspeedways were a little easy using the default setups, but not a big deal. The default setup for Martinsville had me suffering from push most of the time and running slower than the pack, which indicates I needed to do some work in the garage to tweak the car for my tastes. So - this was a little more of a welcome challenge. I should mention that I turned off all driving aids for my entire session.
* 720p resolution - as soon as I looked at the back of the box, I felt a twinge of disappointment. I really was hoping for 1080p, to rival GT5. I found that the more I played the game though, the less I cared about the lower resolution.
* Mirrors - not a lot of help. They are available in one of the cockpit views. I haven't used the "radar" display yet as I mainly listen for guidance from the spotter.
* Customizing the controller buttons for different functions is clumsy. I hope they fix this with a patch.
* Experience points popping up based on game events - kinda cool, but I will likely disable this function in the HUD
* Crashes - believe it or not, I think they might be a little over-done here. It's a little hard to suspend disbelief during some of the wild rides (spinning like a top in the air, that kind of stuff)
Dislikes -
* Multiplayer bugs. Granted, this was the first night for the servers to go live, and I set my expectations low. Still, I felt like I was a beta tester for the online portion. There were long load times depending on the number of drivers. One session failed to load at all, and I had to reboot the PS3 to get out of it. Occasionally the other cars would disappear from the "map view" of the track. Other times just the proximity of a car (no contact) would lead to a bizarre crash. Still other times, if I was on the pole, my race would start but the other drivers were stuck at the starting line. Eutechnyx has some work to do here. Even after all this though - I mean I raced 17 different rounds (at an average of 10 laps per race), and I had fun!
* Rolling start right before the green flag - both online and offline races are too sloppy here
* Yellow flags, particularly in multiplayer - inconsistent, and distracting with the cut scenes, pitting, etc. Some wrecks really should have had an immediate yellow, yet they didn't. I think if the settings for Yellow flags was more sensitive, online races would tend to be cleaner.
* You choose your car/driver at the beginning of the game, and then your stuck with that for the rest of your game-save! What if halfway through the actual 2011 Nascar season I decide I am not a Kurt Busch fan (for example)?? Am I stuck driving his car anyway in the game, or having to start over my online driver from zero experience?
A few things I've yet to try out - Career mode, pitting during a race, in-depth car setup. Look to other reviews for opinions on these. Oh - and I don't begrudge Eutechnyx for not reflecting the actual 2011 Nascar last minute details - I mean if they update that with a patch, that's cool, but it doesn't detract from the game for me. I would like to see them use the new points system though.
In summary - I am glad I bought it on opening day, bugs and all. I had a good time running multiplayer last night even with the bugs, and the time flew by. One sign of a good game is when you have to make yourself quit - I kept thinking "ok, after this next race I'll quit and go to bed. Well, maybe one more... Ok, this time I really mean it, just one more..." If Eutechnyx is committed to working out the bugs in the online action and some of the game mechanics, then I am committed to supporting their establishment of a new Nascar racing franchise. --Amazon Review
I bought this game yesterday and put in about three hours with it last night, and raced in 17 different online races, trying out Martinsville, Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta. Here is a list of Likes, Eh, and Dis-Likes:
Likes -
* Graphics (other than the resolution, see below) - the immersion is good, I like the sense of speed, and I can pick out detail a good distance down the track, which helps in choosing a passing strategy, avoiding a wreck, etc. I caught myself getting tunnel vision on the racing line, and using my (virtual) peripheral vision for gauging where I was relative to the wall, the yellow line, other cars, etc.
* Spotter - so far, so good. Yeah, the repetitive "you're clear" can get a little annoying, but when in traffic I relied entirely on the spotter's guidance and I thought it worked well
* Little details - The bits of rubber building up on your windshield. Bumps in the track. Changing light conditions with shadows, reflections, the change in sound of the air as your car gets close to the wall, etc. I am sure I will notice more as I spend more time with the game.
* The Draft - I like how the draft is portrayed with the option of having it visualized with "wingtip contrails" coming off the spoiler of the car in front of me. Looks cool - caught myself watching the draft instead of watching my racing line. The feel of the draft seemed right to me as well.
* Two cockpit views - one "to scale" and one "wide angle". I switched between both depending on whether I wanted to try to use my mirrors or not. I don't usually race any sim using the outside views.
* Ticker tape at the top of the HUD - good for a quick glance to see time differences and closure rates between you and the car in front, and the car behind
* Damage model - not bad, didn't experience it much, but did notice rubbing the wall a few times in one race was starting to really impact my top speeds on the super speedways
Eh -
* Force-feedback programming seems simpler than F1, GT5, or Dirt2. Granted, these other sims have different types of racing, but even Nascar driving in GT5 had more "feel" to it. I hope Eutechnyx improves this with a patch.
* Driving physics - I thought the superspeedways were a little easy using the default setups, but not a big deal. The default setup for Martinsville had me suffering from push most of the time and running slower than the pack, which indicates I needed to do some work in the garage to tweak the car for my tastes. So - this was a little more of a welcome challenge. I should mention that I turned off all driving aids for my entire session.
* 720p resolution - as soon as I looked at the back of the box, I felt a twinge of disappointment. I really was hoping for 1080p, to rival GT5. I found that the more I played the game though, the less I cared about the lower resolution.
* Mirrors - not a lot of help. They are available in one of the cockpit views. I haven't used the "radar" display yet as I mainly listen for guidance from the spotter.
* Customizing the controller buttons for different functions is clumsy. I hope they fix this with a patch.
* Experience points popping up based on game events - kinda cool, but I will likely disable this function in the HUD
* Crashes - believe it or not, I think they might be a little over-done here. It's a little hard to suspend disbelief during some of the wild rides (spinning like a top in the air, that kind of stuff)
Dislikes -
* Multiplayer bugs. Granted, this was the first night for the servers to go live, and I set my expectations low. Still, I felt like I was a beta tester for the online portion. There were long load times depending on the number of drivers. One session failed to load at all, and I had to reboot the PS3 to get out of it. Occasionally the other cars would disappear from the "map view" of the track. Other times just the proximity of a car (no contact) would lead to a bizarre crash. Still other times, if I was on the pole, my race would start but the other drivers were stuck at the starting line. Eutechnyx has some work to do here. Even after all this though - I mean I raced 17 different rounds (at an average of 10 laps per race), and I had fun!
* Rolling start right before the green flag - both online and offline races are too sloppy here
* Yellow flags, particularly in multiplayer - inconsistent, and distracting with the cut scenes, pitting, etc. Some wrecks really should have had an immediate yellow, yet they didn't. I think if the settings for Yellow flags was more sensitive, online races would tend to be cleaner.
* You choose your car/driver at the beginning of the game, and then your stuck with that for the rest of your game-save! What if halfway through the actual 2011 Nascar season I decide I am not a Kurt Busch fan (for example)?? Am I stuck driving his car anyway in the game, or having to start over my online driver from zero experience?
A few things I've yet to try out - Career mode, pitting during a race, in-depth car setup. Look to other reviews for opinions on these. Oh - and I don't begrudge Eutechnyx for not reflecting the actual 2011 Nascar last minute details - I mean if they update that with a patch, that's cool, but it doesn't detract from the game for me. I would like to see them use the new points system though.
In summary - I am glad I bought it on opening day, bugs and all. I had a good time running multiplayer last night even with the bugs, and the time flew by. One sign of a good game is when you have to make yourself quit - I kept thinking "ok, after this next race I'll quit and go to bed. Well, maybe one more... Ok, this time I really mean it, just one more..." If Eutechnyx is committed to working out the bugs in the online action and some of the game mechanics, then I am committed to supporting their establishment of a new Nascar racing franchise. --Amazon Review
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