NASCAR Racing 2003 Season (PC)

Reviewed by

Gord Goble

on 02/06/2003

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Yet Papyrus has not addressed some of NASCAR's minor problems, one of which is the quirky behavior of its AI drivers. When beginning a race, for instance, your computer-controlled peers inhumanly and robotically adhere to their two-abreast formation for a minute or more. Worse still, when they drive through a high-speed turn, they never seem to experience car control problems. Though they'll realistically drop their speed, they do not exhibit understeer, nor do their cars force them unintentionally high on the track. They do not waver, they do not fail to shift gears at appropriate times, and they only rarely collide with one another. In short, while you're madly struggling to manage your car, they never seem compelled to fight with theirs.

Otherwise, NASCAR's AI drivers are actually very impressive. They'll usually recognize your position on the track and react to any foolish moves by performing fast but believable collision-avoidance maneuvers. They'll seize opportunities to move past you, while making every effort to keep clear of you. And they'll consistently and unflinchingly adhere to the difficulty level you have selected.

Unless of course you've chosen one of NASCAR Racing 2003's new features, "adaptive AI," known more commonly as "rubber-band AI." With this option selected, the artificial intelligence attempts to match its performance with yours, so if you're driving poorly, your opponents decelerate to match your speed. Even if you select the most extreme 110 percent difficulty level, the other guys will modify their pace within the first three or four laps. This feature works far better here than it does in other games, where the AI goes to ridiculous lengths to adjust its speed, sometimes coming to a complete stop if you've been involved in a collision, and fortunately, you can toggle it on and off.

Traditionally, one of the great benefits of the NASCAR Racing series has been its enthusiastic multiplayer following, and that shouldn't change for the latest edition. NASCAR Racing 2003 delivers a sophisticated online multiplayer experience that takes into account every aspect of a racing weekend, supports up to 42 players per event, and is wholly accessible from within the game. We entered several races via Sierra's dedicated servers and had a ton of fun. Although we experienced a few instances of warping, the action was generally fluid and the racing extremely tight.

Graphically, NASCAR Racing 2003 offers several welcome new additions, the most obvious of which is the series' first depiction of sun glare. At midday, it'll temporarily blind you. In twilight at the Lowe's and Richmond events, it produces a soft, orange glow that seemingly spreads across the surrounding scenery. NASCAR Racing 2003 also has plenty of lens flare and shadow effects that help make the game look great. Papyrus has also added airborne objects, such as airplanes and blimps, to the sky, though these are rendered in 2D and tend to look strange from certain angles. However, NASCAR Racing 2003 has a new feature that looks great--cumulative windshield debris, which builds up over the course of a race and eventually forms a very realistic-looking layer of grime. And NASCAR Racing 2003's highly detailed cockpit is the best around.

Unfortunately, the game's exterior scenery looks a bit dated. Distant objects appear jumpy and sparkly and in bad need of antialiasing, and most trackside elements are strictly 2D. However, you'll probably be too busy paying attention to the track to notice. As you might expect from the series, NASCAR Racing 2003's automobiles are gorgeously detailed replicas of their real-life counterparts that belch smoke and bend and mutilate wonderfully in head-on collisions. Track surfaces are gritty and constructed to convey an astonishing sense of speed.

NASCAR Racing 2003's sun effects are simply stunning.

For the most part, NASCAR Racing 2003 sounds as good as it looks. Few racing games have effectively captured the guttural growl of these big-motor machines, but Papyrus mastered the art a long time ago and continues to do a great job. NASCAR Racing 2003's engines roar convincingly, but they don't obscure important sound effects such as tire squeals, gear shifts, and crashing body parts. You may occasionally encounter instances of car-to-car contact that don't create a corresponding sound, or occasions where the game's audio will drop out momentarily, but these occasions will be rare, if you experience them at all.

In retrospect, the NASCAR Racing series as a whole has quite likely done more to advance the art of computerized racing simulations than any other title to date. Papyrus stuck to its guns throughout and continued to deliver an extremely challenging and impressively realistic experience right through to the end, while at the same time gradually opening the game up to newcomers. Though NASCAR Racing 2003 Season isn't quite a revolutionary game, it is nevertheless a worthy finale for the series.