GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 11/16/2001
- Updated on: 05/17/2006
- Released on: 11/14/2001
- Originally published on GameSpot: NASCAR Heat 2002 (Xbox) Review
The Xbox launch is graced with two NASCAR games, one from Electronic Arts and another, NASCAR Heat 2002, from Infogrames. Of the two, Heat 2002 is aimed more directly at hard-core fans of stock-car racing. The game will challenge you to be technically sound in your driving style, and it provides plenty of customization options. Fans will also be treated to prerace instructions by actual pros such as Dale Earnhart Jr. and Jeff Gordon, as well as a television-style presentation. Still, there are some specific issues with Heat 2002, the least of which is the game's frame-rate problems, that limits its potential.
Like the PlayStation 2 version and previous incarnations in the series, NASCAR Heat 2002 has three primary modes of play: championship, race-the-pros, and the beat-the-heat challenges. Naturally, the meat of the gameplay is in the championship. Here, you can tackle an entire NASCAR season, all the way from Daytona to New Hampshire. For the impatient, shortened seasons are also available. The championship mode works like an actual NASCAR season. Drivers are awarded points for their finish position in each race, and these points are then tallied to declare a season winner. Unfortunately, in Heat 2002, there is no fanfare for winning high-profile races such as Daytona and Talladega. The only reward, in terms of specific elements of presentation, comes with the game's brief ending sequence after all the races are completed.
Race-the-pros and beat-the-heat serve as the secondary modes of play in the game, but they are actually quite involved and challenging. As its name suggests, in the race-the-pros mode, you must try to beat the best times of a variety of NASCAR pros by racing three laps in the tracks that they each specialize in--to defeat each pro, you must race two to four races. As it should be, race-the-pros is probably the toughest mode in the game. The NASCAR pros run the most optimal lines, and even the slightest mistake will leave you in their dust. While the rest of the game is relatively easy to complete, even the most seasoned racing fans will find race-the-pros quite challenging. The only issue is that there really aren't very many individual challenges in this mode, as there are only six pros to beat.
The beat-the-heat challenge is also the most diverse of the gameplay modes in Heat 2002. It is akin to the license tests in Gran Turismo. However, here, you will not only have to drive the best lines but will also have to learn the basics of driving strategy. The mode is split up into six sections: basics, passing, rivals, reflex, advanced, and the kings. Each section presents a different type of challenge. In basics and passing, you'll be learning about taking the best lines into turns and using slipstreams to pass opposing racers, respectively. But in the reflex and advanced modes, things get a bit more complicated. The reflex mode, for example, is designed to teach the driver the basics of dealing with crash situations. You will be thrown into the middle of a crash and must drive unscathed through the smoke and mass of wreckage to finish in one of the top five positions. In each of these beat-the-heat races, bronze, silver, and gold medals are awarded, depending on your finish position. This gameplay mode, which has now become a staple of the NASCAR Heat series, is a welcome diversion from the grind of playing through an actual season. It forces you to learn specific driving techniques, which are actually useful in the other gameplay modes in Heat. However, the tutorials themselves aren't very challenging, and the beat-the-heat mode can literally be completed in a couple of hours.
The gameplay modes are quite adequate, but the real analysis of NASCAR Heat 2002 begins when the cars hit the asphalt. Although still very impressive and rooted firmly in realism, this is where Heat 2002 begins to show some significant chinks in its armor. For starters, game's physics system has a few issues. The game attempts to achieve the ultimate in simulation NASCAR racing, but the twitchy handling of the racers and the obvious lack of a draft meter keep the game from achieving those goals. It's about time that developers realize that NASCAR racing games don't need tight handling. And in fact, most NASCAR games would benefit from more deliberate handling characteristics for the cars, because NASCAR racing demands precise and minute movements--the handling needs to be forgiving to accommodate just that. In Heat, the cars respond to even the slightest movement of the analog stick, which means that usually you have to be extremely careful in maneuvering the cars. Which brings us to the second point: drafting. In the longer tracks, NASCAR racers rely pretty heavily on drafting and using aerolift to get ahead of the pack. Although the draft in Heat is quite evident at times, there is no draft meter. This means that regularly, you're not sure whether you're actually in the slipstream of the car in front of you or whether you need to change strategies and look to move your car into another line. This can cost you your position and valuable points in some of the longer tracks. In turn, the game's shorter courses become much easier than the longer ones, like Daytona. This throws the gameplay out of balance, because you will constantly find yourself fishing in top positions in the shorter ovals and battling to stay with the pack in the longer tracks.
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