NASCAR 09 (EU) Reviews

  • Waggie5150Waggie5150422,964
    29 Apr 2012 21 Sep 2014
    4 2 0
    NASCAR 09 has to be one of the best NASCAR games EA have produced on the Xbox 360. 08 wasn't very good (putting it politely), but for EA's last stab at trying to produce a NASCAR game, does it beat 08 or is it on level terms? Read the review to find out -

    Gameplay-
    The gameplay will be familiar to those who have played past instalments in the EA NASCAR series. You can choose to race now, which consists of you selecting an existing driver such as Tony Stewart, or a created driver and then choosing a track such as Daytona and a race length as you desire, whether you want to run the full race, half of it, or a quarter and so on. There are plenty of other game modes to play. You can choose to start a NASCAR Sprint Cup Season, a Chase for the Sprint Cup, or race in the Sprint Driver Challenge series. All of these will keep you well occupied, especially the Sprint Challenges. The season mode is pretty easy if you are aware of how the season in NASCAR plays out. There are 36 races which consist Superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega), Intermediate tracks (Atlanta, Kentucky etc.) and Short tracks (Bristol, Martinsville etc.). The Chase for the Sprint Cup is nearly exactly like the season mode, but at the end if you're in the top 10 of the cup standings, you will qualify for the chase and be entered in (along with 9 other drivers) to battle it out for the championship. Where you are seeded depends on how many wins you obtained in the regular season. The Sprint Driver Challenges test your skill level, and get considerably harder as you progress through the list of 75. Towards the end of the list, it can become a ball ache. At the end of the day, it all depends on how much skill you have on the game, some veteran NASCAR drivers may find it easy whereas newcomers may hit some trouble off the bat. The playability is fantastic if you enjoy racing NASCAR's. The only gripe I have is that there weren't really enough paint schemes. There also isn't any classic racers to unlock which is a bit of a let down. Other than that the gameplay is very good, if you're a big fan of NASCAR then this has to be a definite buy. Its realistic, fun, challenging, everything you want in a NASCAR game.
    Total-4/5

    Graphics-
    As per EA games, the graphics look good. If you've played 08 then you might be able to notice a slight difference but even as of today, the graphics look good for a game that's edging on being 6 years old. The cars look sharp and crisp whereas the tracks look near enough identical to their real life counterparts. Thats just about everything on the graphical side of things.
    Total-4/5

    Sound-
    First of all, im going to start off with the actual sounds, then last i will mention the soundtrack. The sounds of the cars are very, very good. Unfortunately, the sound of the cars, and the sound of the crew speaking down the mic, for a few hundred laps, can be very annoying. This is where the sound lacks. There is no commentary, which of course would have been a nice addition. Where's Darrell Waltrips 'Boogity Boogity Boogity'? Where is the pre-race ceremony? The flyover? The 'Gentleman, start you engines!'? These are all things that have been missed from the game and ultimately let the game down. Adding these simple things could have added a bigger sense of realism. The soundtrack varies in music taste and would probably attract fans of heavy rock/rock/southern rock. A feature which they have done in 09 is that you have the option to listen to music during a race, which can, in turn, not make you so bored.
    Total-3.5/5

    Achievements-
    The achievements are pretty straight forward for a NASCAR/racing game. Win a season, win a race, finish 1st 201 times etc. It is a fairly original list, some of the achievements are pretty nice, but some are a pain in the ass. Online achievements are no longer obtainable due to EA closing down the servers. So anybody who wants to complete it, its now mission impossible.
    Total-3/5

    Online-
    Having never had the chance to play online. I dont know what it was like. But now with EA closing down the servers, the chance to play is gone, which is disappointing.
    Total-2/5

    Overall, NASCAR 09 is a pretty decent game, and as EA looks like they will no longer be producing any NASCAR games, this one is as close to the best you can get.
    3.5
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