Nascar 1998 game

Eleven of the 17 tracks are licensed including standbys like Darlington. Sears Point and several others. Some hidden tracks are included as well.

Created by Stormfront the same guys who did Andretti Racing , it's a pretty good bet that this sim will be just as fun to play as Andretti. In fact, with options such as weather variants, adjustable vehicle physics, real motor sound and individualized driver Al.

Another improvement over Andretti Racing will be the option of having several other cars included in a two-player duel. Even from this unfinished version, it's already clear that EA has another superb title headed for the starting line. Complemented by solid options and slick graphics. It's definitely technical racing all the way, but the tight, fully customizable A. The creators of the outstanding Andretti Racing head for the NASCAR circuit with souped-up gameplay and graphics in a game that could turn out to be the race of the year.

EA Sports also promised that these races will have much better load times than Andretti Racing's and will move along at a "lightning-fast" clip. As for sounds, TV commentator Bob Jenkins sets up each season race and calls the action.

The NASCAR team also took recordings inside cars during races and alongside the track, so the sound effects should llat-out roar. The rubber will bum on 17 tracks--three licensed road courses, eight licensed ovals, and six fantasy tracks packed with tougher turns. The one-or two-player split-screen action goes down in Practice, Single Race, and Season modes, and of course you can tune your car's downforce, tire pressure, and more.

Track telemetry readings even rate your performance, so you can tweak your turning style and car setup to optimize your race. Striving to capture the NASCAR experience, the gameplay will involve a lot of bump-n-mn action on tracks wide enough to lit four cars abreast.

Smart drafting and pit stops will also be a crucial part of winning. Finally, each CPU racer will also have its own independent A. While it's far from a perfect game, its negligible flaws won't prevent this outstanding racer from finding a parking spot in the winner's circle.

Gamers slide in behind the wheel with one of 24 pro drivers Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, and the like and lay rubber on 17 tracks, including 11 real-life courses like Sears Point and Bristol and fantasy road courses.

The absence of a create-a-drivcr feature, however, is truly a disgrace. Pure arcade racers of the Ridge Racer variety will he in over their heads, but if you don't mind a little depth.

NASCAR delivers high-quality bump-n-run racing, and the nerve-jangling two-player matches only complete this sweet package. Adding to the realism, car setup is as important as driving skill, so be prepared to spend lime in the Practice mode before each race, perfecting your car's performance.

The slick controls never abandon you, providing edgy but realistic handling and nice touches like a drafting meter and a rearview mirror. You'll need some practice laps to learn to hold a line at high speeds, but that's all part of the fun.

The tracks suffer from annoying draw-in problems, but they irritate without interfering. On the sound side, the ear-numbing engine roars and tire shrieks glue you to the wheel, but the unintelligible pit radio ;md sparse commentary' earn a yellow Hag. The popularity of NASCAR racing has mushroomed--it's now rivaled only by the NFL--and this game's powerful combination of sleek graphics, detailed features, and fender-crumpling action will satis any serious race fan.

NASCAR is an extremely popular sport and racing is an extremely popular genre so it only makes sense to marry the two on the gray box. All the big names are here, and the game is packed with options. Get ready to start your engines sorry for that tired cliche and hit the pavement full speed ahead.

Probably the most important option is the ability to select the race's length. Try playing a game for that long. You also have the ability to turn on damage to cars, so if you like to race where contact really counts, this is the setting for you. The other important options available are the physics and AI settings. This is where you can set up the game as a true simulation, arcade or anything in between. You can also set your opponent's strength from 75 percent to percent.

If you want to really change the outcome of the races, start messing with this number. I found that early in my career, setting the number below percent would keep me competitive in races. After I started winning every race, I kicked the number up a bit. This always kept the competition level at its peak. I did find the oval tracks a bit easier so I would keep the difficulty cranked up a bit more than with the road tracks.

Normally, the controller is secondary to gameplay. You have the ability to adjust your drafting effects, horsepower, balance and steering. Hell, you are your own pit crew chief, so you can tinker away to your heart's content.

To really get the full effect out of the changes, a steering wheel is almost mandatory. As far as tracks go, you have the choice of 17 total. There are eight oval courses and nine road courses. Some of the tracks are modeled after real tracks while others are fictitious. Like I mentioned above, the oval tracks are the easiest to learn and best for beginners. Once you get a feel for the controls and different cars, you will really test your skill against some of the turn-infested road courses.

These require more discipline and a strong stomach for contact on the corners. The game also offers a variety of play modes but I enjoyed the championship mode the best.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come across as anything more than a well produced, visually excellent, but slightly generic game with a novel twist.

The point of the game is to play pinball on a table Garage background and to amass enough points to kit out your stock car with upgraded tires, brakes, and a tuned-up engine.

Once that is accomplished, then you play, on a Speedway background table, as one of four well known but not outside the United States racing drivers in a full ten-lap race. The graphics, ball movement, and sound effects are all very good. The main table, the Speedway setting that depicts a NASCAR race track, is especially detailed and looks impressive and three-dimensional.

The crowd noises are very atmospheric and your backup team shouts at you throughout the game with hints such as "Keep Driving" But it's a combination of the formulaic game play and overall "borrowed" idea that takes some of the shine off this well put-together package. By its very nature, pinball can be a somewhat repetitive yet addictive game and the program does not add any real improvements to the balls and flipper experience.

Although the game is fun to play, it doesn't hold the player's interest for more that fifteen minutes at a time. I love computer based pinball games. Pinball challenges your hand-eye coordination and is incredibly addictive. I can't begin to tell you how many work assignments have gone undone due to computer pinball. As I said in my Pro Pinball review, the only blemish on the great record of computer pinball games has been Sierra's pinball games. Sierra pinball is not only unrealistic but the graphics are slow and the sound often lags.

You can only imagine my surprise when I found Nascar Pinball by Sierra to be an enjoyable experience. Nascar Pinball is still Sierra pinball in that its unrealistic but the graphics aren't bad and the tables are actually fun to play. In Nascar Pinball the point is to win the Nascar championship by winning four or five races. The game starts in the garage where you have to hit different targets in order to tune your car to peak condition.

After the garage you progress to the main table which has four different ramps, each corresponding to a different turn. You go faster by hitting each turn in succession and taking the lead is done by hitting a specific target. It gets a little old after a while but it is still fun. The graphics are mediocre. The table looks nice and everything moves smoothly but it lacks the realistic look of other computer pinball games such as Pro Race Pinball and Balls of Steel.

The ball is neat in that it reflects the graphics of its surroundings but the edges look jagged and it's a bit too bright to be realistic. Since you are able to play as several different drivers each board changes to reflect this. Much like skins in Quake or Quake2 the graphics will change on the flippers and side panels but the actual board and targets do not change.

On the outside of the main race board a pack of cars can be seen making laps and its neat to watch yourself move up in the pack as you overtake other cars. The most unrealistic part of Nascar racing were the special bonus rounds. Items that you were supposed to hit would just appear to float over the board and this obviously could not have happened on a real board. Good sound in a pinball game is essential. Half the fun in playing a real arcade game is hearing the machine make all the bleeps and whistles as you hit targets.

Fortunately the sound in Nascar Pinball was quite well done. Sound effects were clear and there was no skipping. The game also played the sounds on cue which is absolutely essential in a pinball game. Nascar Pinball also used a lot of speech effects. Normally I cannot stand speech in a game but it suited this game quite nicely.

The announcer would comment on your performance and give you encouragement. The speech also helped to tell you where to shoot for next as it got somewhat confusing at times.