The simulation is subtle; the game doesn’t beat you over the head with it’s difficulty, and there are ample options to modify the extent of the realism to suit your skill and playing style. If you want, it’s possible to turn NASCAR Heat 5 into a fun, almost arcade-style racing game. But it’s also possible to crank it up to a highly realistic simulation. That ability to tweak the level of difficulty in a meaningful way is much appreciated, as it allows you to ease yourself into the mechanics of the game if you need to, and to slowly take the training wheels off as you get better.

The game doesn’t offer a ton of content on the surface, but what is here is enjoyable. The crux of the game is its career mode, where you create a custom driver and guide them through their NASCAR career. You can start at any of three different levels in the career; you can choose to begin in the small stages, to start in the middle, or even to begin already in the big leagues. This makes the career mode a little less daunting of a proposition. It’s possible to invest days into a single playthrough, or to start later for a smaller-scale experience.

"The career mode doesn’t go as far into depth as some other games, but it’s still an enjoyable experience."

Interestingly, the lowest level in the career mode, the offroad circuit, is actually the most difficult, at least in my experience. The cars handle completely differently in dirt and mud, which is what all of these tracks consist of. You have to be a lot more precise in your speed and turning than you would on the asphalt tracks. This isn’t a knock against the game, mind you. In fact, it’s a sign of realistic simulation. But it is worth noting that if you’re brand new to the game, it may be easier to start the career mode in one of the higher circuits.

The career mode doesn’t go as far into depth as some other games, but it’s still an enjoyable experience. As you run through each of the races in a season, you’ll get offered contracts to sign with different teams, based on your standings in the season. These contracts come with additional challenges that can be completed to earn extra money. These usually require to finish a certain amount of races in a certain position before the end of the season. Of course, if you’re ambitious, you can also start your own team. This means taking on all of the responsibilities of managing it, and I’d only recommend doing this after you’ve already played through the career mode a couple of times.

Another fun feature is the ability to interact with other drivers. Your behavior on the racetrack can actually affect your reputation within the circuit. Drive aggressively, and you’ll gain a reputation as an aggressive racer. Other drivers can comment on your behavior after races in a sort of fake social media event that occurs after most races. Here, a couple of the drivers will send you messages, and you can choose to respond positively or negatively, and affect your reputation accordingly. It’s not deep, by any means. You basically just choose if you want to be a jerk or not. But still, it’s a fun little aspect of the career mode, and it helps add a small amount of role-play investment in the career mode.

"The audio department isn’t quite as great. The cars sound decent enough, but some audio clipping did pop up from time to time, and the few voice lines that are played get repetitive quickly."

Aside from that, there’s also a quick race option that allows you to pick up a game and race, and a circuit mode where you complete a series of races within a specific tournament. These are fun options for when you don’t want to get into the full experience of the career mode but for the most part they’re pretty barebones. Multiplayer is similar; it’s fun, but it’s nothing particularly special. The game does offer same-screen multiplayer, however, which is rare these days and always appreciated.

The game holds up decently production-wise. The visuals, and the cars in particular, look really good. The models are crisp and the different vehicles are instantly recognizable. In the rest of the graphics, the developers have opted for an exaggerated, almost cartoonish style. Bright, vibrant colors pop out at you, and character models have large, distinct features. It’s a stark contrast to the realistic mechanics, but it kind of works here. The bright colors help the game stay visually appealing, which is important in a game where you spend most of your time driving the same circle over and over. The character models aren’t anything to write home about, but you don’t see them too often, and they get the job done.

The audio department isn’t quite as great. The cars sound decent enough, but some audio clipping did pop up from time to time, and the few voice lines that are played get repetitive quickly. The licensed music tracks do as well. The game has a handful of licensed songs, most of them indie-rock music, that play over the menus. They’re charming at first, but they quickly grow repetitive. Thankfully, you can control every facet of the audio from the options menu.

"If you’re looking for a good, solid racing experience, with the option for a deeper simulation, you could do a lot worse than NASCAR Heat 5."

NASCAR Heat 5 plays it pretty safe overall. There’s nothing here that’s particularly new or innovative, and if you’re looking for something that will blow you away, this is not the game. It doesn’t change the racing genre, and it doesn’t really do much to change up the NASCAR series formula, either. But this doesn’t make it a bad game. It knows what it sets out to do, and it does it well. The racing is fun, fast, and fluid. The career mode is engaging and replayable without becoming overly complicated, and the multiplayer offers a fun experience, especially with a friend sharing the couch with you. If you’re looking for a good, solid racing experience, with the option for a deeper simulation, you could do a lot worse than NASCAR Heat 5.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

NASCAR Heat 5, the latest version of the racing sim franchise, is out tomorrow for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. 704Games has unleashed a launch trailer for the same, highlighting the game’s numerous features. However, those who own the Gold Edition can actually start playing right now.

For those on the fence, NASCAR Heat 5 includes a new track testing mode for single-player with 34 different tracks. Online multiplayer supports up to 40 players but you can also partake in two-player split-screen. A number of changes have also been made to pit stops, DNFs (aka did not finish) and so on.

While not necessarily the biggest leap forward for the franchise, NASCAR Heat 5 might be worth checking out for fans of the sport. For more details on last year’s iteration, NASCAR Heat 4, check out our review here. We’ll see how much the sequel managed to improve on its predecessor in the coming weeks and months.

You’re greeted with a slew of familiar modes as you enter NASCAR Heat 4. The career mode is touted as having the biggest upgrades over past years, and it mostly delivers on its feeling of progression. Like last year, it covers four stages of racing, starting from dirt racing and truck racing before reaching the two traditional car series.

Though it doesn’t have much in the way of a narrative, you’ll be greeted by your agent periodically, and he will guide you through your promotions and performances. Returning from previous games are rivalries and friendships with other drivers, though it’s more beneficial to befriend every person who sends you a message, and there are no situations that limit the potential to make friends. Even if I were called out for hitting another driver, which seemed to happen inconsistently compared to my actual hitting them, they will always still forgive you if you apologize.

"The only three categories that can be improved are the car’s engine, aerodynamics, and suspension, and these all boil down to getting the highest number rating for each attribute through repairs and upgrades."

When you first start the dirt series, you’ll have severely underpowered cars, but just as you begin to think you’re not making progress, you’ll get a reinvigorating boost or surprise finish. Getting beaten by Tony Stewart is disheartening until you can finally pass him on the last lap and give yourself a win. This ability usually comes when you start your own team, giving you the chance to hire workers and upgrade your cars to become more powerful. Unfortunately, the car upgrades are frustratingly lackluster.

The only three categories that can be improved are the car’s engine, aerodynamics, and suspension, and these all boil down to getting the highest number rating for each attribute through repairs and upgrades. There’s no granularity here with engine types or specific additions, which makes figuring out the pattern that will get you the best results every time frustratingly easy. Though it’s rewarding to get to a point where you can consistently win or beat your goals, it didn’t feel as though I had to do much work to get there.

Challenges are also back this year, and they’re still some of the best ways for a quick and difficult way to jump in. Though they’re all variations of winning a race under tense circumstances, they’re varied enough to be entertaining, and they’re tough but fair in a way that will push you to keep playing one more round until you can finally beat it instead of quitting. It complements the serviceable season mode and online multiplayer that haven’t made particularly notable strides in their efforts but still do their jobs well.

"Load times, however, can get unnervingly long, especially before racing on longer tracks."

The backbone here is the driving itself, and, fortunately, it has been improved and is a great example of gameplay that’s easy to pick up and play but has nuance if you want to truly master it. Every race has the same structure: practice to hone your time on the track, qualify to get your starting position, and race. You’ll usually be racing between 4 and 8 laps of the tracks, though you can increase the race length to as long as you want, up to the full length of real-life races. Races are usually quick, which begs you to play another, though having them as short as they are makes pitting almost entirely irrelevant.

As with previous entries in the series, NASCAR Heat 4 is still undecided on whether it wants to be an arcade racer or a racing sim. It has tighter controls than last year and doesn’t require much in the way of car maintenance for success, but it wants to make you drive realistically to win. The drafting has been significantly upgraded and is crucial to winning any race against tough opponents, and turning corners is precise, often to a frustrating level when the cars are liable to spin out at any moment. When you do it correctly, though, it’s evident and satisfying to watch yourself fly past the competition.

The physics are still unpredictable at times, especially in the dirt racing series. At high speeds, it’s often a coin flip as to whether you’ll be able to drift into a car and successfully accelerate into the next turn or tap it and spin out. Ramping off other cars is also unrealistically common, even if it is always entertaining to watch another car go flying. Furthermore, the damage isn’t particularly realistic in how it affects the cars. Unless there is a multi-car pile-up or repeated head-on damage to the cars, there’s very little that will actually affect how your car drives on the default damage settings. While in the dirt racing series it’s preferred to use other cars as leverage in sharp turns, I found myself doing the same thing in the Monster NASCAR series with few consequences. For a game that wants you to drive realistically to perform well, it’s a surprising misstep that could have made for a better sim and for more epic crashes.

The visuals have taken another step up this year, but they still pale in comparison to peers in the genre. While the cars themselves are pretty, the environments outside of them can get flat and repetitive quickly, especially in the dirt racing series, where you’ll be seeing the same tracks regularly. There is also no option to change the weather or track conditions, so you’ll always be driving under the same circumstances, which can get tiring on those repeated tracks. However, the sound design has been significantly improved, and there are many more live videos of racers who drop in to send messages, which is a nice touch and expansion from their involvement in previous entries. The game runs smoothly, too, and, while it wasn’t pushing the Xbox One hardware, it never dropped its framerate or crashed in my time with it. Load times, however, can get unnervingly long, especially before racing on longer tracks.

"As a racer, NASCAR Heat 4 does a lot of things right with its gameplay, and it has a solid career mode and consistently satisfying challenges to facilitate it."

As a racer, NASCAR Heat 4 does a lot of things right with its gameplay, and it has a solid career mode and consistently satisfying challenges to facilitate it. Driving is enjoyable in almost every circumstance because it’s as refined as the series has ever seen, and the progression is well-paced to make you feel like you’re learning. There are moments, though, where it shows its roughness around the edges that makes it less able to compete with its peers that are better looking and have more focused gameplay. It struggles with the kind of racing game that it wants to be, but it still manages to offer a fun racing experience for experienced and inexperienced NASCAR fans alike.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

Monster Games and 704Games have released the first teaser trailer for NASCAR Heat 4, the latest title in its racing franchise. It’s out in September and will feature over 150 cars, 38 tracks and improvements to the Career Mode. Check out the trailer below.

Along with track maps and improved visuals, the Career Mode promises to be deeper. While we’ve yet to see how it will be deeper, there is quite the potential here. Driving physics have been improved and there’s no on-track audio as well. If that wasn’t enough, the Toyota Supra series has been added to the line-up of manufacturers.

NASCAR Heat 4 will be coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC. You can check out our review for NASCAR Heat 3 here, where we praised the physics and improved visuals. Some of the negatives include frame pacing issues and the graphics not being up to par compared to the competition. We’ll see if the sequel can improve on these shortcomings in September.

I’m happy to confirm that this year’s lap around the stock car circuit isn’t quite as rough as the last few, though there’s still more than a few areas in which it could improve. The efforts of the team at Monster Games has not gone unnoticed, and changes to the physics, settings and visuals have all made the game far more palatable to more players. More modular choices in how the game operates are reminiscent of EA Sports efforts with NBA Live 19 and the controls are importantly so much tighter.

"Finally delivering on the much needed variety that can be offered by mud and dirt tracks, the physics change drastically once you’re off roading it, such as early in the career mode."

Whereas the feeling of maneuvering your vehicle at high speeds in the last entry didn’t feel remotely realistic or…fun, the driving mechanics have been improved by leaps and bounds this time. They’re still far from perfect, and using the break is still asking to be put into a tailspin, but it feels possible to make strategic maneuvers around other cars within this game, without much of a pain. Should you clip another car or go careening into a wall, you actually see some physical damage on your car now and can find your speeds crippled when a tire blows or your aerodynamics are compromised. 

Finally delivering on the much needed variety that can be offered by mud and dirt tracks, the physics change drastically once you’re off roading it, such as early in the career mode. You’ll find far less traction when you’re getting dirty and have to fight the pack a bit more while you try to be more careful with your speed around corners. Since by the nature of the sport, you’re still always going to be following the same 3 act structure to a race, the difference is noticeable and greatly appreciated. 

The Career mode maintains course from the previous year, with much the same structure as the rookie racer trying to make it big by playing Hotseat races for different teams to establish yourself before moving to signing on with a team and hitting major circuits. A non-official circuit created by Monster Games becomes the fourth official circuit that you’ll take on in the career mode, and is one of the best showcases for the fact that cars do have some obvious variation on their handling now. You can still dive in and tune to your liking later in the game as well, but for those who just want presets to get back to racing, the team has thoughtfully included 9 separate presets for different playstyles, which is not something I ever thought I would type for a NASCAR game. The career mode still feels a little wooden, such as early hotseat offers having no response to a player doing significantly better than their goal placement, but it’s a minor complaint.

"Probably the single best change to the game this year comes from the inclusion of an “Arcade” style and modular options to change exactly how much of the game you want to see and play."

The increased budget shines through in a few other ways as well, including the ability to pay more than one NASCAR superstar to show up during the Career mode cutscenes as your mentor. Visual fidelity and model quality has improved across the board too, with car models no longer looking like glorified hot wheels, lighting looking decent and physical damage showing up following a wreck. I did notice some issues with frame pacing during gameplay, likely a trade off of the visuals and tweaks taxing an old engine, but its much better compared to what we had before.

AI will also play more reactively, and realistically, using strategic pit stops, or pushing themselves for a last minute move. Modes such as challenge also return, highlighting and asking you to replay famous moments from the sport. It feels like the team has all of a sudden finally realized the things they’ve wanted to do since the beginning. The various modes on offer such as online tournaments, and a commitment to foster an online eSports scene are much appreciated , and they are perfect for players who choose “simulation” mode.

Probably the single best change to the game this year comes from the inclusion of an “Arcade” style and modular options to change exactly how much of the game you want to see and play. Much like Madden NFL 19, though not quite as wide ranging, the player decides just how many laps they actually care to race, how hard the AI will be, how long they practice and if they want to deal with specific systems like pitting and damage all-together. The system could use a middle difficulty that allows a few more of the simulation systems without engaging everything else, but beyond that the inclusion opens the game up to being enjoyable for more than the NASCAR hardcore. 

"NASCAR Heat 3 is a fantastic display of what a bit of budget can bring to a passionate team."

Coming off of two back to back games that just felt awful to play, NASCAR Heat 3 is a fantastic display of what a bit of budget can bring to a passionate team. It’s still a NASCAR game, with all that carries with it, so it isn’t something that can be recommended for everyone even with all of the new alterations. But the changes are almost universally for the better, and I’m sure will help bridge the gap in the middle of that small ven diagram where NASCAR Fans and those with interest in racing games cross over.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Development

NASCAR Heat 3 was announced by 704games on July 7, 2018, when they also confirmed that the game would be launching in two months, on September 7, 2018, for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The four racers featured on the cover of NASCAR Heat 3 are Jimmie Johnson (who appears on the cover of a NASCAR game for the first time since NASCAR 06: Total Team Control in 2005), Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Chase Elliot, all of whom are Hendrick Motorsports drivers.

704games have also confirmed that they will be supporting NASCAR Heat 3 with post-launch content in the form of free DLC updates, while paid DLC updates have also been planned.

Gameplay

While NASCAR Heat 3 gameplay will function similarly to its predecessors at its core, developers Monster Games are making a few changes to some things. For instance, the game will allow players to experiment with their driving setups more. Nine preset setups will also be included, with three setups each for tight, loose, and neutral. While players can always choose the exact setup settings they want through customization done via menus, these presets will present those players with options who do not wish to go into that level of detail. Each setup will offer unique advantages and disadvantages and promote different driving styles. For instance, Loose 2 will allow for greater speed, but only at the expense of stability and balance.

The developers have, however, made efforts to make sure that neither setup has unfair advantages over the other, and that players can succeed in races using any one of them, based on which of the nine suits their driving style best. AI of competitors is also being improved, according to the developers, more specifically pertaining to pit stops. Competitors controlled by AI will now make smarter and more strategic decisions about when to make pit stops, or they might even choose to take risks at crucial points with pit stops to make late pushes for wins in races. AI racers will now also make more use of racing grooves while on the target.

Multiplayer will also return in NASCAR Heat 3, but with a major new addition in the form of tournaments, the seeding for which will be done on the basis of players’ performances in multiplayer races. Players will then have to progress through the tournament’s tiers by finishing races within given amounts of time, winning a tournament in your current tier will net you with rewards. Further details on things such as seeding and rewards have not yet been provided. Further, NASCAR Heat 3 will also see the return of practice sessions, which will also let players try out all of the nine aforementioned preset setups. NASCAR Heat 3 also adds a new dynamic racing line which players can make use of as part of training, but this will only be accessible in practice sessions.

The biggest changes and improvements NASCAR Heat 3 is making is in the career mode. For starters, the career mode will have a lot more driver videos. Each series included in the career mode will now have a separate driver attached to it as the mentor, as opposed to just having a single driver like in the previous game. More notably, though, NASCAR Heat 3’s career mode will let players form their own single operator teams once they have earned enough money. Managing of teams will also have more in-depth management mechanics in NASCAR Heat 3, including management of numerous employees, researching and developing new vehicle parts and technologies, and more, also giving players greater control over how to improve their cars.

Additionally, while players could compete in three series in NASCAR Heat 2, its sequel brings that number up to four. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and NASCAR Xfinity Series are of course going to make a return, but a new series, called Xtreme Dirt Tour will also be included. Unlike the other three series, Xtreme Dirt Tour is not based on a real series, and is instead a fictional one that has been created by Monster Games specifically for this game. As the name suggests, it will focus on dirt racing on local tracks. Xtreme Dirt Tour will have a total of eight tracks, which will be a mix of dirt versions of real world tracks (such as the Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as the Charlotte Motor Speedway course as part of the Bank of America Roval 400 event), real locations (such as Eldora, which was also featured in NASCAR Heat 2), remade versions of tracks that were included in the 2002 title NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona (which was also developed by Monster Games), as well as fantasy tracks created from scratch.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

As the next generation of home consoles draws closer, speculation surrounding what sorts of improvements they’ll bring about continues to grow as well. And while the next Xbox and PlayStation are probably still at least a couple of years away, the talk surrounding them has been getting progressively more frequent.

Recently, we sat down with 704Games’ Sean Wilson, who’s the executive producer on the upcoming NASCAR Heat 3, and, as we often do, we asked him about the next generation of consoles, and what his expectations are from the PS5 and the Xbox Scarlett (or whatever Microsoft will eventually end up calling it). Wilson’s answer was a pretty interesting one, though the thing he seems to expect from the next generation most of all seems to be a renewed focus on online connectivity, and what he calls “innovative options”.

“My assumption is we’ll just have more power to do bigger and better games,” Wilson said while speaking with GamingBolt. “With that in mind, we’re not only trying to make NASCAR Heat better on current platforms now, but we’re also preparing our game code and assets to transition to be ready for more power. Beyond that, I’m sure a primary focus of future consoles will be online connectivity. I’m hopeful we’ll get even more new and innovative options when it comes to competing with other gamers.”

That seems like a pretty safe bet. Better online connectivity is something that almost seems like a pre-requisite at this point, and if reports on Microsoft’s increased focus on options for cloud gaming for the next Xbox are anything to go by, it’s definitely going to be a reality, not just a theory. As far as having more power and “innovative options” go, that too seems like something we’ll all be expecting. For instance, the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey director also just wants to see “more of everything” in next-gen consoles.

What’s your take on this? Tell us in your comments.

The pushback against microtransactions and predatory in-game monetization via lootboxes has been getting more heated over the last year or so. The controversy surrounding Star Wars: Battlefront 2 was massive, and for the most part, the fallout of it has been a little encouraging for consumers. EA have vowed to not repeat the same mistakes with games like Battlefield 5 and Anthem, while even Shadow of War recently removed all microtransactions, while Turn 10 also went back on the microtransactions that were originally included in Forza Motorsport 7, which caught a lot of flak from widespread audiences.

That’s all happened, ultimately, because these policies have received a great deal of criticism from people who purchase these games- the age old argument goes that full-priced AAA games have no business featuring such monetization options, especially when they’re of the pay-to-win variety rather than being limited to just cosmetic items. At the same time, the other side argues that video game publishers are businesses, and they need to find ways to maximize their profits.

Recently, we sat down for a chat with 704Games’ Sean Wilson, executive producer of the upcoming racing sim NASCAR Heat 3, and asked him for his own two cents on the issue- and he mostly seems to fall in line with what the consensus on this is. Cosmetic microtransactions are acceptable to some degree, he says, but when it comes to pay-to-win mechanics, he can “understand the frustration” of consumers.

“From a straight-up business perspective, I understand why companies have included microtransactions,” Wilson said while speaking with GamingBolt. “They’ve been successful in generating extra revenue, plain and simple. And for better or worse, game companies are businesses, and businesses will always look for ways to increase their bottom lines.”

“If it stays about cosmetic content, and ideally if that content is created after the game is submitted (and therefore required an extra expense to create), then the microtransaction model is probably okay,” he continued. “But it’s a tough pill to swallow when someone asks me to pay extra for content that is already on the disc, or even worse, requires that I pay extra to win or be competitive. That crosses a line, and I understand the frustration.”

The approach of limiting microtransactions to cosmetics is one that has proven to be successful- and widely so. Fortnite makes a ridiculous amount of money from such monetization options, while Fallout Shelter has been doing very well for itself too. Granted, those are free-to-play games, but there’s no reason to believe that similar practices can’t prove to be successful in AAA full-priced games as well.

Monster Games have been doing their best to raise the quality of NASCAR video games over the last several years with their well regarded NASCAR Heat series of simulations and From Dirt To Daytona. Hoping to continue to iterate on the best stock car racing sim in town, another instalment is set to launch this fall.

Releasing September 7 for PS4, Xbox One and PC, the game promises better visuals and AI, as well as lower tier modified cars, which can be used across the career mode that replicates every driver, vehicle and paint scheme from the 2018 season. Dirt tracks have also been given a larger place in the game, introducing some variety in physics.

Those really wishing to test their metal can participate in improved 40-car online races, or e-sports tournaments to aim for the top. Newer players can also lean on track specific setups to help them ease into the simulation. We’ve included some screenshots and the trailer just below.

Last year’s NASCAR Heat Evolution was a game I found to be of little redeeming value, with visual fidelity that didn’t even belong on the Playstation 3, the worst royalty free light rock they could find and an inability to even make the main mechanic of driving, something gaming has been doing since we could make stuff scroll, feel even remotely good.

"What begins as “hey maybe come in top 25 whatever” quickly escalates to needing a win, but that doesn’t always feel in your control."

Did Monster Games do any better this time? Well in so many words, not really. The modes on offer are better differentiated this go, where as last year they were all takes on the same gameplay loop, but in all other areas NASCAR Heat 2 stands as stagnant as the cardboard crowds.

Delivering better first impressions than last time, while still on an obviously shoestring budget, much of the presentation outside of the actual racing in Heat 2 involves stock historical footage and a couple of NASCAR elites talking to a camera to exposit dialog in the reimagined career mode. Instead of pouring resources into a character editor, the game simply suggests that you are the up and coming racer on the circuit, scouted by talent and working your way up from being a random hotseat driver through two smaller leagues to make it big time with the Monster Energy NASCAR series.

The change in structure dramatically improves the tone and pace of the career mode this time around, giving some tangible feeling of a journey, while offering smaller goals early on in the career to be some baby steps toward the truly herculean effort it is fighting the mechanics to actually win one of these races. What begins as “hey maybe come in top 25 whatever” quickly escalates to needing a win, but that doesn’t always feel in your control.

"Challenge mode offer the most interesting, varied and commented take on the gameplay, putting you into classic situations from famous races and asking you to play out the results of those in a mission format."

Driving itself feels just as lacklustre as before, with flawed physics that don’t feel anything like actual driving, or that you’re in control. Stiff steering keeps you locked into the rote left turns that the racing style demands, without giving you much leeway to maneuver around the pack and into a favourable position. Trying to use the brake to gain some control doesn’t result in the dramatic spin outs of the previous game anymore, but still slows you far too much and too fast to be useful or feel realistic, and the damage systems still neither physically show on the painfully mediocre car models or impact play very meaningfully.

Career is a large mode, but there is actually some different modes on offer with variations on the NASCAR gameplay loop. Challenge mode offer the most interesting, varied and commented take on the gameplay, putting you into classic situations from famous races and asking you to play out the results of those in a mission format. These can vary from asking you to maintain a lead on no fuel and win in the last two laps, to surviving a huge pile up to still have a decent position. The funky physics, especially where collisions are involved, don’t always give these segments the kind of impact you might expect, but the variation on the gameplay loop is nice.

Unfortunately the nature of the beast is still not going to win any new fans, and there’s only so much variety that can be brought into NASCAR. Tracks might ever so slightly vary in layout but by design they never feel like sweeping changes. They had the chance to introduce some degree of environment change with the introduction of dirt tracks, which if I’m to believe Pixar should drastically change how you race. Unfortunately this too turns out to be another similar arena with cardboard cutouts crowds and product placement.

"Heat 2 is hardly the first racing game to be guilty of having a few seams when you slow down and look, but the crowds watching were of a super low quality 2D sprite."

The visual quality continues to be laughable in a world rapidly moving toward 4K gaming. Car models now have basic interiors to facilitate multiple viewpoints, but the textures of the cars still look horrendously low quality. Lighting looks super basic and doesn’t really bring you into the game. At the very least, the sound design is still great and feels like the simulation this game is trying to be, with powerful engine sounds and the squeals of tires backed by pit chatter trying to clue you into openings to pass. Heat 2 is hardly the first racing game to be guilty of having a few seams when you slow down and look, but the crowds watching were of a super low quality 2D sprite.

I’m forced to come to the same conclusion here that I came to in last year’s review, that this is the kind of game that has no cares to give about finding an audience outside those who already care about NASCAR. A more solid career mode and challenges do help give the modes meaning but poor controls, visuals, music and game feel hold it back from attracting anyone who isn’t already into NASCAR

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.