For starters, those who decide to purchase the game on PlayStation platforms get a 30% discount. The offer is available to snag starting from now up until December 1st. On the Xbox side of things, players are getting a free 24 hour trial of the game, which can be accessed up until November 29th. Both offers are great for those looking to try out the game, although it’s unknown why the developer decided on putting two different offers on the platforms.

SRX: The Game offers racing in a multitude of different tracks including a mix of dirt and asphalt environments. Of course, there are a ton of cars that players can race in across both career and multiplayer modes. The general consensus towards the game seems to be mostly positive, and thus could be worth trying out.

https://twitter.com/SRXtheGame/status/1462826891786792966

PlayStation Now, Sony’s game streaming service, has added some high-profile games to its roster in June. These are 4A Games’ Metro Exodus, Arkane Studios’ Dishonored 2 and Monster Games’ NASCAR Heat 4. Metro Exodus is available to download on PS4 and can also be streamed up till November 30th 2020.

As the follow-up to 4A Games’ critically acclaimed first person shooter series, Metro Exodus features larger environments and even more horrors to battle. The story sees Artyom and crew fleeing Moscow on a train to find a safe place in East. Along with visiting different locations, players will also experience different seasons throughout their journey.

On the other hand is Arkane Studios’ Dishonored 2, an excellent sequel that sees a grown-up Emily Kaldwin battling against a coup, though previous protagonist Corvo Attano is also available. Each character has their own set of abilities and gadgets which are leveraged by the stellar level design.

If you’re not keen on spending $9.99 per month to subscribe to PlayStation Now, then there’s a free seven day trial for first-time users. With over 800 titles spanning the PS2, PS3 and PS4 eras, it’s well worth trying out.

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.

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.

704Games has released the first official gameplay trailer for the upcoming NASCAR Heat 2 by Monster Games, the follow up to last year’s debut NASCAR game by the developer. The upcoming game takes on the base built by the last year and expands upon it significantly, adding an expanded career mode featuring all three national racing series, as well as 40-car online multiplayer, with two-player local multiplayer also returning.

That apart, NASCAR Heat 2 will feature new drivers, tracks and vehicles, more robust gameplay and multiplayer features, and upgraded visuals, physics and damage models over last year’s game. Players who pre-order the game will get Kurt Busch’s Daytona 500 paint job in game, while at select retailers, they can get $50 off the purchase of a ticket for NASCAR events.

So, basically, a game for NASCAR fans, then- see if the trailer does anything for you. The game will launch on September 12 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

GamingBolt had a chance to speak to executive producer Sean Wilson about NASCAR Heat 2, the current state of NASCAR and how that reflects in the game, how much more realistic the game will be and so on.

"For the first time in a NASCAR video game, players can fill the field with AI cars. We’ll also have new leaderboards, rolling seasons, and more."

What are your thoughts on NASCAR in its current form and how will that reflect in NASCAR Heat 2?

NASCAR is always changing and we keep up as best we can. The significant changes this year were the new stage format and the new entitlement sponsor, Monster Energy. Adding stages into the game required completely reworking the way races are run. Additionally, players will notice a new look and feel to match the grit of Monster Energy.

In terms of physics and realism, what can players expect from the sequel?

Across the board, we’ve made many graphical enhancements to make the tracks feel more alive. We’ve also upgraded the damage model. For physics, players will find more pre-set options. Players had trouble finding the right setup last year and we’ve made two pre-set setups per track in addition to the option to turn on stability control for novice players. Advanced players will still be able to fine tune their car with a variety of setup options.

NASCAR Heat Evolution faced its fair share of criticism due to the career mode and online lobbies. What’s being done to improve on these issues?

Career mode will have many improvements, but we aren’t ready to go into full details about it just yet. Online gameplay in NASCAR Heat 2 will have many new features and improvements over the previous game. Small things like seeing DLC cars online and cautions have been added. For the first time in a NASCAR video game, players can fill the field with AI cars. We’ll also have new leaderboards, rolling seasons, and more.

"We’ve had many drivers give us feedback including Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, but Brad Keselowski has been the most influential this year…"

What can be expected from the “deeper career mode” and how will it compare to other modern racers?

We’re still keeping the majority of details about career mode secret. We can confirm that players will start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, move onto the NASCAR XFINITY Series and compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. They can also choose between using their custom car, or taking over existing stock cars from real race teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.

For that matter, what new multiplayer modes can we look forward to?

We’re thrilled to bring back two-person, local multiplayer in NASCAR Heat 2. Players can race with friends or family right from their couch.

How many tracks can we expect this time around and in which locations?

We’ve expanded to 29 total tracks this year. There are 6 additional tracks the  NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series race on that weren’t in last year’s game. So we’ll have 3 new road courses, 2 ovals, and 1 dirt track.

Which drivers will make an appearance? Overall, how many drivers will be included and who’s new?

NASCAR Heat 2 will have more drivers than any previous NASCAR game. We’ll have full racing fields for all three series. You can expect the full roster reveal this summer.

"The game was not ported to PS4 from another console. It was built from the ground-up to run on the PS4 using the Unity Engine."

The game has been touted as an “enhanced overall experience that reflects the insights of actual NASCAR drivers” as per 704Games CEO Paul Brooks. Which drivers have consulted on the sequel and what was it like working with them?

We’ve had many drivers give us feedback including Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, but Brad Keselowski has been the most influential this year (he joined the board of directors at 704Games in early 2017). He’s been working with the development team directly to make the experience more authentic from the way the stock cars handle to how they sound.

What kind of post-launch support can be expected for NASCAR Heat 2?

We’ll be able to talk more about that closer to launch.

Will you release any expansions and paid DLC after launch?

Yes. We will offer free and paid DLC.

How much effort did it take to port the game over to Sony’s PlayStation 4? What was the biggest challenge you had to face?

The game was not ported to PS4 from another console. It was built from the ground-up to run on the PS4 using the Unity Engine. There have been many challenges, most of which revolved around maximizing performance for a game that has very large environments and 40 cars running at one time.