With all the talk of the coming streaming revolution on its way to the game industry, it can be easy to forget that the original streaming service is still going strong with Sony’s PlayStation Now. It continues to get a host of various titles rotating in and out, and this month is going to be a big one, it seems, with some heavy hitting titles.

One of the biggest titles to release is Remedy’s latest action title, Control. While the game didn’t quite find a large audience, it got critical acclaim and is one of the company’s best yet. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is next up, the finale in the rebooted saga that ends the saga of Trinity, and then the second game in another rebooted classic with Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. That’s far from all though, as the likes of Warriors All Stars, NASCAR, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13, and a host of other various titles will be coming in March. You can see the whole list below.

Some of the games are live now, and others will be added as the month goes on. It, of course, also goes by region, so some of this list may vary depending on where you’re using the service. Regardless, there is a little something for everyone this month.

• Shadow of the Tomb Raider 
• Control
• Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
• NASCAR Heat 3
• Nights of Azure
• Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon
• Warriors All-Stars
• Toukiden Kiwami
• Toukiden 2
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13
• Dead or Alive 5 Last Round

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.

"In real-life, a ton of drivers get their starts in dirt, so we thought it’d be compelling to start you in dirt and ask you to prove yourself on local dirt tracks before getting the call to race in a NASCAR National Series"

It seems like a main point of focus with this game has been dirt racing. Why did you choose to go this route?

There were a few reasons. First, we added dirt racing last year (Eldora Speedway), when we added the Camping World Truck Series, and it was a big hit. Eldora was one of the most popular tracks online. Second, dirt racing offers a nice alternative to normal stock car racing, and it’s just fun. The tracks are visually compelling and require a different set of skills to compete. We also knew we wanted to upgrade our Career mode and dirt racing naturally slotted in. In real-life, a ton of drivers get their starts in dirt, so we thought it’d be compelling to start you in dirt and ask you to prove yourself on local dirt tracks before getting the call to race in a NASCAR National Series.

We’ve learned that the game will have a deeper career mode. What can you tell us about this?

As I mentioned above, in this year’s Career mode, players will start in the Xtreme Dirt Tour and work their way into the NASCAR National Series. Beyond that, we’ve really revamped the whole experience. Players can choose to either be a “driver” or an “owner.” When you choose a driver, similar to last year, you get your start by racing in Hot Seats. Hot Seats are opportunities to fill in for other drivers. Those rides will get you noticed, lead to contract offers, and you will work your way to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. As a driver, your sole focus is driving, but you can also be an owner and own your own teams. If you choose that path, you will have to buy and maintain your cars, hire and train your staff, and upgrade your facilities. You still drive the cars, but your destiny is completely in your hands. That’s the basic rundown. We also brought back and polished the driver reputation feature. Earn friends or make enemies and that will impact your on-track experience. If you have any issues in your career, you can lean on your career mentors. These real-world NASCAR personalities will provide the guidance you need to become a champion.

Are there any major differences in how the cars handle in this game as compared to the previous entries in the series?

The car handling is tweaked and tuned every year. This year was no different. We put a lot of time into the physics model, especially in terms of how the cars react when making contact with other cars. We’re also introducing a variety of pre-built custom setups. These are perfect for fans who want to get more speed, but fear the complexity of the custom setup menu. There are 9 custom setups ranging from loose to tight. Also, a lot of work went into the new Xtreme Dirt Tour car physics model. Those cars handle differently than every other series, including the truck dirt model.

What exactly will the ‘Xtreme Dirt Tour’ bring to players?

First of all, the Xtreme Dirt Tour will feature 9 tracks. As mentioned above, Eldora Speedway returns, but we’ve also added 8 new dirt tracks. The XDT cars will also be available to race in all other modes, including online multiplayer. Beyond that, dirt racing is simply an entirely different way for players to compete in NASCAR Heat 3. Unlike driving on asphalt or concrete, it’s more about drifting. It takes practice to maintain your speed through the turns without spinning your tires. The overall atmosphere at dirt tracks is also unique. They’re all small town tracks with a seating capacity of less than 15k. In Career, you really feel like you’re just starting out.

Are there any particularly unique tracks you are excited for players to experience racing in?

We built a fantasy dirt track named Jefferson Raceway. That’s my personal favorite of all the new tracks. It’s a fantasy dirt road course, a track type that we’ve never had in the Heat series. I think Jefferson will be popular, especially in online multiplayer. We also converted Bristol and Richmond to dirt tracks. Racing a dirt surface on Bristol’s high banked turns is a lot of fun.

"When racing in Career, you’ll have the opportunity to join an actual NASCAR race team and compete in one of your favorite rides"

How do motorsports teams function in this game?

When racing in Career, you’ll have the opportunity to join an actual NASCAR race team and compete in one of your favorite rides. For example, maybe you’ve always dreamed of being the driver of the #24 Hendrick Chevrolet. Well, if you do well enough, you may get a contract offer from Hendrick Motorsports and have that opportunity. When signing contracts with teams, you can also choose to create your own car and join a team, instead of replacing an existing team member.

What can we expect to see with the multiplayer aspect of the game?

In addition to dirt racing being available online, we’ve also created the all-new Online Tournaments mode. Tournaments will be weekly events that pit drivers against others from around the world. On Monday-Friday, you will have the chance to lay down your best lap time at that week’s track. Your time will get posted on a qualifying leaderboard. At the end of the week, based on your qualifying position, you will be placed in 1 of 3 brackets. On Saturday-Sunday, you can then compete in the Finals against others from your bracket. The player with the best time in each bracket will be tournament winners. Your wins will be tracked and shown on in-game leaderboards for all to see. We’ll be releasing more details about this mode before September 7.

What are your post-launch plans for the game?

We’ll be releasing one large paid DLC pack each month, through December. Those packs will include paint schemes and Challenges and sometimes new spotters and custom car templates. We also, again, plan to have monthly free DLC packs. In addition, players can pick up the 2018 Hot Pass to get all that DLC at a great discount. Plus, we’ll be releasing game updates/patches throughout the remainder of 2018.

We’ve learnt that the game will offer more of a challenge as compared to its prequels. What will be some of the changes at the higher difficulties?

We’ve tuned all difficulty levels to make the AI more competitive based on the player’s skill level. In addition, we’ve specifically tuned the harder difficulties to be much more challenging. This year, those harder levels are no joke. For those players who want the challenge, they’re going to get it. Heat players can also expect smarter pitting strategies from the AI, among several other AI upgrades.

Are there any particular challenges you’ve faced during the game’s development?

NASCAR Heat 3 is a heavily licensed title, so getting all the car art approved and added to the game is always a challenge. In addition, we not only built 8 new tracks, but we still had to maintain the 30 legacy tracks. And many of those tracks, like ISM Raceway and the Charlotte Roval, required extensive overhauls. Generally, almost every asset in our game requires an outside approval, which made hitting our deadlines an exercise in anxiety management.

"Fan feedback is key to our success. We made huge improvements from NASCAR Heat Evolution to NASCAR Heat 2. The changes in NASCAR Heat 3 are even bigger and better. "

The series has been subjected to mixed reactions. How are you addressing these in this game?

Fan feedback is key to our success. We made huge improvements from NASCAR Heat Evolution to NASCAR Heat 2. The changes in NASCAR Heat 3 are even bigger and better.  Our social media team spends a lot of time reading feedback. I read a lot of the feedback myself, and interact with fans on Twitter. The feedback we get helps us determine what gets added year after year. In short, we’re always listening and working to make the game better.

The game will feature Xbox One X specific enhancements. What can players expect if they are playing the game on Xbox One X? Is 4K/60fps on the cards?

While the game will run on the Xbox One X, no specific enhancements were added. We’ll be watching the platform closely and we’ll consider specific enhancements for future iterations of the game.

And how will the PS4 Pro version turn out in terms of resolution and frame rate?

Same as above. No specific enhancements, but we will remain open to it in the future.

From a development perspective, how do you find the Xbox One X to be? With so much GPU power, we are sure you must be doing some amazing things.

We’re incredibly excited about what Microsoft is doing with the console and the possibilities it opens up for us in the future. As of now, however, there are no specific enhancements planned for the Xbox One X version of NASCAR Heat 3, but we remain open to it in the future.

How is the game running on the original Xbox One and PS4, frame rate and resolution wise?

On consoles, NASCAR Heat 3 will run at 30 fps and in 1080p. PC will see a boost to 60 fps and can be played in 4k.

"And for better or worse, game companies are businesses, and businesses will always look for ways to increase their bottom lines"

Do you have any plans to bring the game to Nintendo Switch? If not, why?

We don’t have plans to release NASCAR Heat 3 on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a fun console and I hope we get to do something with it in the near future.

Next gen is coming sooner or later. From a development perspective, what is your biggest expectation from the next PlayStation and next Xbox?

My assumption is we’ll just have more power to do bigger and better games. 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.

What is your take on the on-going controversy of loot boxes and microtransactions?

From a straight-up business perspective, I understand why companies have included microtransactions. 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 ok. 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.

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.