by: John Olin

September 11, 2005

I know what a lot of you are thinking—how can you keep making a game about going around in a circle every single year? Well quite simply, there are some good improvements here in NASCAR 06 that will keep the NASCAR fans coming. I warn you that this game is definitely not for everybody, but the additions help keep it fresh. The game starts off in a full-blown NASCAR race, giving a quick rundown on the games newest feature, the Team Control. The Team Control basically lets you switch between cars in the game if one of your cars is in trouble or falling behind, you can simply switch to the other car. You do this by flicking the right analog to the corresponding driver, and then flicking it again to confirm. Also certain races need your entire team to have a certain ranking when finishing, so say your main car is in first place, but your other is in back in 15th place, just switch to him and then try to get him up there. Then you have to get the other up there as well. It adds a bit more to the formula and is definitely a challenge later on in the game. Even cooler is that you can use a headset to say certain commands that will actually make your teammates do what you say. You need to be extremely clear when you say them, but it is almost like “Rainbow Six with cars”. The headset also helps you to understand what is going on in the game a bit better, as you will hear the chatter of your crew telling you what is going on or what you need to do much better than having the engine noise over it coming out of your TV speakers. There are still some issues with the team control element of the game, but like all new features in an EA game they will get it right in two-three years. Still, the headset isn’t required and you shouldn’t have too much more trouble without it.

After the opening tutorial, you then can create a player and go on to earn your way up the ladder. You will have your share of enemies going through the races marked on your calendar, and these guys will try and push you into the wall. The first few races are ridiculously easy, and simply require you to hold down the right trigger to accelerate, and turn left with the analog stick. To even get to these races you first sign an agent, look at challenges in your messages and voicemail, and look at your calendar to see what is available. You eventually will get bigger and better contracts, better cars, a team, and so on. You can of course choose manual and shift up and down with Y and X. I found it a bit annoying however that the default setting for reverse (when you burnout or whatever else) is pressing the black button. Unless you pay attention to the controls, you might assume simply pulling the left trigger would work. Also you can change your camera from two different bird’s eye views with the whit button. You can also change them to a cockpit view complete with steering wheel (strangely with no hands), a view closer to the ground, and one outside of the car a bit. Eventually you will make your way into the NEXTEL Cup Series.

Another great feature is you can have those 160-lap races, or a simple 18-lap race. The bigger the race means pit stops, and also there are options for if tires take damage, your car take damage, and so on. This is good for people who might just be trying the game out, or haven’t played a NASCAR game for quite awhile, and also for those hardcore players who need all the NASCAR that is possible. The game also features standard multiplayer options that you would expect such as 1-2 players on an Xbox, or four-player race on Xbox Live in many of the games different game types. It is unfourtanate though that it can only be four-player, and would have probably been a lot better if sixteen players were possible.

Visually the game is adequate and meets the goal of giving you the experience. The tracks all look pretty much the same besides a few differences in the tarmac and maybe the surroundings, but the cars all could have been presented better. I don’t know if it is a game-engine limit, but how come these cars can’t be as sharp as say, Need for Speed’s? I think it might have to do with the fact that so many cars are on the track at a time, but still they could look a bit better. Otherwise, the decals on the cars look pretty well done. Some of the game’s visual have a strange “corny feeling” to them, and it is especially apparent in the few cinemas in the game. Still, the visuals get the job done and help you with the speed of going 180+ miles an hour. The audio for the most part is done well; the soundtrack in the game has a very backwoods attitude though. The actual engine sounds, the people in the crew talking to you, and so on however are done extremely well.

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Overall this title is a must buy for NASCAR fans as the authenticity is completely there with the new team controlling element. Not only can you command them with your controller, but with your Xbox Live headset as well. Besides that, nothing much here has changed from last year’s game, but if you are a NASCAR fan you should definitely buy. This game could be to off-limits for some other people, especially if you are wanting a Forza Motorosport, or Project Gotham Racing experience.

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