REVIEW: NASCAR Heat 4

NASCAR Heat 4, the newest game in 704 Games' NASCAR line, is now available for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The game promises to take some steps in the right direction following what many believe (myself included) to be some very lackluster entries into the NASCAR franchise.

Is that a new menu screen??

Let's start with what NASCAR Heat 4 does well, or at least what it improves upon from its predecessors.  

The main screen is a lot cleaner than in years past, and it seems more in line with current sports offering, like MLB's The Show and the NFL's Madden franchise.  The menu is extremely easy to navigate, and even features your driver stats on the main screen, which is a very nice upgrade.  To view these in the past, you would have to wade through menus to find your win totals.

When it comes to gameplay, Heat 4 improves upon many of the games from the past.  They've been able to re-haul the physics of how the cars drive.  No longer does touching a car cause your car to "ping-pong" off your fellow drivers, and the cars seem to react more in-line with their real-world counterparts.

The game even includes bumps on numerous tracks to show roughness.  With my little bit of time with the game, it was most pronounced at Atlanta, as the car was bouncing in the corner because of how rough that track is.

The graphics engine has also seen an improvement for what seems like the first time since the last generation of consoles.  The cars and tracks look great, and for once I didn't feel like I was playing on an impressive PS3 game.

In the career mode, the team member aspect of owning your own team is also changed.  Instead of being able to max out all stat categories for your team members, each one now has a specialty.  With the new engine, aero and suspension specialists, the career mode has an added element of realism, which should affect your weekly plans.

The game also changed the way you are raced by the AI.  Your fellow drivers will pick multiple racing grooves, and it is pretty fun to race alongside.  In an Xfinity race, I was battling Cole Custer for the lead.  As I got closer to Custer, he moved to the outside line and gave me the bottom, but he moved back to the bottom when I failed to pass him a few laps later.

Two other minor changes that caught my eye were the inclusion of more options in the pause menu and a track map in the lower corner.  The pause menu now allows you to change a few gameplay options mid-race.  While there really isn't much you can do, it is nice to see that 704 Games seems headed towards a more intricate pause menu like many other games.

The inclusion of the track map in the lower corner is also a welcome addition that was features in NASCAR games for year.  It allows the player to see where the leader is in relation to them, and they can see where they are on the track.

Martinsville at night: a sexy pre-order bonus.

While Heat 4 does improve on some things that I have been griping about for years, there are still a few things they can improve on.

The paint booth once again lacks depth.  While there are numerous pre-made paint schemes to pick from, as well as the ability to pick any number, it would still be nice to be able to create your own custom scheme and drive it on the track.  Maybe one day we will once again have an in-depth paint booth experience.

Another issue has to deal with looking backwards on road courses, which causes the camera to fly up and look over the car.  While this is a small issue, it is something that was an issue in the last game that I would have liked to see fixed.

The cars are actually a lot tougher to pass, and I'm not sure if this is a problem with the game itself or if they actually implemented the new rules package into the game.  Maybe Kyle Busch was right when he said these cars were hard to pass, so I won't hold that against the game.

My last two gripes with the game come from my Gold Edition purchase.  Originally advertised as a Jeff Gordon "steel book," the game was shipped in a hard to open cardboard case.  While 704 Games announced that an issue with their manufacturer caused a problem with the steel book, I was not expecting them to go with such low-rate packaging for their hardcore fans.

Another issue was that the included Season Pass DLC was not available to redeem on Day 1 (at least on PS4).  While the code eventually was accepted the day after release, I have still been unable to download the special Jeff Gordon legend car that was a major selling point of the Gold Edition.  As of this writing, I have not heard anything back from 704 Games after reaching out to them about the issue.

My Verdict:

While NASCAR Heat 4 is still affected by some recurring issues that have plagued the games for years, there is a lot of promise from this entry in the franchise.  704 Games has shown that they can move forward with this franchise, and I hope they will continue to grow the scope of the game.  The game is fun to play, and it should be a must-buy for any NASCAR fans.  I would recommend the standard edition for $59.99 unless you will be buying all the DLC as it is released, in which case the $69.99 price on the Gold Edition is a nice way to save some money.

RATING:

7.5/10

NASCAR Heat 2 Now Available

NASCAR Heat 2, the newest NASCAR video game, is now available for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The game, a sequel to 2016's NASCAR Heat Evolution, was developed by Monster Games and released by 704Games.  704Games, previously known as Dusenberry-Martin Racing, is the same studio that released the last game in 2016.

Photo courtesy 704Games

The new game features all three national touring series, bringing the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series back into a NASCAR video game for the first time since EA published NASCAR 09.  With the addition of these series, new tracks have been added, including the dirt track Eldora Speedway for the Truck Series.

This year, local split-screen multiplayer was included with the game.  Split-screen was a notable omission from last year's release, so it is a welcomed addition to this year's game.  Another addition that 704Games has included is the ability to customize your car in career mode.

As with last year's release, the player will have the option to complete 29 challenges, one for every track.  More challenges should be added in later via downloadable content.  Along with the single-player career mode, there will be an enhanced online multiplayer component, featuring 40-player lobbies.

The game is available now for $49.99 from most major retailers, as well as the Playstation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam.  Included with a physical copy of the game is a $50 coupon for race tickets at any SMI track in 2018.  A season pass will also be available for $29.99, which should be about half the price of all the DLC that will be released.

Check back in the coming weeks to see my review of NASCAR Heat 2.

REVIEW: NASCAR Heat Evolution

On Tuesday, Dusenberry-Martin Racing released NASCAR Heat Evolution, the first NASCAR video game for PS4 and XBox One.  I've been on track since Tuesday, and I have to say, my reaction to the game has been what it has been all through development: meh.

When you first fire it up, NASCAR Heat Evolution gives five racing options: Race, Challenges, Championship, Career and Multiplayer.  Race is just what it sounds like, allowing you to pick a driver and jump right into on-track action.

Challenges allow the player to participate in real-world racing action, with the player getting a second chance at accomplishing something a driver wasn't able to do in real life.  The first challenge that unlocks puts you in the cockpit of Brad Keselowski's "BRAD" Ford (beer sponsors are not in the game, along with Clint Bowyer's 5 Hour Energy).  A pretty basic challenge, you start inside the top 20 and need to win in 5 laps.  I even downloaded the Toyota Challenges pack that gives the player four more options with Toyota drivers.  Same as the Keselowski challenge, I blew the competition away.

The Championship mode is just the basic season mode, where the player can take their favorite driver all the way to Homestead to fight for the Sprint Cup.

Career mode allows the player to create a driver and start them on a NASCAR journey.  You first get a pretty crappy car, and through good finishes, race winnings and sponsorship deals, you can work to improve your car's performance.  Until then, you'll get to find out how Matt DiBenedetto feels as you fight hard for a Top 25.

Multiplayer promises 40-player lobbies, creating the most authentic NASCAR experience online.  Unfortunately, I haven't found any rooms with that many players.  In fact, the one online race I did play was one-vs.-one match because only one other player stuck around for the actual race.

After playing with it for almost a week, the whole game feels like it was rushed to the shelves.  The graphics looks like they're out of a game from last generation, which is really irritating.  The handling of the cars is a little off, and this is probably due to weird physics.  Don't try to brake while turning the car, the back end will just step out on you and you'll have to correct your driving to save it.  I shouldn't be able to get around Martinsville without braking, but that's exactly what I had to do.

Get used to this view. It's the only one you're going to get.

The game also doesn't offer custom paint schemes.  In the old games, I would spend hours to make the perfect paint scheme to take to the track, and then I would take pictures of it in racing action.  But I don't even have that option in this game either.  In fact, the pause menu doesn't even give you any options other than Resume, Restart or Exit Race.  The only way you can get a screenshot is to use the Share button on the PS4 controller (I don't know what this means for XBox).

The game also lacks many simple abilities that we take for granted in racing games.  You have to flip between the HUD, so you can't see your lap times and your car's damage at the same time.  The camera is also locked into position, so you can't look around your car.

Overall, NASCAR Heat Evolution is a major misstep.  This game offers less features than NASCAR '15, but at least it costs three times as much. 

Would I buy this game again?  Yes, but not for $60.  This bare-bones racing game is not what NASCAR fans deserve after suffering through bad iterations the past few years.  I think it's time to give the license back to EA and let it go.

Final score: 5/10.

NASCAR Heat Evolution Announced, Given Release Date

Dusenberry Martin Racing announced the newest NASCAR video game, NASCAR Heat Evolution, during a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday.

The new game, which will be the first NASCAR game available on next-gen consoles, will be available September 13, 2016.

The game will be developed by Monster Games, who created the original NASCAR Heat and NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona games, which were two of the most well-recieved NASCAR games of all-time.  Monster Games has built this game from the ground up.

The game will feature different game modes, including a career mode and a Chase mode.  The game will also feature a new AI and Speed Rating system, which will adapt to the player's skill level.

DM Racing also announced that the cover driver will be the top-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday's Sprint All-Star Race.

For more information on NASCAR Heat Evolution, and to preorder the game on PS4 and XBox One, head to NASCARHeat.com.