Nascar Heat 2002

Developed by Infogrames and released by Xbox in November of 2001, Nascar Heat 2002 is quite a challenging game. Simulation fans will embrace its authenticity while burning up the track like Jeff Gordon. The game will challenge you to be technically sound in your driving style, and it provides plenty of customization options. Fans will also be treated to pre-race instructions by actual pros such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, as well as a television-style presentation. With multi-player modes and a variety of challenging areas, Nascar Heat 2002 is what you would expect from racing launch title game.

The races are presented much like a televised program with a full motion video of the announcer not to mention, NASCAR Heat 2002 gives gamers four single-player modes: Single Race, Championship, Race the Pros and Beat the Heat.   Although the single race mode isn't much of a challenge, the Championship mode did prove fun! Here, you can tackle an entire NASCAR season, all the way from Daytona to New Hampshire. For the impatient, shortened seasons are also available. The championship mode works like an actual NASCAR season. Drivers are awarded points for their finish position in each race, and these points are then tallied to declare a season winner. Unfortunately, in Heat 2002, there is no fanfare for winning high-profile races such as Daytona and Talladega. The only reward, in terms of specific elements of presentation, comes with the game's brief ending sequence after all the races are completed.

In Race the Pro, you go head-to-head against some of the top real-life racers out there, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Skinner, and Kurt Busch (Jeff Gordon is mysteriously absent though). Sounds cool, right? It is, but as with most good things in life, there's a catch: you have to race the pros on their best tracks! Thankfully, you may retry each race as much as you want. Considering how good the pros are, having infinite continues does not seem like enough...guess that's why they call them "pro's" right?! While the rest of the game is relatively easy to complete, even the most seasoned racing fans will find Race the Pros quite challenging and if you’re bent on proving that you’re a better armchair athlete than your favorite Nascar driver, this mode is for you.

The Beat the Heat challenge is the most diverse of the gameplay modes in Heat 2002. It is parallel to the license tests in Gran Turismo. Beat the Heat is very similar. You don't have to play this mode, as it is not required to finish the rest of the game. But most of the objectives are the same...brake, accelerate, corner, pass, and pit the best to win. Each of the 36 challenges have been divided into six categories: Basics, Passing, Rivals, Reflex, Advanced, and The King. Gold, Silver, or Bronze trophies are awarded if you win, just as in Gran Turismo. Each section presents a different type of challenge. In basics and passing, you'll be learning about taking the best lines into turns and using slipstreams to pass opposing racers, respectively. But in the reflex and advanced modes, things get a bit more complicated. The reflex mode, for example, is designed to teach the driver the basics of dealing with crash situations. You will be thrown into the middle of a crash and must drive unscathed through the smoke and mass of wreckage to finish in one of the top five positions.

On to the cars. The car models are fairly solid and what you would expect from an Xbox racer. Each accurately displays its commercial sponsorship, reflects and casts a shadow realistically and handles believably. With plenty of cars to scroll through, it could take you quite a while to find the "perfect" car for you. For me; however, I just found it fun to go through and see all the really cool and extremely realistic cars available.

One of the most impressive visual effects in Nascar Heat 2002 has to be the real-time shadows. The fence formation changes throughout each track, but no matter how jagged the fence was, its shadow still covered the vehicle almost perfectly. Infogrames didn't stop there though. The shadow effects used in the in-the-car view are incredible. The roll cage always streaks several shadows on the insides of the vehicle. The shadow changes perfectly as the car or light source moves. Whenever you drive close to the fence, its shadow comes through, creating one of the coolest graphic effects in a racing game to date.

Once you hit the asphalt, Nascar fans will appreciate the precise designs of the racetracks, the stadium seats and other particulars of the 20+ tracks from cities all over the states. The tracks are complete with clouds of muffler exhaust, oily tire marks criss-crossing each other, and 43 racers on screen at once. This, regrettably, is accompanied by significant slow down and stammering controls but adds to the realism greatly when you see an ocean of cars ahead of or behind you. As in real-life, the races are cluttered with sponsorship material and a perfect arc of blue sky straddling the track. The game's AI (Artificial Intelligence) is one of its strongest points. The competition reacts to your movements realistically, no matter how sporadic, and responds accordingly in intense crash situations. Consequently, the computer drivers will also regard you defensively and offensively by drafting around you or cutting you off.

Although the hand controller wasn't always perfect, and a bit jerky at times (the slightest move could send your car into the wall), once you get the hang of it, it certainly doesn't deter from the game at all. I did however break down and invest in a hand-held racing wheel and found this to be quite realistic and very maneuverable.

I never said this game was perfect and there are some specific issues with Heat 2002. The least of which is the game's frame-rate problems that limits its potential. Issues with visual pop-up problems (some of the backgrounds, especially the fences, just pop up out of nowhere), rear-view mirror fade out, and the lack of realism when cars collide and steel crunches against steel, it isn't enough to deter from the overall playing of the game.

So hit the Lazy-Boy, get some beer, and invite a few friends over for a racing frenzy and it just might have you saying "Yeah baby, yeah" well into the wee hours.

Official Xbox Website: http://www.xbox.com

Where to find XBox Cheats: http://www.xboxcheats.com

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