Leebo: NASCAR 2005 career mode plusses and minuses

[pk500]

Leebo:

I know you asked in a thread yesterday my opinions on the NASCAR 2005 career mode. Problem is, I can't remember which thread! So I'll just post them here.

There are a hell of a lot more plusses than minuses in the Race for the Top career mode in this game.

You start the game having to beat Ryan Newman in a street race between Dodge Vipers. You could win the race on the first try with one eye shut and drunk -- I speak from experience! It's a stupid way to start your Career, but the game soars after that stumbling start.

After beating Newman, a cell phone shows up on the screen with an offer from Newman's agent to represent you. Then that agent offers you some test drives in a NASCAR modified.

The time goals for the tests are pretty easy, so you'll be offered a one- or two-star modified ride for the season. Cars/teams are rated in every series from one star (worst) to five stars (best).

Then you sign a contract and start your first season on the Modified tour. Your contract will state your salary and your percentage of proceeds from various souvenir sales. Better teams will offer you better pay and a better cut from trash and trinkets.

You start racing and make Allies and Rivals along the way. You're given Hero, Villain and Prestige points after each race, depending on your driving tactics and performance. Prestige points help you land better test drives and contracts in upcoming seasons, and Hero and Villain points affect your Rivals' bumping and banging and affect your souvenir sales and popularity.

As the season progresses, you'll get many calls from your agent on your cell phone. The topics can range from an upcoming charity race that will deliver you Prestige points, to an upcoming test session in a higher series, feedback based on that test session, rival drivers calling your agent demanding an apology for your rough driving, with your choice to ignore the driver or apologize, which affects your Rival status, etc., etc.

There are complete stats and box scores for each race and season, as you'd expect from an EA title.

At the end of the season, you'll get offers in your current series and the next series up the ladder, depending on your performance that previous season.

Once you've earned enough jack, you also can start buying race teams. When you buy a team, you need to decide everything about that team, from paint jobs to sponsors to performance upgrades to hiring and firing drivers. And you need to negotiate contracts with your driver.

This whole thing may not sound that impressive as separate parts, but it's addictive as hell as a package.

The only negatives of which I can think are no in-race saves, which sucks if you choose to run longer races. I have my races set at either the shortest or second-shortest setting, as I wanted to get through a few seasons just to see how the Career mode works. The mode still is fun as hell, even with shorter races.

Another negative is the autograph sessions. You're asked to sign autographs more and more often as you climb the ladder. When signing, icons representing the four face buttons on the controller will appear at various places on the screen, simulating people shoving hero cards, T-shirts and hats into your face to sign. You need to hit the corresponding face button quickly as it appears on the screen, signing that "autograph," or you'll piss off and lose fans.

It's fun at first, but it gets a bit old after a while. But I still sign almost every time I'm offered, as it builds fan base and sells a lot of merchandise, putting more cake in my pocket.

The Race to the Top career mode has a lot of window dressing. But it's mostly relevant and adds to the very immersive, addictive nature of this mode.

And bottom line, the racing is fantastic in every series. All of the default setups are pretty good, so you don't have to tweak much, if at all. There's superb door-to-door racing once you get on track.

That's the core of any racing game, and NASCAR 2005's Career mode would suck if the racing was lousy, regardless of the cool bells and whistles. Fortunately, the racing is super, which only makes the bells ring and whistles hum even louder when you're off the track.

I'm not a Franchise or Career mode player in any other sports game. They're never compelling enough for me, and they really feel like a few gimmicks added on to a basic Season mode.

But that's not the case with NASCAR 2005. The Career mode is awesome -- it's the most enjoyable career mode of any sports game I've played. Seriously.

Feel free to post or PM with any questions or comments.

Take care,
PK

[JRod]

PK,

Actually while the autographs thing sounds tedious it almost sounds true to real life. I'm sure these guys would rather leave the track, field, or whatever instead of signing. After a long day going home and crashing on the couch is a lot better than staying an extra hour after work.

So it does seem to mirror real-life. Don't know how you feel about that.

What worries me (I don't have the game but I have read) about the career mode is that you have to start at the same point every time you fire it up. I wish you could choose places to start. Either in the Truck series, Busch or whatever.

[webdanzer]

You're dealing with the allegedly abysmal framerate okay?

[pk500]

John:

>>>So it does seem to mirror real-life. Don't know how you feel about that.<<<

I agree. There are times I don't want to sign but do it anyways. I'm sure that mirrors real life based on my experience working with pro drivers.

>>>What worries me (I don't have the game but I have read) about the career mode is that you have to start at the same point every time you fire it up. I wish you could choose places to start. Either in the Truck series, Busch or whatever.<<<

I'm not sure what you mean. If you mean that you have to start your career in the Modifieds and work your way up, that's true. It's also realistic -- no one goes from their local short track right to NEXTEL Cup.

Plus it wouldn't be a Career mode if you didn't have to work your way up the ladder. If you started in Busch or Cup, it would basically just be a glorified season mode. I love how EA forces you to climb the ladder.

Now, if you mean that you have to start back at the modifieds every time you fire up your Xbox, no. Your career is saved each time you go back to your Race Shop if you have Auto-save turned on.

I finished the four races of my second Truck season -- my fourth season overall -- last night, and will start with the fifth race of my season when I inevitably fire up the game sometime tonight.

Hope my answers were clear! If not, write or post.

Take care,
PK

[Leebo33]

Thanks, PK! I am going to pick this up soon.

I too am concerned about the framerate.

[pk500]

You're dealing with the allegedly abysmal framerate okay?

Yes. As Terry said, the framerate burps aren't constant. They pop up in certain spots on certain tracks. Some tracks have hardly any problems. Some have a big burp in one turn, etc., etc.

But the racing is so competitive and so fun that I'm easily able to overlook the framerate burps.

I think "burp" is the proper term. The framerate doesn't crawl the entire time. It's just a very quick "burp" from time to time.

But when I'm going door to door with some Rival or online racer, driving my balls off for the spot, I don't even notice the framerate.

I can only think of three racing games/franchises since I first picked up an Atari 2600 joystick in 1981 that have caused me to RACE as hard as I do in NASCAR 2005: World of Outlaws Sprint Car Racing for the PS2, Moto GP/Moto GP 2 for the Xbox and the TOCA series for the PSX, PS2 and Xbox.

When I say RACE, I don't mean drive. The original Gran Turismo, F355 and all of the Colin McRae games are tougher to drive. But NASCAR 2005 is the rare racing game in that not only must you drive smart, but you need to be keenly aware of where your opponents are at all times, managing to parry their attempts to pass from all lines while trying different lines and braking/accelerating points to catch those in front. There's a lot going on in the cockpit -- er, from the hood, as sadly there is no cockpit view -- that you need to tend to.

This game is the complete racing package even though the driving model isn't a hardcore sim and even though there are some gimmicks, like Allies/Rivals.

Maybe I hit my personal racing sweet spot with my initial settings of Veteran difficulty, cautions and damage on, and assists and unlimited fuel and tires off, but I really am racing my balls off in this game, and I love it.

I know right away when I've missed my marks in braking or accelerating in a corner, and I know that it's inevitable that a CPU or human racer will eat me alive for that mistake. The same thing happens when I pick the wrong line in a tight pack. Screw up, and you'll pay.

Few racing games have done that for me in the past, so that's why I'm loving this game. It has all the arcadish EA bells and whistles for fun, and the driving and racing model has just enough sim elements to sustain belief while being competitive as hell.

Take care,
PK

[Murph]

Great review, PK.

I'm also loving the game, even though I suck beyong belief at times. The Featherlites are pretty easy, but once you start moving up to the other series', on larger tracks, if you can't draft, you can't win. It's just that simple.

An online question: How do you set up your car before starting an online race? I decided to try a road course online and it was like I had no brakes at all. Virtually worthless, as was my driving.

[TCrouch]

No setups online. Everybody is racing IROC-style.

[pk500]

No setups online. Everybody is racing IROC-style.

And that's not a bad thing at all, as it emphasizes driver skill over setup.

Online setups were one of the flaws of IndyCar Series 2005. It was frustrating to drive a perfect race and see some dork with a perfect setup weaving like Grandma Moses ahead of you but winning because his setup was really hot.

I know that mirrors reality more, but gaming is supposed to be fun. It bugged the sh*t out of me to run a 50-lapper in ICS 2005 for 35 minutes knowing after 10 laps that I had no chance to win unless the guy with the hot setup crashed hard and often.

NASCAR 2005 also lacks cautions online, which is a flaw. There is a catchup assist that will bring you back toward the end of the pack, almost simulating the effect of a caution, if you want to use it. I initially hated it, but I now see the merits of it even though I don't use it much.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

>>>on larger tracks, if you can't draft, you can't win. It's just that simple.<<<

Murph:

True, but that's also realistic. Any Cup or Busch driver who isn't skilled at drafting or who loses the draft late in a race at any oval of 1.5 miles or longer, Talladega or Daytona especially, is f*cked.

Take care,
PK

[Inuyasha]

Leebo:

I know you asked in a thread yesterday my opinions on the NASCAR 2005 career mode. Problem is, I can't remember which thread! So I'll just post them here.

There are a hell of a lot more plusses than minuses in the Race for the Top career mode in this game.

You start the game having to beat Ryan Newman in a street race between Dodge Vipers. You could win the race on the first try with one eye shut and drunk -- I speak from experience! It's a stupid way to start your Career, but the game soars after that stumbling start.

After beating Newman, a cell phone shows up on the screen with an offer from Newman's agent to represent you. Then that agent offers you some test drives in a NASCAR modified.

The time goals for the tests are pretty easy, so you'll be offered a one- or two-star modified ride for the season. Cars/teams are rated in every series from one star (worst) to five stars (best).

Then you sign a contract and start your first season on the Modified tour. Your contract will state your salary and your percentage of proceeds from various souvenir sales. Better teams will offer you better pay and a better cut from trash and trinkets.

You start racing and make Allies and Rivals along the way. You're given Hero, Villain and Prestige points after each race, depending on your driving tactics and performance. Prestige points help you land better test drives and contracts in upcoming seasons, and Hero and Villain points affect your Rivals' bumping and banging and affect your souvenir sales and popularity.

As the season progresses, you'll get many calls from your agent on your cell phone. The topics can range from an upcoming charity race that will deliver you Prestige points, to an upcoming test session in a higher series, feedback based on that test session, rival drivers calling your agent demanding an apology for your rough driving, with your choice to ignore the driver or apologize, which affects your Rival status, etc., etc.

There are complete stats and box scores for each race and season, as you'd expect from an EA title.

At the end of the season, you'll get offers in your current series and the next series up the ladder, depending on your performance that previous season.

Once you've earned enough jack, you also can start buying race teams. When you buy a team, you need to decide everything about that team, from paint jobs to sponsors to performance upgrades to hiring and firing drivers. And you need to negotiate contracts with your driver.

This whole thing may not sound that impressive as separate parts, but it's addictive as hell as a package.

The only negatives of which I can think are no in-race saves, which sucks if you choose to run longer races. I have my races set at either the shortest or second-shortest setting, as I wanted to get through a few seasons just to see how the Career mode works. The mode still is fun as hell, even with shorter races.

Another negative is the autograph sessions. You're asked to sign autographs more and more often as you climb the ladder. When signing, icons representing the four face buttons on the controller will appear at various places on the screen, simulating people shoving hero cards, T-shirts and hats into your face to sign. You need to hit the corresponding face button quickly as it appears on the screen, signing that "autograph," or you'll piss off and lose fans.

It's fun at first, but it gets a bit old after a while. But I still sign almost every time I'm offered, as it builds fan base and sells a lot of merchandise, putting more cake in my pocket.

The Race to the Top career mode has a lot of window dressing. But it's mostly relevant and adds to the very immersive, addictive nature of this mode.

And bottom line, the racing is fantastic in every series. All of the default setups are pretty good, so you don't have to tweak much, if at all. There's superb door-to-door racing once you get on track.

That's the core of any racing game, and NASCAR 2005's Career mode would suck if the racing was lousy, regardless of the cool bells and whistles. Fortunately, the racing is super, which only makes the bells ring and whistles hum even louder when you're off the track.

I'm not a Franchise or Career mode player in any other sports game. They're never compelling enough for me, and they really feel like a few gimmicks added on to a basic Season mode.

But that's not the case with NASCAR 2005. The Career mode is awesome -- it's the most enjoyable career mode of any sports game I've played. Seriously.

Feel free to post or PM with any questions or comments.

Take care,
PK

This game is probably my favorite game this year. Like PK said, the career mode is very fun and challenging to play. The AI really is impressive on how it races like it’s real life counterparts. Usually, I avoid racing 'sims' because I just want to race, but NASCAR does a great job where you can pick up and play the game, but also don't have to be a racing guru to win races.

Online racing is excellent as well even if you are racing with 2 players. The only problems online are that if your upload speed isn't high enough, you will be stuck hosting only 2 people (yourself + challenger and other AI cars). That definitely sucks since I've been in some online rooms on XBL where its full but there are no 4 max races since nobody in the room can create them. Also, another drawback is they limited the maximum people in a room to 10. So if all rooms are filled up, you'll have to keep trying to get back in. I don’t know why EA made it like this but they will have to work on fixing this next year.

Other than that, this game is a blast to play. I think if your not even a NASCAR fan, you'll love the AI and strategy in this game.

[JRod]

PK,
What I was talking about with the career mode is that once you get to the top of the Nextel Cup, you will always have the best car, the most money thus winning most of the time. So in a nutshell the game is very linear, that you start out at the bottom and if you play long enough you will be always be at the top.

I wish they would also offer a career mode where you can take the place of your favorite racer and then race season after season. Where some years are better than others and is not dependent upon how much "points" you have.

Did I make any sense?

[pk500]

John:

You're right: The Race to the Top mode is linear. But it's long. Really long.

Think about it: Each modified season has around 24 races, if I remember. Each Truck season has 26 races. Each Busch season has 30+ races, and each Cup season has 36 races.

You're going to run at least two seasons each in mods, Trucks and Busch if you want to get good rides and have a shot at the championship in those series. Then you get to Cup, where you'll probably be saddled with a sled for a couple of seasons before you get a top ride.

So I'm thinking that's around eight seasons before you get a top Cup ride, at an average clip of around 30 races per season if you spread it all out. That's 240 races before you reach the end, and that's not even mentioning charity races, test sessions, building teams, etc.

If you're running half- or full-distance races, those 240 races could consume between 240-350 hours of your life. Hell, I'm only running very short races, and each show takes around 15 minutes after qualifying, practice, etc. So 240 shows will still take me around 60 hours to complete.

Sixty hours -- and that's on very short distance!

So yeah, the Career mode is linear. But it's plenty deep and plenty long. And then there's online racing, Chase for the Cup mode, Season mode, Lightning Challenge mode, Dodge Showcase mode, single races, etc., etc.

NASCAR 2005 will have a TON of longevity, I think.

Take care,
PK

[Leebo33]

I picked up a copy at Blockbuster today. I'm sure I'll like it, but I wouldn't mind holding off and getting it cheaper down the road so I rented it anyway.

[Inuyasha]

Just realized that YOU CAN use custom soundtracks in-game! Nothing better than hearing some Skynyrd while racing down Daytona.

This game is owning me

[Diablo25]

Just picked up the game. I traded in 3 old games and got it for $16. Impressions later.

[Diablo25]

I'm liking it. I started a career and I'm 3 races in. Definate framerate issues but I can overlook them. I like the rival/ally stuff. So far so good. An online race would be cool.

[Granatofan]

....If you're running half- or full-distance races, those 240 races could consume between 240-350 hours of your life. Hell, I'm only running very short races, and each show takes around 15 minutes after qualifying, practice, etc. So 240 shows will still take me around 60 hours to complete.....

Take care,
PK

I didn't see an option for anything longer than 12% or some number like that. Are you sure it is possible to run the long races? If I remember correctly "long" was 12% distance.

Ted

[Diablo25]

....If you're running half- or full-distance races, those 240 races could consume between 240-350 hours of your life. Hell, I'm only running very short races, and each show takes around 15 minutes after qualifying, practice, etc. So 240 shows will still take me around 60 hours to complete.....

Take care,
PK

I didn't see an option for anything longer than 12% or some number like that. Are you sure it is possible to run the long races? If I remember correctly "long" was 12% distance.

Ted

Yeah, there are options for longer races. One of them is called "Extreme". You can actually drive the entire race if you want. Medium seems good to me.

[webdanzer]

I'm a little late to this party, but I too am really enjoying Nascar'05.

The game makes a horrible first impression with its graphics and -more importantly- framerate, but thankfully it does seem to be something you can get used to, and I'm a pretty big 'annoyed by chunky framerates' kind of guy. Some tracks are definitely better than others.

And as others have already said, I'm finding the racing to be excellent.

[pk500]

Web:

Cool. Glad you're digging it. It's the EA Game of the Year, as far as I'm concerned, if you factor in all the improvements that have been made and cool features that have been added.

Let me know if you want to race on XBL some night. Quite fun.

Take care,
PK