There are several peaks that make the 2000s unforgettable. The final, really outstanding round of R-rated Hollywood comedies. Finnish cell phones are so robust that they may kill a man. And? NASCAR races. You know if you do. The claim that no licensed NASCAR game has been able to unseat NASCAR Dirt to Daytona, NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, and NASCAR Thunder 2004 off the podium in the past 20 years is not contentious. Let’s get started with NASCAR 25. The moment-to-moment single-player racing it offers is quick, intense, and incredibly subtle, despite the fact that several of its features are sloppy and unpolished and that the multiplayer falls short. Does it rocket past the finest to accomplish it at all? Not exactly. It is noteworthy, though, because it has come closer than any other in the past 20 years to doing so.
Not only is NASCAR 25 the first console game licensed by NASCAR in nearly five years, but it is also the first created by iRacing, the preferred subscription-based racing simulation for both professional race drivers and sim-seat fighters. There is unquestionably a pedigree at work here, given that the basic base of iRacing was constructed utilizing the source code for the storied NASCAR Racing 2003 Season. With this kind of pedigree, there is undoubtedly some expectation, but even if NASCAR 25 still has a lot of room to improve, it has been encouraging to see it excel in important areas where it matters.
Staggered Special and Perfectly Matched
On the track, NASCAR 25 is performing at its peak, rubbing panels at almost 200 miles per hour. Even if oval racing isn’t my area of expertise, I find it quite intriguing how brutal it can be and how different it is from regular circuit racing. As a result, I’m currently obsessed with NASCAR 25. The most effective approach to navigate a corner may be low, in the middle, or even way up by the wall, depending on the track and the circumstances. In oval racing, there isn’t usually a set racing line.
To be faster, you might need to start taking corners in a new way, and I find this need to adjust to be really fascinating. The patience required for oval racing, where races might take place over hundreds of laps, is another thing that really appeals to me. It’s tense and engaging to tenaciously hang onto the coattails of a breakaway pack of opponents and dice with them doorhandle to doorhandle, but I also find that it’s almost meditative as I stalk slipstreams lap after lap, waiting for the ideal opportunity to try to lunge and strike. I just want to have fun; I’m not here to take on the world. I would like to think that I am among a group of legitimate professionals who drive appropriately. The AI in NASCAR 25 does this correctly.
I would like to think that I am among a group of legitimate professionals who drive appropriately. The AI in NASCAR 25 does this correctly.
I won’t claim to be able to guarantee that the AI always makes the best tactical choices because, as a very casual fan of NASCAR racing from the opposite side of the world, my interest has fluctuated based on the participation of drivers I already know well, such as Marcus Ambrose and SVG. They do, however, appear to drive with a great deal of credibility. They cleverly maneuver between crowds of automobiles vying for space, bump drafting, and changing lanes, and they maintain their lines incredibly smoothly around curves.
They are only undone by NASCAR 25’s blatantly ridiculous approach to penalizing corner cutting, which, if it detects a track limit infringement, will literally bring your car to a stop wherever you are at the moment. As they all slam on the anchors to stop, the AI will pile up behind you. When it occurs, it severely reduces immersion. I was able to adjust AI speed to precisely match my skill level because it uses a difficulty slider. Although they are arbitrary, the numbers fall between 85 and 105. For me, the sweet spot for super speedways was around 100, and for road courses and short tracks, it was a little lower.
The AI can be customized in a variety of ways, such as how likely they are to lose control, how adept they are at regaining control following an incident, and how resistant they are to car-on-car collisions in the first place. To add a little excitement, I’m now experimenting with increasing the incident frequency and making the AI more prone to losing it after a good beating. I like situations like this, but it hasn’t quite produced the chaos I was hoping for. The game NASCAR 25 can be played in a variety of ways. Should it remain severe and solemn, or should it include a hint of Hollywood? The developers are glad to let us make that choice.
I’d rather not spoil you. Buck
Regarding handling, the news is likewise mostly favorable. With a wheel, it feels powerful and difficult, and the laser-scanned track surfaces—which were introduced from iRacing—allow the features of circuits with bumpier surfaces to emerge, creating intriguing affects on the driving experience from one race to the next. At high speeds, the cars feel balanced and obeying, and I was especially pleased with how user-friendly NASCAR 25 is on a controller—a crucial feature for a console-focused game.
Although it’s difficult for me to put myself in the shoes of a novice or younger racer, there are a number of aids available, and the basic tuning slider ought to be plenty for anyone who doesn’t want to get bogged down in the details of little car tweaks. The convenient slider is basically a collection of quick adjustments that you can use to tighten everything up (which should make your car very planted and stable, at the expense of some front-end responsiveness) or loosen things up (and if Days of Thunder has taught me anything, aside from what happens when a load of unwanted lettuce lands in Japan, loose is quick and verging on out of control).
A notable issue with the controller thus far is the odd absence of significant rumble, which results in a dismal discrepancy between the grip of my car as it appears on the screen and how it feels in my hands. Sometimes it just gives you an unwelcome floaty feeling, especially when you’re not aware that your rear tires are spinning up because there’s no tactile cue to that effect. It is a little more annoying than I would want when I play on the expert level handling settings, where ham-fisted throttle slamming will quickly turn your car around. Since I can’t always feel the edge of the grip, I believe it also adds to the skatey feel on road courses.
All things considered, one of NASCAR 25’s shortcomings is information. The fact that it doesn’t offer a lot to teach a player the specifics of, say, oval tactics or road course track constraints isn’t the only issue. Additionally, it lacks fundamental, helpful information that is impossible to observe when you are out trying to set down a scorching lap, such as your opponent’s current qualification times. To see where you are in the group right now, you must go back to pit lane. Additionally, the spotter frequently provides us with inaccurate information, such as stating that you have open room outside or inside when you don’t.
Being straightforward and matter-of-fact is all well and good during racing, but the spotter’s inability to project any convincing human excitement about winning a race makes him sound like a chatbot, and NASCAR 25 loses out on any significant personality as a result. I’m also not particularly fond of how robotic the spotter sounds.
Additionally, the way career mode is presented is a little sterile. It’s strange that you can’t even choose your home state or nation of origin, and your driver is never more than a blank silhouette.
Even if it’s minor, it feels a little more impersonal than I would want from a custom driver when the little elements are missing. Although the livery system is underdone, cars can be customized with a combination of pre-made designs and some fundamental shapes. Although it’s convenient to have a one-button system that synchronizes your design with your driver and team gear, basic features like flipping the design from one side of a car to the other haven’t been included. Another unpleasant limitation that we don’t usually encounter in other racing games is the inability to add custom shapes to liveries you wish to use online.
Verdict
Targeting just those who aren’t especially interested in entering the online crucible and competing frequently enough to justify their subscription, NASCAR 25 is the ideal use of iRacing’s vast library of stock car racing tracks and automobiles. Although it still has a ways to go as a series before it can compete with other licensed racing games that bring real-world motorsport to your couch or sim rig, such as Formula One, it makes an impressive debut in a number of important areas. NASCAR 25 offers high-quality single-player stock car racing versus very strong AI, but if you’re looking for a deep multiplayer experience, you might want to go back to iRacing.
