- Title: NASCAR 07
- Platform: Xbox
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: EA Tiburon
- ESRB: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: NASCAR racing
- Pros: Fun gameplay; good sense of speed; official tracks and drivers
- Cons: Features list is pretty weak; graphics look very dated; poor value compared to recent NASCAR efforts
Features and Modes
If you played NASCAR 06: Total Team Control, the feature list in NASCAR 07 should be pretty familiar. We have the same quick race, Chase for the Cup, and the Fight to the Top career mode that has you going from modified, to Craftsman Trucks, to the National (Busch) circuit, and eventually to the Nextel Cup. These modes are virtually unchanged this year, and if you have done the Fight to the Top mode in the last couple of games it is starting to feel really repetitive and downright boring here. One new addition is the Dodge Challenges, which recreate real life scenarios from the 2005 Nextel Cup season. This mode is a nice change and an interesting addition, but it doesn’t quite make up for the lack of updates to the rest of the game.
Gameplay
One thing that needs to be said is that to truly appreciate NASCAR 07 or any NASCAR game, you really need to race on more than the “Short” lap setting. Running more laps gives you a better feel for the track and your car, it lets you actually appreciate the ratings and team control, and having to use pit strategy makes the game way more fun than it is otherwise.
Graphics and Sound
The most disappointing aspect of NASCAR 07 is that the graphics haven’t really been updated from last year. Everything still looks decent, but for gamers that have been spoiled by next-gen graphics it is hard to go back to the NASCAR 07 on the Xbox. There are a couple of improvements here and there, such as improved lighting and special effects and there is a nifty blur feature that greatly enhances the sense of speed, but for the most part this game looks just like last year. And the same as 05, for that matter.The sound is similarly unchanged. Of course, how much can you really change from year to year in a racing game? The engines sound loud and powerful, the chatter from your pit crew and spotter is spot-on, the enjoyable Southern rock that plays on the menus gets you pumped up – Everything in the sound is fine, just fine.
Bottom Line
