NASCAR Heat Hands-On

NASCAR Heat has appeared on both the original PlayStation and the PC, and it's now making its way to the PS2 at high speed. The new incarnation of the game promises to remain true to the guidelines established by its predecessors and add a few new twists to keep things interesting.

While the PC version of the game was held in high regard by many, the PlayStation version was hampered by some technical problems such as pop-up and a very noticeable drop in frame rate that interfered with the driving experience. The PS2 version of Heat we recently played is still a prebeta version of the game, but it still manages to convey the feeling that the problems that plagued its PlayStation counterpart will be left behind on the older console.

NASCAR Heat is a game that decides to focus on the driving experience and physics of NASCAR above all else. As a result, the damage model of the game is barely in use, and it seems to exist only to prevent your car from escaping all wrecks without any noticeable damage. It's entirely possible to collide head-on with another car at a combined speed of well over 300mph and still complete the race with a fairly functional vehicle. The crashes can still be quite spectacular, though, sending cars tumbling end-over-end and high into the air; the effect of a large pileup within a cloud of hot tire smoke--especially when viewed from your rearview mirror--is quite exhilarating. It adds a nice touch that the feel of the game benefits from greatly.

The control, while touchy, is very tight once you become accustomed to it. There are a few different layouts to select, including the default, which primarily uses the two analog sticks for steering, acceleration, and brakes. The steering can be a little rough at first, but once you get the hang of it, things will go more smoothly. A rough nudge on the left stick will break your front tire traction at high speed, but the implied on-the-edge feeling that is generated by this is certainly beneficial. This kind of control is necessary if you want to keep up with the game's AI, which is quite difficult even on the lower settings.

The game boasts five modes of play, including the beat-the-heat mode, in which players attempt to complete certain racing challenges. These challenges can be as simple to complete as making one turn while maintaining control and speed or as difficult as winning a race with a blown radiator. There is also a race-the-pro mode, in which you attempt to break the time record set by the previous "pro" on that particular track. There are also the championship and single-race modes, as well as a head-to-head battle between two players.

The vehicle models all look very good at this point, complete with all the 2001-season Winston Cup art and advertising emblazoned on their bodies, unlike NASCAR 2001, in which the car skins were based on Winston Cup art from the 2000 season.

There will be a total of 19 tracks available upon release, and while there were only four available for us to race through during our time with it, they were excellent renderings of the real tracks. In addition to this, there will be a total of 26 drivers to choose from. While Dale Earnhardt Sr. was available in this build, he will be removed from the game and replaced by his real-life successor, Kevin Harvick, by the time the game ships.

All told, NASCAR Heat is sizing up to be a pleasurable racing experience. If the game continues along its development path as well as it has so far, it will be a must-have for any NASCAR fan and something PS2 owners might want to look into.