NASCAR 09

Did you know that NASCAR 09 was the last full NASCAR game made by EA? That is right for 12 years, they made games based on the current NASCAR season and this would be the last one. Another interesting fact about this game is that it would also be the last NASCAR game to appear on the PlayStation 2! Anyway, I may not be a huge fan of the actual sport, but since the PS1 days, I have enjoyed the games and wanted to share my thoughts on this interesting title.

Call Me Jeff Gordon!

That was a little reference to the song E.I by Nelly, I never knew what E.I meant when it was released and I still do not know today! The big game mode in NASCAR 09 is Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Now, clearly, the goal of this mode is to work your way up to winning the Sprint Cup. However, it is the fact that you are under the wing of NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon that makes this such a fun mode. Granted the green screen work of him giving you advice is a little rough, but it is still cool.

Owning Those Tracks

The mode that I have the fondest memories of with NASCAR 09 is the Own the Track mode. I played the hell out of this mode with my brother and we both found it very addictive. The idea here is that you are looking to actually collect the 22 Spirit Cup tracks and the way you do this is by racing on them and winning. If you come in first, you get the track. This is such a fun multiplayer mode and it is something I think more racing games should take a crack at.

Turning Circles

There are more gameplay modes in NASCAR 09 that the two I gave special attention to so you are not going to be at a loss for things to do. However, I do want to talk about the actual racing in this game. I have to be honest and say that it feels very formulaic. Perhaps this is why EA never made another game like this. It feels very basic and lacks a soul. In multiplayer you can look past this as it is fun to race with a friend, but against the AI, there is just something kind of flat about the game. It is not bad, but it is not all that exciting either. I do like how they offer two driving modes in a pro and normal mode so that you can play the game naturally or with driving assists on.

So Close To The Real Thing

Say what you will about EA, but their sports games tend to make full use of the respective sports license and are very authentic to the way that sport looks on TV. NASCAR 09 feels like they cheeped out a bit as there are no manufacturer logos or stuff like that plastered all over the cars! To be fair, they do let you customize your car to a pretty insane degree so that in a way makes up for it, but sharing your creations and downloading others was a real pain in the butt when this game was released and you flat out cannot do it anymore.

Pros:

• I thought the stuff with Jeff Gordon was fun
• I liked trying to win the Sprint Tracks in that game mode
• Playing this with a friend is a fun time
• I think the backstory and its place in NASCAR game history is interesting

Cons:

• The actual driving lacks any real soul or excitement
• It also lacks that visual and authentic wow factor that EA Sports games usually have