What happened to NASCAR video games?
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- NASCAR video games used to top review charts; now they're middling. What happened?
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Holy shit I was wrong about the next NASCAR game, it’s WORSE than heat in so many ways. What an absolute farce.
You think a nascar 21 video is in the future?
Which one? Ignition or Heat Ultimate Edition+ (The one on Nintendo Switch)?
@@peteryt357 ignition
@@peteryt357 that one on switch is fine but flawed
Heat 5 is Hot Garbage. First game in over 10 years and it was such a major turn off. I miss the old Heat/Dirt To Daytona and games alike the mainlines of Nascar Thunder. I grew up on every single one and the character and charm is completely absent in these new entrees. They are barely even fun to play.
I've mentioned this before somewhere, but my dad was in the 2030's in his career mode in Nascar Thunder 04, every single real life driver retired lol
Nascar Thunder 2004 on the ps1 will always be the goat, and its soundtrack is straight banger too
how about what happened to indycar games?
Hype is real!!!
Finally someone points out the horrible pause menu design
Meanwhile, I only saw a Black Volkswagen Jetta at 4:24.
Amongus
oh hey ,youre here
oh shit hey raycevick, love your vids!
Oop someone is missing DLC
Hah null car
I Just want 4player split screen, like we had in Nascar thunder 2004!
Split screen multiplayer is a rare thing in any game these days. I had a blast with Trackmania Turbo on PS4 though. Not realistic but great fun. Especially when controlling a single car with input from two controllers.
@@CheapBastard1988 Dirt 5 and Baja Edge Of Control HD and Grip all support 4player split screen! itis fantastic!
Absolutely! That's my go to when I have eSports races with my friends.
Those were the days!
We need a new IndyCar game, the last Indycar Game was released in the mid 2000s
Edit: 2023 👀☝
Edit 2: Nevermind, Im actually quite worried now
Hopefully since Codemasters were bought by EA they have resources to produce an IndyCar game
Motorsport Games appear to have an interest in Indycar. Along with the BTCC
@@britannic27 But no official IndyCar game
@@Samylton Not yet you're correct
@@Samylton There is quite an interesting lineup of Indycar Racing Game Titles, as it spread among a variety of Publishers and Developers. Almost all of these games are very forgotten.
Ex:
ABC Sports Indy Racing, Developed by Shot Sports Software and Published by ABC Interactive
Indycar Series developed by Codemaster and published by EA
Indycar Racing I & II developed by Papyrus Design Group and published by Sierra Entertainment
It's interesting how a variety of developers made Indycar Racing Games, but I recall only 1 being an Official Title. ABC Sports Indy Racing
And I do hope to see a new Officially licensed Indycar Racing Game
Interesting, I have also become much more interested in Nascar during the last year or so. I have to say that the best Nascar games are still by miles the Papyrus-made simulators for PC, starting all the way from Nascar 1 through to Nascar 2003. Nowadays a lot of those guys are working on iRacing, which shows, but NR2003 is still quite easy to get into and have some great racing in.
Games are different than sims. But I think sims are replacing games, and they're not inaccessible to most folks.
I genuinely had no idea NASCAR was such a different motorsport.
Another great video, mate.
A lot of people think “haha it’s just turning left” but there really is so much to it. Working with people you’re ultimately competing with & managing on track relationships sounds like the concept for a video game but is in fact very real- one episode of NASCAR Radioactive will tell you that.
NASCAR games rise and decline matches the mainstream success to an uncanny degree. From Days of Thunder to Chase for the Cup (and SimRacing to a lesser extent) there was nothing but growth and improvement. Then as 2005 turned around things started to dip with Total Team Control and went downhill from there.
As a old nascar fan here, probably the reason why Nascar games are a shell of what they were is lack of traction for the games and the racing franchise itself. When EA was making their own nascar games, the games highest peak was the Thunder games, 05, n 06 back then, but just like the racing league, they're already irrelevant these days. Believe me I know cause I use to care about nascar so much, I always wonder who will win the Daytona 500 event every year, but now I as well as others move on to other car culture elements these days that are very popular to those that care about car culture
I think that might be at least part of it, yeah; the games don't capture people as much anymore because the sport itself just doesn't capture people as much anymore.
it's like the complete opposite of f1 now, where the sport itself seems to have new life and is constantly growing, codemaster's f1 evolves alongside with it, constantly changing as new rules and cars are made for it in an attempt to make the best f1 game they can.
nascar, on the other hand, uh..... just stagnated, and so did the games.
Welp... now you’re making me get Dirt to Daytona on my emulator, thank you.
I think NASCAR is an inherently difficult racing series to make a game for. The cornering speeds are very high and the cars have a lot of give to them which helps keep them stable but makes them imprecise. Going 3 wide while in a 4 wheel slide is difficult with a controller and near impossible with a keyboard. Many games have to balance realism with accessibility but if a NASCAR game is too accessible then your literally just turning left on tracks that feel increasingly similar as physics get simplified. When getting on the throttle in any other racing series you get almost instant feedback, but in NASCAR the corners are so massive that you won’t realize the arc you’re is on a collision course for the wall for a second or two after getting on the throttle.
congrats on the first sponsor Kacey!
The big issue is that for the most part they are licensing to just one studio. It´s the same issue with F1, WRC, WWF or any other Sport franchise that does this. Back in the 90´s and early 00´s we had options for most big franchises and I would argue that we got the best games for all of them back then.
These great classics where born out of competition, I bet you that the main reason Dirt to Daytona even has all that content and series is because they had EA and Papyrus as their competition at the time and they needed something to stand out. The same situation with F1, back then we sometimes got 3 or 4 games per season, each doing something unique for a different audience. And as great as Codemasters F1 games are now, their earlier attempts where mediocre at best.
If they would go back to allow 2 or 3 Studios to make NASCAR games at the same time we would see drastically better games again in no time.
I think the entire concept of exclusive licensing needs to be phased out altogether.
Long term, everyone loses. The customers have less choices, and developers become complacent and stop trying because they think customers with no other game choice will buy anything from them. In turn, this drives more customers away.
It's a bad deal all around.
@@kpegc I 100% agree with you here. I´m a strong believer that competitin leads to better products, and as I mentioned the best games for F1 and NASCAR where released during the time we did get games from multiple developers for the same Season.
I mean, where would be the harm in having one Developer trying to make the most Hardcore Sim they can create while another one makes a game that is more aproachable while Forza and / or Gran Turismo feature cars and some tracks from a Series as part of their overall package?
I used to play Nascar 99 on ps1 a lot. I had no idea what I was doing, I constantly hit the walls, and I loved it.
Thank you for making this bro!
Honestly my experience with NASCAR games begun and ended with the Daytona USA franchise
Seriously the only "NASCAR" game that keep me coming back over-and-over again.
Hell, there is still people playing the 2011 HD ports of Daytona USA on PSN/360! It's one of Sega best racing game that they made in there time yet refused to do anything for it. No, the 2017 reboot is a fine but lazy (and disappointing) attempt to bring the series back. The cars are so lifeless compared to the previous games that came out over 20 years ago...
@@haaxxx9 still waiting for an official home port of Daytona 2, they've milked the first one more than enough already
Mine was with the EA sports NASCAR thunder games 02-04. Those games were fun as hell to race and crash the car on purpose
I remember when I downloaded Nascar Racing (1994). It took 1 hour and I had to split the files in 2 diskettes lol 90s internet 🤣
Polyphony should be given the nascar rights. They know how to make a racing game. They have 20 years of experience oh and the guy that leads that studio ACTUALLY RACES. In short words, the gran turismo guys
nascar is not gt
@@nate567987 nascar has been in gran turismo
@@smashAlex021 yes I'm well aware of that and it was not that good
I think NASCAR games will be fine with Studio 397 working on gameplay and graphics, and Motorsports Games handling mostly everything else. I really hope the rival system is fixed by Motorsports to not be so cheesy, and I hope ARCA is added, but this year's game should certainly be a step up from Heat 345.
i doubt they'd take the nascar rights tbh, feels kinda limiting for them compared to just straight out putting the daytona speedway in gt.
Even though it was only there for a second, youre one of the first people talking about nascar games that I've seen show Nascar Rumble
One of the best games I had on the PS1
As an Indycar fan also, be glad you guys still have games being made.
It's bee a loooooong time.
The NFF20 mod for NR2003 has been holding me over, but I can't wait for a real Indycar game. I heard that Motorsports Games was interested in making one, though I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Stewart and Monster Games beat them to it.
The game looks like a fan remake of a nascar game in the unity engine
that's exactly what it is lol
Man, when you said that this episode was your first sponsor it made me realize you have such a small followership compared to what I think you deserve, really quality stuff man, this video is right up my alley, I've really been wanting to look further into Nascar, funny that you're doing the same!
@@scratchsoft2347 *she
@@TheGamingBadger2 what?
@@tysopiccaso8711 Kacey is a she. Not rocket science.
@@VeraTheTabbynx it's a dude tho
@@tysopiccaso8711 Except she isn't. Said so herself.
The problem is the sport itself. It's very limited. It's the same issue with games who are focused on just sniping.
Yep, there is only so much you can do turning left for hours.
and other motorsports arent limited? nascar goes to more tracks than any other premier motorsport, but because most of those tracks dont have right turns that means a nascar game cant be on the same tier as the modern f1 games?
@@bruhbbawallace Yes, Death Stranding was an gorgeous game, but no one wants to play a boring game.
@@alphaascii ????? death stranding was a very popular game on release, you're in the minority if you dont like it, not to mention it's not a racing game anyway so i have no idea why you're bringing it up lmao
I've been playing beamng.drive with nascar mods. Probably the best experience besides Iracing.
As a nascar fan I approve this video
Kacey is a nascar fan now!?
Epic
I wonder how much of an influence iRacing has over this. iRacing is the best NASCAR game, it's the one the drivers used during covid, you can even go from dirt to daytona in it, but is it's high subscription cost + content fee putting off enough people that it could warrant high-budget competition in the form of a game you just buy? I'm not sure. Do you make an arcade-style game instead? How would that turn out.
I still play Thunder 03 to this day!
Nascar Legends was my favorite as a kid
Dirt To Daytona for me
Thunder 03 is good but overrated 04 is more polished.
@@alexthesniper1952 02 is underrated 04 is overated IMO NASCAR 2005 and 07 is where its at
@@f9nestsvp 04 is not overrated it fixes so many little things over 03
I had NASCAR Thunder 2003 on Gamecube. Lost the disc when I moved cities back in '08.
I only played the game for a little bit, since I was a kid and didn't understand all the features or how to play.
I loved the intro and the cars. Such a throwback!
EA's NASCAR game were my childhood and probably better than any Eutechnyx's NASCAR game.
EA Nascar games from the early to mid 2000s were the best. Shame it went downhill after 07.
Do you know what’s even weirder, the fact that I use Forza motorsport 7 for NASCAR racing and haven’t ever actually played a true NASCAR game
this brings up memories of playing some nascar game on OG xbox with my friend, desperately trying to crash into a divider, which would glitch our cars into the wall, thus becoming the feared "Wall Meister"
Monster Games also did the 3DS ports of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Xenoblade Chronicles, and both are pretty solid.
I was actually pretty surprised when I learned that they worked on Nascar games xD
They also made Excite Truck and Excitebots, two really good racing games for the Wii.
In Addition, NASCAR Heat is dead cause it's not officially used for NASCAR Heat Esports or Pro-Invitationals....
It's been classed by iRacing...
I have to say that I unironically love the fake social media with the other drivers going "MAN, @KACEY IS MY BEST FRIEND AND I WOULD DIE FOR THAT MAN. CAN'T WAIT TO GO FISHING!"
kacey got a sponsorship? sheeeeesh
I thought people did stock car racing on iRacing all of the time? Not everyone is willing to pony up the cash to play that game and buy the content necessary to compete.
There’s your market. Be the Gran Turismo Sport of stock car racing. $60, refined physics, multiple tracks and disciplines, a license/career mode to teach you the ropes, and a focus on mutliplayer racing with rankings.
I guarantee people would eat that shit up.
As a Brit, I'm worried.
Apparently, the people behind this game are going to do the BTCC game due out next year.
I’m such a sucker for videos like this 😭 Great job, this was super well detailed on the history of NASCAR and racing games, and dude I genuinely would’ve never been able to tell you made this with a crunch for time, this is just a great video.
NASCAR 2005 Chase For The Cup was the pinnacle of NASCAR games for me.
dont forget 06
I was about to say the same thing. I played that game for HOURS as a kid and I wasn't even a big NASCAR fan. I just loved how addicting that game was.
I still find myself playing it from time to time.
Agree. I STILL play that game
Mine is 07 or 08. Gotta love the fusions for me. But yeah, I love the fantasy tracks, sponsors, drivers, and damage a whole lot more than the heat
I just now remembered that the Heat games don’t even have a general in-game options menu, only driving assists.
Another excellent video. Even though I'm not interested in NASCAR, this video was an interesting watch. Would you mind considering doing a video on Enthusia anytime soon? I feel like it was criminally underrated.
For me they need to bring back the Total Team control feature we had in nascar 06 and nascar 07 because it is one of the most underrated feature in all NASCAR games
4:44 Remember ,the car is H E A V Y
Kacey: "Nascar is the only contact motorsport"
Rallye Cross: "am I a joke to you?"
My favorite is NASCAR Racing 2003 still.
really nicely done video! to be honest it's nice to see someone cover modern nascar video games with a little bit of maturity and nuance. the next nascar game is definitely a make-or-break for 704. i'm cautiously optimistic, but the lack of innovation and just basic effort (as you noted with examples like no in-game options) makes it hard to get excited. heat 5 was such a low-effort product and it was VERY clear that the team put in charge of it had NO IDEA what they were doing. they could not even get basic improvements like the DNF system working right.
was that an instrumental of magic carpet ride in the beginning? great choice.
Kacey should check out a Formula 1 game in the future!
vibin in the ritz car
I still don't know how some Racing games dont have a decent livery editor. like you said, it should be the norm, it makes so much difference, both in the fun department and community one. While i dont want a monopoly, at this stage i wouldn't mind Codemasters handling every motorsport game lmao. But in all honestly, it helps a lot that they and the WRC devs show care about the sport they are represent. Cool video as always, i have been highly anticipating this one!
That’s so weird haha literally earlier tonight I was talking about racing games with a friend, and I said “I elect codemasters to make every racing game ever from now on” hahahah
Great video.
704 is no longer the developer. They were bought out by Motorsport games who is building a new game franchise from the ground up. I don't know how it will turn out, but they are definitely putting more money into the project.
They aren't going to get another 5 years of support from the fanbase if they don't show a much better product with the first game.
Awesome video Kacey. Nascar Heat (original), Nascar Thunder 2003, Dirt to Daytona, my favs.
Was about to be heading off to bed, when I clicked to go back to the main page of YT and saw this vid had been published like 28 minutes ago prior to just watching it there😮 but yeah, not sure if I recall the last time I played a NASCAR game, and likely don't actually have any of those games either D: though I have seen some random clips from some of those NASCAR HEAT games on Xbox One and took an interest on potentially getting my hands on one of them some day! A great video here anyway and an interesting comparison/difference between then vs now of the featured selection of NASCAR games showcased too!👍👏
Fun fact: Monster Games did not make Heat 5
I hope they succeed, the amount of fun these games can be is something I miss. Still waiting on that upgrade from what I had.
SRX: *Makes a better game on the exact same engine for a series that hasn’t raced yet*
Same devs. I’m curious about SRX but $30 is a bit steep rn
@@Kaceydotme it’s a good one!
Heeeeey, congratulations on the sponsor!
As for the topic at hand, I've only briefly played Nascar Something-or-Other on the 360; found it hiding behind the booklet to a copy of Forza 4 I bought in a pawn shop. Otherwise, I've only played the stock car stuff in GT5, which was fun for what it was, if underwhelming. I'm certainly interested in trying more, because as you said, it's something pretty squarely different from normal racing. But it also gives me horrific flashbacks to that Skyline drafting event in Gran Turismo 4, lol.
0:58 Oooo is that Grand Turismo ;)
Chevy Dealer if I remember in Gran Turismo
what about sierra nascar racing?
I grew up with NASCAR 2011, and I quite enjoyed it especially to just couch coop and mess around. Granted I was literally 11, but still a fun game. Everything to do with HEAT doesn't look good to me, and I even play the Codemaster F1s, which has kinda leveled off....and the insane realism.
A video on the ps3 exclusive game Haze would be fun to see.
9:23 can you tell me what site that was? They used my thumbnail from one of my videos. The one that said NASCAR Heat 5
Oh jeez. That's EssentiallySports.
Well I guess i jumped into the deep end by starting with NR2003. I’m a crap driver but I learned GIMP to make a ton of fictional liveries
nail hit on head
Opera was actually a thing that stuck on my computer and I don't much use it.... After I watch this video I realize that opera actually more important than I was thinking of
I made the jump from NASCAR Thunder 04 to NASCAR 2013 (both on PC), and what a shitty game it was. NASCAR 2013 is basically a simulator where you need to play with a steering wheel (hell I could even play DiRT Rally with keyboard), so I had to go back to NASCAR Thunder 04 to have a blast.
Kacey! You're back ♥️
My favorite NASCAR game was and is (please don't kill me) NASCAR The Game 2011. Not because it's so realistic. I honestly have NASCAR Racing 1999 and it's way more realistic. But it is so unique. The graphics are completely different from all other NASCAR games. In a positive way, I think. The structure, the game principle, the physics, everything is absolutely unique. While NASCAR The Game Inside Line and all successors up to NASCAR '15 were relatively the same, NASCAR The Game 2011 is simply different. And yes, there is a lot of criticism, especially when it comes to physics. But it's the only game so far that I can reasonably master. No overly powerful AI, the car feels very well coordinated, I can drive not just one but two seasons (2010 and 2011) with my favorite driver and I also have some interesting game modes, such as Eliminator Rounds and Invitational Events. Despite all the criticism, which I can understand sometimes more, sometimes less, I still think that the game shouldn't be drowned in insignificance. It's a lot of fun when you give it a chance.
I miss the more arcade style NASCAR games. Games like NASCAR Rumble to NASCAR Unleashed. I wished they've made a remake of Rumble with the current season lineup.
before this vid I actually switched to opera gx, found it surprising how many more features it's packed with ngl
Nascar games peaked with 06 Total Team Control. When I played Heat 4 I immediately installed Heat from 2000 and realized the physics, damage models and sound literally were the same as used back then. Imo the best Nascar games are the EA series specifically Thunder 04, Chase for the Cup 05 and 06 Total Team Control, and then the Granddaddy of them all. Papyrus' Nascar Racing 2003 Season.
Nascar '14 for PS3 was the first Nascar game I bought since NR2003... I only bought it because Jeff Gordon was having an amazing year that year and I got caught up in all the excitement, but damn that game was not fun IMO. But then I decided to try again with Nascar Heat 4 on PS4 since Jeff Gordon was in the game again and I like it... the game is fun IMO.
Hey Kacey, I have an OG Xbox, PS3 and PC and would love to pick up a NASCAR game - any recommendations for the best one? I want something fast and visceral!
Who remembers the Nascar Racers adaptation from the cartoon in 2003, it was kinda like a poor man's Mario Kart... still fun though.
ah yes... classic premiere
I don’t see Motorsports Games and 704 having the license much longer, especially when they can barely pay their own employees.
Congrats on the sponsor
I don't give a shit about NASCAR, but I sure as hell did enjoy your video, thx for the pretty unique information
Tbh I think NASCAR The Game: Inside Line was actually in the top 5 best NASCAR games ever developed, or at least in a close 6th or 7th. Defiantly the best Eutechnyx game, and is better than the Heat series by a long shot. Much better than NASCAR 07-09, and I'd say anything before the Thunder series or before NR2003, with DtD as an exception. Isn't nearly as good as Thunder 03, 04, or Chase for the Cup 05, or even Total Team Control 06, but is better than the rest of the EA games. I don't remember anything before DtD, so forgive me if I missed something.
-Plate racing was INSANE and Eutechnyx really hit the nail on the head with the plate tracks, especially with tandem drafting, which even Thunder 04 couldn't capture (to be fair tandem drafting wasn't really a thing until the COT, so I give EA a pass for this.)
-AI was overall pretty good, altho qualifying on plate tracks was VERY one-sided, with medium difficulty having the pole at around 50-51 seconds, and hard having the pole time at around 46-48 seconds, which really hurts people who don't want to make custom setups and just want to race. And pitting was very buggy when an entire pack of them started pitting, but was better in smaller groups.
-Menu is really clean, and really gives you the NASCAR vibe.
-Damage model is actually kinda bad, one bump on the wall and you can't even read the number on the side of the car. Damage itself is really clunky, and I don't have a single clue how it works.
-There was truly good multi lane racing at all tracks. Go to Deaga and watch the middle lane get a good run. Go to Kansas and watch AI slowly change lanes throughout the run. Go to Bristol and see AI run the bottom. The thing is, all those lanes worked. High, mid, low, hell even a combination of all three (cough, Bristol) worked good, and you could pull off moves that you couldn't in the Heat series or even the Thunder series.
-The paint booth is amazing, allowing for an infinite number of paint schemes, with the ability to place any decal wherever you want, and even manipulating them into different sizes and shapes.
-The career is lackluster, but there are sponsors with different paint schemes (almost all of them look really sick actually), and secondary sponsors, and with upgrades, and even the Duels, the Sprint Unlimited, and All-Star race, and even challenges to get some extra credits.
-The credits store is good, with different items around your menu garage being purchasable, pre-made paint schemes (even the ones from career mode), and even decal packs for the paint booth.
-Short track racing was really smooth, specifically Bristol. Its the only NASCAR game that I know of that you could run a 13 second time with the stock setup.
-The soundtrack was insanely good, with a jumpy, kick-ass song to start you up, misc. songs for when you're making a paint job or just sitting in the menus, and songs to cool a player down after a great (or bad) race.
This is all I got. Feel free to disagree and argue if you want to. This is just my opinion. You can have yours. I am not trying to call any other games bad.
I own every nascar console game ever made. And honestly the Heat 4 and 5 games aren't terrible compared to later EA games, but definitely not where I thought we'd be in 2020+ when the handling is better on Dirt to Daytona
I had and still have a lot of fun with NASCAR HEAT 4. I didn't like the UI design too, it felt unfinished, just like you expect a simple game based on the Unity Engine, but not an official NASCAR licensed game. But after playing it a while I'd say the UI isn't that bad. It could be way better though...
They died...
Poggers...
"Stock car racing is the only contact motorsport."
BTCC: "Am I a joke to you?"
NASCAR Thunder 2004 is still the greatest NASCAR game. The new games are broken and made for laugh out loud jokes and memes
FYI the company that owns Opera has also been distributing predatory loan apps in developing countries. I'm not gonna tell you guys if it's right to support their product, that is up to you, but I feel like people should know.
The Heat games feel very much like they're stuck in a design document from 20 years ago. Whilst F1, Grand Turismo, Forza etc have all evolved, Heat is just missing so many basic UI quality of life things that should be standard nowadays
Nascar the Game 2013 has the most broken racing AI ever. Like the ai car crashes at the turn one of Texas Motor Speedway.
could not find a copy for the life of me
@@Kaceydotme PC only, probably a digital exclusive that was delisted
@@bruhbbawallace yep, you can get a repack in the website, it's the only way to play the game, and one of the most important reasons why piracy should be alive
You totally missed the best NACAR sim. NASCAR Racing 2003.
I intentionally excluded PC sims because of how inaccessible they can be, especially ones of that vintage.
@@Kaceydotme
Anything NASCAR on a console isn’t really a sim
NASCAR 2003 is still the best NASCAR sim ever made. I had the original NASCAR Heat on PC & it was good. It had some really cool scenario. You could play out.
@@matk4731 the first nascar racing had a ps1 port lmao
Whats Nascar?
Dave Blaney what a driver who missed in N2001 NT02-04 N2005 06 Total team Control and 09
I'll tell you what happened to the Nascar games. Weregonnalose happened!
Heat 4 and 5 are actually pretty good it ain’t thunder good but it’s WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better than 21 ignition
Small correction, Dirt to daytona doesn't have the busch series.
heat 5 is reallllllly bad for full price, i bought if on a sale when it was 20 and i got good value
4:40 jeff Gordon's mouth looks like pacman🤣