NASCAR ’14 is available today in North America on Steam, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $49.99. This is the third installment of the Nascar franchise from ETX Racing (formerly known as Eutechnyx), following up NASCAR The Game: Inside Line from 2012 and NASCAR The Game: 2011 released in, well, 2011. Unlike previous versions that were released in November, Nascar ’14 has been released right before the 2014 Daytona 500 to allow players to drive through the season with their real world heroes.
New features to the franchise include an online skill-based matchmaking system and the ability to team up with other drivers to form online leagues. The game allows drivers to relive the best Nascar moments from 2013 and purchase new 2014 highlights throughout the season. There will also be monthly content packs containing multiple races available for $5.
Listen, people are saying how its a direct copy from 2011 and how the AI still isn’t fixed but the graphics are just too nice with PhysX enabled and it’s a great racing game to just pick up and play! Of course the difference between this and NASCAR 2k3 is night and day but give it a chance!! ^_^
I was surprised with this release. I hadn’t played since the initial release a couple of years ago, and I must say, the title has come a long way. I would assume people try and compare it to iRacing or other high fidelity sims out there, but Nascar 14 isn’t trying to appeal to that market. I do like how you can participate in all sessions including practices 1, 2,3 and qual prior to the race in career mode. The car models and liveries look good. Controls are jacked a little, but you can bump up the assists (which I know is simracing sin) to get he controls comfortable. Voice overs by the broadcast team at Fox add a nice touch as well. Listen, I’m a racing fan, and I like racing games. If they continue to develop this title with some point releases, it will be a standout from all the other NASCAR titles. If you want realism and hardcore racing, stick with AC or iRacing. If you want a solid stock car sim with the latest paint schemes and cool features, Nascar 14 is worth it. My opinion of course.