NASCAR 07

January 29,2007 - One of the few remaining sports franchises in EA’s catalogue not already on the PSP has received the portable treatment. With little sacrifice as possible, EA Tiburon has managed to bring their brand of racing to the PSP to give gamers some NASCAR action on the go. A sport that is notorious for long, drawn out races can’t make for an enjoyable experience on a portable system, can it?

It’s an amazing feat to see that Tiburon has managed to get the full 43 cars into the typical NASCAR for a PSP game, which makes sure that the fundamental game isn’t being sacrificed in the porting process. Also making the jump to the PSP are the quick races, franchise mode, season mode, challenge mode, offline multiplayer modes and most of the features within those modes. To allow gamers to alter the experience to their preferences, races can be shortened anywhere from a few laps to a full fledged race. Career mode is adjusted even more to allow (at most) 25% of each race to be played, helping to make each season a little quicker to play through.

If something comes up to interrupt your race, the ability to save mid-race helps greatly, easily allowing you to continue that race at a later date. Local multiplayer is also offered to take advantage of the PSP’s WiFi capability, allowing for quick races, Speedzone challenges, and season mode races to be shared with up to four friends. Tiburon missed an opportunity to really add to the game by not offering online play or even game sharing for quick races with just one copy of the game.

The career mode, called Fight to the Top, will be the main mode you will play. The ability to play shorter races makes it a very addictive mode, as time can quickly fly by with the “just one more race…” effect that the game can have on you. It helps lend itself to portable gaming even more. One major part of the career mode is the hero/villain mechanic, a double-edged sword to gaining or alienating fans. That in itself is the whole basis for rising from the bottom of the professional racing ladder to the big time stage that is the Nextel Cup. Unfortunately, the control does play a part in hampering this cool mechanic as it’s not precise enough to really give the player a choice in being aggressive or clean during the races. More often than not, you’re going to hit the other cars, making the other drivers mad, and gaining large amounts of villain points in the process. The control is still manageable, but don’t expect to have all that much of a choice in being a bad driver. Luckily, being a villain isn’t too detrimental to the game, so it doesn’t really hamper much of the enjoyment unless you’re not able to handle the car well enough to finish in a good position. The roster may be another misstep for the hardcore NASCAR fans, which is surprisingly out of date for being late to the season it’s supposed to be based upon.

Getting all 43 cars on the track to represent the full NASCAR experience does make a big statement for the game, which is accomplished through simplification to the car models and race tracks to fit the platform. The good thing is the downgrade in graphics isn’t much of a problem as everything still looks great for the platform it’s on. The sense of speed has been included, too, complete with a setting to tone it down if it’s bothersome. Effects like car damage, sparks, and smoke complete the impressive package that NASCAR offers.

Audio is another part of the game that shines on the PSP. The music that livens up the menus is a mix of southern rock and country that is sure to please the stereotypical NASCAR fan. The race chatter from your pit crew is nicely done and adds a lot to the experience. The typical car sound effects are sufficient enough for what's expected of a racing game, but they aren't anything mind-blowing.

NASCAR for the PSP is certainly a very impressive first installment for the series that can only get better on the platform. A few missteps here and there doesn’t hurt the enjoyment that the game offers, but they should be a focal point for EA Tiburon to focus on for next year’s game. The PSP is a system known for quality racing experiences and EA just added another game to that list.

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