NASCAR 2001
System:
Playstation 2
Publisher & Developer: Electronic Arts/EA Sports
Released: 2000
Genre: Racing
Capabilities: Memory Card, Vibration, and Analog Control
Compatible
Review Written: March 21, 2002
The Game
The popular sport of Nascar racing finds a new home on PS2. The Playstation 2 version boasts improved graphics and sound, but will it be as good as its predecessors on the PSX and N64? Let’s get onto the review and find out.
Graphics
The first thing you should notice about the in game graphics is the cars themselves. They all look fantastic, and resemble all the real life models down to the tiniest details like the little sponsors on the car. The tracks in the game all look great, and resemble the actual thing you see off television. All isn’t that great in the visuals department, however. First off, being that this is an EA game, the loading times are horrific. Second, whenever you start a race, or whenever there are several cars on screen at once, major slowdown occurs. And it does make a lot of errors in your driving in the game.
Sound
The sound in this game is decent. For background music you get generic country and rock tunes that sounds like the stuff you see to promote NASCAR on television. All the sound effects are all on the mark to the point where you know you are revving up your engine, or crashing into the barrier. A nice addition in this game is you can hear your pit chief talking to you, telling you the condition on your car, low on fuel, and when you need to make a pit.
Game play
The game controls will take time to adjust to. The steering with the analog pad is really sensitive. Like if you crank on it to make a turn, you’ll definitely ram into the barrier. But after a while, you’ll be adapted to it, just make sure to give it practice. You always want to make sure to qualify on most races too, so you can get a feel for the track, and know how to handle the corners.
There are over 30 different professional NASCAR drivers for you to choose from here. And all the popular ones are in here like the Earnheardts, Jarrett, Gordon, and the list goes on. You can race on almost any of the popular NASCAR tracks. The legendary Daytona track is now added in this game, after being exclusive to Sega for the past several years. For game modes, you can choose season, where you race in those cup tournaments and get points after every race. A two player mode is also available for you to tinker with.
Replay Value
If you are really bored one day, you can set the lap count to 500, and be playing the game for damn near all day. That can always add depth to the game, but I doubt anyone would want to do it, but at least the option is there. There is also a two player mode for your pleasure so you can go against a friend. I always have the feeling this game could of used a lot more to keep you playing.
In Brief
+: Over 30+ actual drivers, addition of the Daytona track
-: Horrible frame rate, long loading times
The Final Ratings Rundown
Graphics: 6.6
Sound: 7.2
Game play: 7.3
Replay Value: 4.8
Overall: 6.4
Rounded to fit GameFAQs Score: 6
Comments
NASCAR 2001 was an all right first generation Playstation 2 game, but it fell short in the long run. The low frame rate interferes with the game way too much. Your best bet would to get the sequel for the game, NASCAR Thunder 2002.