Go left, a bi more and a bit more now to the right (NASCAR 2000 (PC))

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Product:	NASCAR 2000 (PC)
Date:	15/07/00 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: If your a Nascar nut then you'll enjoy it

Disadvantages: Anyone else who is looking for a racing game turn around and go to the next shelf

I know it's a boring thing to say. Every review of a NASCAR game ever written outside the United States decries the sport for one glaring flaw above all others, and since I put it like that I feel perfectly justified in not bucking the trend. After all, it's just ovals, innit!

As a driving simulation this feels alright. The handling offers a tangible impression of weight, a feeling compounded by the throaty engine FX. The tyre-screech is irritating though, especially as you hear so much of it. Traction control is obviously not high on the list of priorities for NASCAR constructors. Or maybe it was just me.

Much to my surprise (and better judgement) I got quite into it for a while. The basic nature of the courses means you can start racing right away. How many simulations can offer that sort of immediacy? Unfortunately the early appeal soon gives way to long-term tedium. Games that continue to be rewarding after weeks or months tend to be the ones that take more effort in the beginning.

If, by some freakish twist of fate, you are into it, NASCAR 2000 carries all the hallmarks of an EA Sports product. The front end is nice (although they seem to use the same basic template for every EA Sports release these days) but there's precious little substance. The car set-up options could have been interesting, adding a much needed extra dimension. Unfortunately they're just not in-depth enough. It's crying out for some real nuts n' bolts detail but, like the laughable Tom Cruise flick Days of Thunder, all it amounts to is a lazy, shallow representation of an inane motorsport.

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