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Can an already established game be a bust in just about every aspect they did correctly in the previous last-gen installment? The correct answer is unfortunately, Yes. The biggest disadvantage to this year’s installment is the fact that gameplay elements such as Total Team Control, Intimidation, or even stat-tracking are completey gone. As far as last gen to next gen, Nascar 08 looses quite a bite of horsepower.
This is an accident waiting to happen…
Your offline game modes are pretty lackluster; the season mode is extremely basic and has only the bare minimums so it can be called Season Mode. The main thing most gamers will find themselves playing this year is a career mode known as The Chase. The concept is nice, and some of the things are interesting but it is nothing special and can often get quite frustrating and annoying. (See Below).
The controller layout is not done well at all; controlling the car in between the pack is close to impossible. Most gamers will find themselves crashing into the wall or into other cars more often than making a silky smooth pass on the outside. This lack of control is especially annoying in The Chase, a mode that you are abruptly thrust into when you first start the game. The whole point of the semi-career mode is to complete some challenges and earn a contract. After you achieve the contract, you race for your team. Simple, and might actually be fun to play if you could control your car.
To add insult to injury, the season mode is not deep at all. You pick an existing driver and you jump into a race. Then rinse and repeat. You rack up points and you try to win the cup but there are no sponsorships or anything remotely close to it in this mode. A little stat tracking would have been nice as well, no such luck. Also, after you finish the last race and you think you are about to be boasted as a champion, raised to a podium, or anything closely related, you go back to the same screen you saw before the race, this time however, there are no more races left. Now that is something I have never seen before, an ending that is not really an ending.
Don’t be decieved because it’s only one car, this is ALSO an accident waiting to happen thanks to the control schemes.
Overall, Nascar 08 is a very simple version of a very complex sport lacking many features and depth that will probably give this game a red light for most gamers except for the truly hardcore Nascar fans.
