Review: 'NASCAR Heat 2002' regains pole position

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Platform: PlayStation 2

By Jake The Snake

(IDG) -- With more cars, tracks, modes and car-tweaking options -- plus better graphics and physics -- "NASCAR Heat 2002" blows by EA Sports' "NASCAR 2001" for the stock-car racing crown.

Can't Beat the Heat

"Heat" breaks out of the racing-game pack with its innovative Beat the Heat mode, a series of 36 mini-games that teaches you the basics of turning and drafting, then throws you into white-knuckled situations, such as last-lap pileups that you must maneuver around to win.

"Heat" also leaves some skid marks with its beautiful graphics and realistic physics engine. The cars look superb with intricate sponsor labels, and, if you tap their rear side too hard, they slowly float into spinouts. The tracks look equally real with infields full of RVs and fans, easily legible wall ads, and asphalt darkened by tire tracks. And with 24 cars on the track at once (four more than in "NASCAR 2001"), the pileups can be huge. In-game sounds are sparse, though-just engine noise and a radio spotter who calls out where the closest cars are.

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Guts, Glory, and Gear Ratios

"Heat" has all the features a newbie or a hardcore NASCAR roadie could want. You can adjust things on your car that casual fans haven't heard of-such as the grille tape, trim and sway bars-and, with 19 courses, only a few of the Winston Cup tracks are missing. The realism and difficulty can be widely varied, so you can race a whole race with pit stops against flawless opponents, or just a few laps with no flags. Driving your car works great with either the controller or the "GT3" steering wheel, and both can be adjusted. Until we see how well EA Sports' "NASCAR Thunder 2002" turns out, "NASCAR Heat" is the stock-car game to beat.