NASCAR 2011: The Game

NASCAR 2011: The Game lays an excellent foundation for future iterations in the series. The arcade-style racing is engaging and the sense of speed is executed beautifully. However, the all-too-simple Career mode and somewhat broken online play hold the game back from what could have been, and what hopefully will be in the near future. I can recommend this game to NASCAR and racing fans that follow the sport. For casual racing fans, rent or borrow it first to see if you've got to have it.

But these are niggling issues; the franchise is moving up through the driving-game field and may finally be in contention for a podium position come next seasons. [June 2011, p.81]

As a first try out of the gate for Eutechnyx, NASCAR 2011: The Game holds up moderately well. That being said, they will need to work on building a more in-depth career mode and a much smoother multiplayer experience if they really want the franchise to take off next year.

NASCAR 2011: The Game has its highs and its lows, and while the overall career mode is pretty shallow and the presentation can sometimes be quite inconsistent, the core gameplay, specifically the sense of immersion, is what will be bringing players back.

Sometimes you don't have the car to beat, and you end up point racing for whatever you can get. Eutechnyx's effort here is appreciated, but it's not championship material.

It's a very easy and sometimes arcade-ish game, it really doesn't have what it takes to simulate such a thrilling driving experience.

An arcade racer that has more to offer than a few hundred left turns, NASCAR The Game 2011 provides plenty of thrills despite some bumps in the road.

Throw in spectacular crashes and the ability to rewind time to avoid them and even us Brits have something to enjoy. [Oct 2012, p.119]

Many will leave disappointed, yet the more reasonable should still welcome this faithful yet flawed interpretation of their sport. Come the inevitable sequel, though, the developer will need to really turn the corner.

The real problems appear with both the wait times to actually get to a race and the glitched experience that emerges from the first wave of the green flag (if you're lucky enough to see it).

"For fans only" is a well worn cliche, but in a game as incredibly specific and dedicated as NTG: 2011, it's the truth.

It gets the job done, but NASCAR 2011 is a better reminder of the great old NASCAR games than it is a good game in its own right.

This may even be a bit generous given all of the problems. Eutechnyx is trying to fix things and I commend them for that; unfortunately it just feels like a beta test and that's just unacceptable. We'll just have to see how they build on this next year.

Broken online play, lack of caution flags, and the inability for the pack of cars to spread out. You'll have fun for five minutes, then become incredibly frustrated.