NASCAR Heat 5 Review Summary: A Familiar Game with Awesome New Additions

NASCAR Heat 5 is here! Let’s go through a few of the game’s reviews so you’ll know what to expect.

GAME MODES

NASCAR Heat 5 features game modes that you would expect from the series, however, it also introduces a few extra ones.

Game modes include: Race Now, Championship, Online Multiplayer, and the new ones Test Session and Online Challenges.

Test Session allows players to test their car’s setup on any track in the game. Working on your car is essential for your career’s success. The good news is that players’ setups from the Test Session can be carried over to other game modes.

Online Challenges offers a weekly challenge that will push you to the limit as you compare results against other players.

You will probably spend most of your time in Career Mode, as it tasks you into working your way up from dirt racing to the NASCA Championship. Forbes‘ Brian Mazique says in his review that the game offers “so much racing and battling for points and standings” that you’ll “almost certainly remain interested.”

GAMEPLAY

As for its gameplay, it looks like NASCAR Heat 5 has successfully fixed problems that steering wheels had on previous titles. In NASCAR Heat 5, you will feel the track underneath you, particularly if you have force feedback enabled steering wheel.

Realism, on the other hand, is not this game’s strongest point. Although it does show some damage to cars, the game does not have a realistic damage model. Instead of having a car that falls apart when damaged, the game only shows cars with minor dents and damages but nothing too serious unlike those you will potentially see in real-life NASCAR. Operation Sports‘ Robert Kollars feels this is a shame, saying, “Watching the frame of a car crumple and disintegrate in a real cup race can be amazing and horrifying all at once.”

On the other hand, racing in NASCAR Heat 5 has been upgraded with AI improvements. Sports Gamers Online’s Michael Straw says that the AI drivers “become smarter on the track with blocking, drafting, pit strategies, and more” instead of simply increasing how an AI performs “in a way that defies logic.”

SUMMARY

In summary, NASCAR Heat 5 brings the same formula when it comes to being there on the track, which is not a bad thing as it works perfectly to its advantage. It also offers improvements to its AI, and introduces a few additions to the game modes.

Let’s have a look at what video game ciritcs also had to say:

“The career mode is deep and fun, and when I add in the online options, season options, newly tweaked paint booth, and new user interface, I’m mostly satisfied.” – Robert Kollars, Operation Sports

“The play is so much fun, it helps to compensate for some of the presentation issues, and what I’d describe as a lack of creativity in other areas. Those issues prevent the game from being great.” – Brian Mazique, Forbes

“There’s plenty that the game could’ve benefited from, but for a curtain call installment, NASCAR Heat 5 is the best offering of the series to date and will keep you coming back for its gameplay alone” – Michael Straw, Sports Gamers Online

NASCAR Heat 5 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.