Nascar 09 PS3 and Xbox 360

With Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards added to the roster, Nascar 09 is the latest and greatest release for fans the sport. Gordon graces the box cover because he actually is your crew chief in the game and helps you through every step on your way to the checkered flag. Improved graphics and and some serious customization options also make this game worth checking out for both veteran and casual racers.

The centerpiece of the single player game is a new career mode that lets you start off by creating your driver and a totally custom look for your car. One of the customization options is sponsor decals, but only a few sponsors initially want anything to do with a newcomer like you. Get to the podium a few times though, and you’ll find new sponsors lining up for you to put their logo on your ride. There is also the small matter of being able to import graphics from the internet. Yes, you read that correctly: you can make your own designs on your computer, upload them to a server and then import them to customize your car.

In Nascar 09 you advance the single player game by gaining new sponsors and by completing over 70 different challenges, which can range from standard fare (complete a lap without going slower than 150mph) to some more creative tasks. You can also custom-tune your car before every race. The tuning mode has an easily modified difficulty setting, essentially allowing more experienced drivers to fine tune anything they can imagine but offering less hardcore players some preset tuning options that won’t leave them scratching their heads.

Difficulty tweaking isn’t just limited to tune ups though, it’s an area this game excels in overall. There are three difficulty levels that will change how tough your competitors (AI drivers) are and two driving schemes: one that offers accessible vehicle handling casual gamers will enjoy, and one that’s trickier but will offer hardcore veterans more control. There are also a couple of in-game settings which indirectly can affect difficulty, it’s all very straightforward and no matter what your skill level or preferences it won’t take you long to set this game up exactly to your liking.

The game also sounds great. From the roar of the crowd to the rock tunes playing on the track, you’ll get the feeling you’re really behind that wheel. Visually, Nascar 09 is pretty good too, especially the first-person camera mode that puts you in the driver’s seat. Where the look of the game falls short is crashes — not because of the graphics themselves but you just don’t see spectacular crashes in this game. It’s just one of those little things that would have been nice for the programmers to think of, a detail that doesn’t really affect gameplay too much but would have added to the immersion and ambiance a great deal.

Online play is available for up to 14 players simultaneously but is still subject to a race being yellow-flagged if any of those drivers decides to go off the reservation. The nice thing is you can turn yellow flags off, and even turn off collisions in online or single-player game modes. Overall Nascar 09 is a fun racer anyone can get into and Nascar fans in particular will enjoy.