Unfortunately, Papyrus has inexplicably eliminated NASCAR Racing's instant restart feature, thereby forcing you to live with serious accidents or reload the entire event from the menu-a frustratingly lengthy process on any computer. You may even want to access a midrace replay to fully understand why your driving line keeps propelling you into the wall. At any time, you can press the F key to check the frame rate or the V key to warp into an opponent's cockpit and watch the work of a seasoned pro. This may well become the perspective of choice for most players. NASCAR Racing 4 offers a total of four points of view, including a superb new hood camera that eliminates the clutter of the cockpit interior while offering the subtle control of a true first-person view.
Then it's off to the track, where you'll want to settle on a suitable viewing perspective before continuing. Choose a comparatively relaxed circuit such as Michigan, define the driving mode as "arcade," and keep the opponent strength to the default minimum of 70 percent. If any of the menu items seems confusing, a quick click of the right mouse button triggers a pop-up explanation. Rookies need merely select a car and head to the options menu to activate the game's massive allotment of driving aids. Each is modeled accurately from bumper to bumper.įor players new to the series, the latest NASCAR is less imposing than ever before. And in a real move forward for the venerable series, NASCAR Racing 4 offers all four body styles from the upcoming 2001 season-now you may choose from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Ford Taurus, or the new kid on the block, Dodge's sleek Intrepid R/T. It features last year's complete 21-track roster, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the storied Daytona and Pocono circuits, which make their first-ever appearance in a Papyrus title.
It incorporates no fewer than 76 real-life drivers and cars, including such luminaries as Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, and even the feared black #3 Goodwrench GM of Dale Earnhardt, whose untimely death followed the release of the game. Like earlier iterations, NASCAR Racing 4 showcases the world of top-level stock car racing, the Winston Cup series. In fact, everything about NASCAR Racing 4 is state of the art, from the improved menu interfaces with pop-up tooltips to the enhanced computer-driver artificial intelligence, the top-quality audio, and much more. It benefits from a new graphics engine that renders everything prior obsolete.
The game features a new and vastly improved vehicle physics model that makes the once impressive but now antiquated NASCAR Racing 2 and 3 cars seem like they were riding on rails. But NASCAR Racing 4 is far from just another upgrade. NASCAR Racing 4 distinguishes itself from competing products in the same way Papyrus' simulations always have-through a faithful attention to realism. The new, frightening crashes can now send a car up into the air
Though it has occasional quirks, it is far superior to recent installments and makes for an unquestionably outstanding racing experience for NASCAR fans. Its latest project, NASCAR Racing 4, is the glorious culmination of years of experience and expertise. Since then, Papyrus has almost single-handedly defined what an automobile racing simulation should be. It was 14 years ago that Dave Kaemmer founded Papyrus Design Group and began development of what is generally regarded as the first realistic racing game for the PC, Indianapolis 500: The Simulation.