NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona

"A Perfect Nascar Racing sim!"

Introduction:
Nascar Dirt to Daytona may be cheaper than Nascar Thunder 2004, but it has nearly as much to offer for thirty dollars cheaper. Infogrames showed that they knew what they were doing when making this game because it’s a blast. You can drive four different types of cars under the Nascar name, the Nascar Weekly Racing Series, the Nascar Featherlite Modified’s, the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series, and of course the Nascar Cup Series. Are you good enough to take home the championship?

Graphics: 10/10
Absolutely wonderful, the best I’ve ever seen in a racing game. These graphics blew my mind away even after I saw Nascar Thunder 2004. The dirt tracks look real, the paved tracks look real, and the fantasy tracks look like they were developed using a real track. The cars are mind blowing, the dirt cars are just like Demolition Derby cars, which is how they’re supposed to look, the modified’s are perfect, the trucks are stunning, and the cup cars look better on this game then any other. The lights, I don’t know what to say about them, if you look outside at the streetlight when it’s dark, you’ll see the same thing as what is on the game. The graphics are simply stunning.

Gameplay: 10/10
Infogrames comes through with not only good graphics, but also great gameplay. If you like racing trucks, open wheel cars, or dirt cars better than the cup cars this game is for you. Of course it still has the cup cars for die-hard Nascar fans. Hit the dirt and power slide around the track, drive open wheel with the Featherlite Modified’s, drive trucks around, or race the classic Nascar style with the Nascar Cup series. Pro Trainer mode gives you some tips on how to get around a certain track, then you race the pro and if you beat him, you unlock points towards unlockables. Nascar beat the Heat mode is quite like pro trainer mode without the hints and without racing the pros. Instead it sets you up in certain scenarios where you must accomplish a certain goal to get either a gold, silver or bronze medal. A gold medal will get you more points than silver, and silver more than bronze. There is career mode where you can race up to 25 seasons. Career mode lets you build a team from the ground up. You start in the Weekly Racing Series and work your way towards the Cup Series. As you do so you must make good choices on which sponsors you choose and how you use the money from the sponsors. Choosing a sponsor that gives you high pay, but you can’t accomplish the goal can cause your team to collapse. Choosing one with too low a payroll can do the same thing. Then choosing upgrades that help your cars performance can also be critical. You can also do a regular one-season circuit with any of the cars or trucks. Overall Dirt to Daytona has the total package of a real Nascar racing simulation.

Sound: 10/10
Not the best music, but it still gives you some fuel to race. The engine is what holds supports the entire sound of Dirt to Daytona. The dirt car engine really sounds cool when you go through a turn and downshift. The modified engine sounds just as good. The truck and Cup car engines sound nearly the same, but are nice and loud just like the real cars and trucks.

Replay: 10/10
As long as this game is, you can’t stop playing it, up to 25 seasons of Nascar action could turn into 5,000. That’s how good the replay value is, choosing your brands, making money, buying upgrades, and unlocking some nice things is very addicting to most race fans.

Final Recommendation:
This game is a must buy, for 30 dollars cheaper it offers nearly as much as Nascar Thunder 2004 if not more. It’s twenty dollars so I’d say go for it, don’t even consider wasting your money on renting it because if you really like Nascar, this is the game to own.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/04