Graphics and Sound

Graphics

Believe it or not, until Half-Life 2 and Doom III come out, this is the most CPU intensive game out there. Even at a mere 800x600x32, the framerate hit is too prohibitive to turn all the options on. The more cars on a track, the worst the performance– but disproportionately so. This supports our theory that the AI and physics calculations put are more stressful than any fancy graphics.

Rubbing

Err. make that crashing

And spinning

That’s not to say that the game is ugly by any stretch of the imagination. While it might lack a certain pixel-shaded flair, the level of detail remains suitably impressive. Cars are of course the big focus, and the textures on them are truly beyond comparison. The designers went not just for detail, but authenticity. The cars sport the logos they do in real NASCAR, and even the interior touches are there – like gen-yoo-wine Autometer gauges.

Even though there’s little opportunity for special effects, the ones that do make it are done properly – and even contribute to the game. While the fantastic skies and sun are pretty much only there for show, the smoke from a crash not only looks good but is important in helping spot trouble. However, the most impressive effect has to be car damage. Not only does the sheet-metal bend gradually (and is slowly bent out in the pits), damage has a profound effect on gameplay. Even a relatively minor hit on the front end can kill top speed on straight tracks, while rear damage tends to damage stability.

Sound

As with the graphics, it’s tempting to call the sound effects ‘Spartan’, but that gives the wrong impression. While it’s true that there’s no excess or luxury, this is actually a good thing. The sparse environment makes the game all the more serious – and this is the most serious racing game ever. However, the quality of the sound effects cannot be questioned. The sound of a tire indicates just how hard you’re pushing it, and after a while you can shift just by listening to the engine.

Woohoo recovery

Muahaha

I'm a farmer

That’s not to say all is perfect. The voice acting is quite disappointing, and there’s really no good reason why. Nobody’s expecting Minsc or Illidan Stormrage, but we’d hope that the pit boss would sound better than the choppy. mixed. words. like. an. automated. phone. service.