NASCAR® 2005: Chase for the Cup

EA has long been the king of sports titles, and happily enough for me and thousands of other NASCAR fans, we have not been left out. Last year’s NASCAR 2004 was a great title, and at the time I didn’t know what they could do to make it even better. Well, once again EA comes shining through with a new NASCAR title called 2005: Race for the Cup, and has included even better options and game modes to really maximize and enhance the racing experience.  

As in past NASCAR titles, racers can hop in and play in an instant action mode and do Lightning Challenges to unlock plates and extras like sponsors, tracks, cars, etc., but this time around there are a couple of new game modes to play around with. For starters, there is now the Fight to the Top mode, which is kind of a story mode that follows similar to Infogrames’ “Dirt to Daytona” title by having the player start in the Featherlite racing series where you must race to earn Prestige Points to catch the attention of more sponsors, earn fans, etc. which allows you to then move into the Craftsman Trucks and eventually into the Nextel Cup series. This also kicks the game off with a little street race between you and Ryan Newman in Dodge Vipers, which was a neat way to really set up a little more than just “hit start and race”. Throughout the season you will also have opportunities to attend autograph sessions and participate in charity events that help with your prestige and your fan base.  

Any race fan is familiar with the concept of drafting … you know, getting behind a car to help boost speed and not use as much gas. Well, EA has also added a couple of options in for this as well, and drivers can now get behind opponents and elect to Share the Draft, which helps to gain allies on the track, or you can choose to Intimidate, which can cause the driver in front of you to make a mistake but it can also cause you to pick up some negative feelings from other drivers. Oh yes, the AI is much better and more realistic this time around, but the other neat thing about the Intimidate and Share options are that racing rough and causing opponents to wreck can make you a villain while passing clean and sharing drafts can make you a hero. Either way, fans like drivers who win, and your character’s Hero / Villain meter will go either way depending on how clean or rough you race.

In past titles, AI drivers usually drift to get out of the way if you move into their area or just get up and go on the next race if they get wrecked, but this time they will carry grudges or opt to help you out as you go, which really made this a much more realistic experience. Using Intimidate on a driver and getting them upset may cause them to intentionally bump you from behind if they get on your tail, or they may try to run you into walls as they pass, and in addition to that when you go back to the garage … some will even be waiting to give you a verbal beating or may try to make a run at you to give you a fat lip. On a much more positive note though, allies will help you on the track by boxing out rivals or may show up to console you after a tough race, so both the good and bad feelings have a good balance. You also have an agent that you have to answer to, and racing well of course keeps him happy but driving too rough and making a lot of enemies can cause him to get kind of ticked with you and yell over the phone, at which time you can elect to apologize to the upset rival or choose to keep the grudge going by simply telling your agent to ignore him altogether … just watch for getting near him on the next race.  

In addition to the Fight to the Top mode, racers can also elect to take their favorite Nextel driver and play the Chase for the Cup mode, which has racers going through the last ten races of a season to hit the top spot for points and unlockables. Beware, because the ally / rival meters work in this version too, and after the first race I was rewarded with a #1 victory and a verbal confrontation from the one and only Jeff Gordon (Oh yes, I wrecked him on purpose). Also, you can select to race a Season mode, which allows you to select the venue you want to race, get a driver, and hit the track to see if you have what it takes to be the champion, or you can head to the Speedzone which helps to hone your skills in driving techniques like passing, blocking, and drafting, and will unlock more skill points for you as well. Also, choosing Race Now includes an option to race production cars (like the Dodge Viper) against other drivers, and more production cars can be unlocked in Showdown races where intense rivals from the story mode will challenge you to go at it one on one … chalk up another point there for creativity on EA’s part.  

Graphics in Chase for the Cup look great, as to be expected, with some good lighting effects and car damage physics. The character models both in the pits and at the garage were OK, and looked good, especially when conveying a sense of anger or sympathy depending on what the situation is at the time. In the sound department, the game sounds great which the roaring engines and loud crashing sounds, and the game includes voiceovers from the actual Nextel racers to help add to the overall gaming experience.  

GameCube owners who enjoy NASCAR should definitely look to pick this game up, and even if you own NASCAR 2004, there are enough new options and extras that have been added in to make this a truly new experience and give you something more for your money. For all of you people like me who have delighted in wrecking one driver or another (especially Jeff Gordon) just remember that this time around there are consequences to your actions. Great job once again EA.

Gameplay: 9.2
Anyone who’s played previous NASCAR titles knows that the game controls are great, but in the 2005 series the real winner here is the new story mode style Fight to the Top that has been added in really help add to the realism of NASCAR racing. There are a ton of new options that have been added in too, from intimidating to sharing the draft, friendships and rivalries, and overall the game seems much more realistic than any previous version.  

Graphics: 9.0
Car graphics and physics look great, as to be expected with an EA title, and there are some good looking damage and lighting effects to boot. The characters look decent both in confrontations and in the winner’s circle, and as usual EA has really tried to make everything look as accurate as possible.  

Sound: 9.0
Heavy engine sounds of course dominate most of the game, and there are some music tracks included from actual artists and bands like Saliva to help fill the background while in between races or choosing options.  

Difficulty: Easy
Actually, challenging. There are tons of options that you can set from driver difficulty to damage to help make the racing experience as hard or easy as you want to, and the game is easy to pick up and get into while it will give you a challenge on any level of play.  

Concept: 9.1
While the past NASCAR games have been great, EA has added in so many new game modes and options to really make it a lot more true to real life NASCAR racing this time around. Change is not always good in sequels, but this time it really sets a new standard.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Compete with friends on the GameCube system, and just as the single player race is a blast, playing with friends can be even more enjoyable. Just remember not to act out garage fights with your buddies over a lost race.  

Overall: 9.2
Really, I can’t think of any reason that a race fan wouldn’t want to pick up Chase for the Cup, and as stated before, even gamers who own the 2004 edition will be happy with the new additions that have been made to make it worth the money. If you own a GameCube and one or more NASCAR t-shirts, head on over to your local retailer and grab a copy of this.