NASCAR Arcade Rush has itself an identity crisis. That’s probably the worst sort of crisis you can have as a video game. Now, sitting here, after playing the game for a few hours, I still don’t know what NASCAR Arcade Rush wants to be. And it’s this distinct lack of identity that really holds back what had the potential to be a really exciting and fun racing title for PC and home consoles.
NASCAR Arcade Rush isn’t the first time the much-loved racing league has stepped away from the simulation genre its most known for. The biggest title that comes to mind is NASCAR Rumble back on the PlayStation 1. That game took the NASCAR brand and tried to recreate the racing look and feel of Daytona USA and then turned things up to 11 with San Fransico Rush type stages and all manner of crazy power-ups. It worked because it took what people knew and had a lot of fun experimenting with other racing genres. It was also a blast to play.
NASCAR Arcade Rush seems like a spiritual successor but comes up short because it lacks an identity. It wants to be NASCAR Rumble but feels like it was held back by boardroom stiffs and designed by a corporate checklist. This means while NASCAR Arcade Rush is a wild and goofy arcade racer, it never actually gets that wild or that goofy. Cars are more cartoonish and have lots to offer in terms of unlocks with all manner of styles and types, but they are very basic and lack weight or detail. You can also unlock racer avatars that get pretty silly with weird and wacky costumes, none of which matter as you never see them outside the podium. But it’s the racing that really lets everything down.
Famous tracks are turned into Speed Racer affairs with lots of crazy turns, ramps that crisscross all-over, region-specific stages that overexaggerate their locations, and speed-strips that provide you a boost, or ones that add or refill your boost meter that can be used at any time. The basics are all here but that’s about it. NASCAR Arcade Rush never goes beyond the basics, takes any chances, or does anything unique to set it apart. It’s silly and hectic, but nowhere near something like the Crusin’ series with alternate routes, wild tricks, and crazy locales. It’s competitive but lacks any combat or strategic options like a Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing. The stages are wild, but they don’t even come close to the spectacle of a game like Speed Racer for the PS2/Wii. It’s like NASCAR Arcade Rush saw all of these games but couldn’t pull the trigger on going all-in with any of them.
The racing itself has that arcade feel like a Daytona USA, but does nothing to push beyond that game, a game mind you, that released all the way back in 1994. Heck, at times it even takes a step back with the poor understeer and twitchy driving. The stages look like a blast in each of their intros but racing them feels bland. This is a real shame as the concept people did a fantastic job with them. Your car is also always planted firmly on the ground, even when flying hundreds of miles per hour down the track. There are jumps in various tracks, but you’ll only ever launch a few feet in the air to clear them. They honestly feel more like speed bumps than actual jumps, or like a magnet is pulling you down. Again, this is the identity problem I spoke about as the game wants to be more that it really is.
NASCAR Arcade Rush feels like it lacks a heart and soul and instead like a corporate checklist in video game form. In fact, it feels so cheaply made that I thought the game was bugged when I first loaded it up as the into FMV that’s intended to get you excited is rendered in what looks like 480p and is grainier than a Windows XP created let’s play recorded with Unregistered Hypercam 2 from 2005. There’s also no real drifting mechanic which seems a bit weird for an arcade racer. Controls lack depth and feel twitchy and with the persistent understeer that will land you into the walls during sharper turns makes playing a bad time for all invloved.
It’s a real shame that NASCAR Arcade Rush feels so joyless. There is so much potential to be had for a game of this type. Just look at something like F1 RACE STARS that did exactly that for the F1 racing league. The only thing that I felt while playing NASCAR Arcade Rush was the desire to play NASCAR Rumble, Crusin’, or F1 RACE ALL STARS instead. And when you create something that only calls to mind other better games in the genre, all of which are much cheaper, then you’ve made something of little value and something that will hit the clearance bin come this holiday season. But hey, at least the insane $50 the game costs will give you dead online multiplayer!
NASCAR Arcade Rush lack’s identity and feels like it was designed by boardroom
Final Score:
About Author
