Vroom vroom!
NASCAR Heat might have all the flash and sizzle of the real life racing league but unfortunately when it comes to gaming, it suffers greatly from the fact that driving round and round in circles gets pretty boring very quickly. Like Bill Elliott's Nascar Challenge and other such games, this features only the trademark oval tracks of the NASCAR league so even if there are a few different modes to try your hand at, they all boil down to basically the same thing. The game impresses when you fire it up, with some very slick TV-style camera shots, lots of cool music and other such flashy elements, then offers you a variety of modes to try. You have Single Race and Championship, which are pretty self explanatory, but allow you to race against a full lineup of cars at any of the NASCAR tracks. The other two modes are a little different, with Race the Pro lets you race against laps driven by real world drivers, and with Beat the Heat Challenge presents you with various challenges that occur in real races and charge you with completing them in the best possible way. If you do follow NASCAR racing then this is probably going to appeal to you, as it does give a fair approximation of the thrills and spills of such contests. However, there's no denying that the oval tracks aren't the most thrilling to drive around and lack the interest of courses found in racers like Sega Rally. The visuals and presentation are pretty solid, with sound to match but ultimately, your preference for oval courses will determine whether this is for you.
