Since 1989, Papyrus Racing Games has constantly set the bar for racing simulations in terms of user interface, graphics, sound and most importantly, realism. However, Vivendi has pulled the plug on the Papyrus division and EA Games has acquired an exclusive license to publish NASCAR video games. Thus, NASCAR Racing 2003 Season is the sixth and final title in Papyrus’s NASCAR Racing series. However, the physics engine used in NASCAR Racing 2003 Season is based off the engine first developed for the 1998 cult classic game, Grand Prix Legends. This physics modeling also powered 2001’s NASCAR Racing 4 and NASCAR Racing 2002 Season. Therefore, 2003 Season is not really a revolutionary game, although it sports some significant updates and refinements over the previous iterations.

The main gameplay options in NASCAR 2003 Season have remained unchanged since the beginning. In the main menu, you have the options of testing (time trial style), running a single race or running the full NASCAR Cup Championship. The Championship includes all the Tracks on the Cup circuit and almost all the actual drivers and cars, which is quite a feat, considering all the legal issues involved. There is also the usual paint shop where you can customize the paintjobs on all cars.

I commend Papyrus for sticking to its classic menu interface design that traces its roots back to its first NASCAR Racing game in 1994. The menus are generally simple and intuitive; especially with the addition of the mouse cursor (they were a little slow on that). There’s also the classic replay system that has been a benchmark since papyrus’ first racing sim in 1989. It was revolutionary 16 years ago, and still good today, although competitors have now – almost - caught up.

I am a pretty hardcore sim racer, the type that races with a wheel and pedals, who always turns off all driver aids, and sets everything to “realistic.” Having played NASCAR Racing 4 before, I was expecting a pretty quick learning curve for me on this one, however I noticed that there are some notable changes in the newer game.

In 2003 Season, the cars handle the most “loose” of all the Papyrus NASCAR Sims. In the original NASCAR Racing it was almost always a constant battle with understeer. No matter what radical setup change I made in the garage, my car would still plow straight towards the walls off the corners and my right front tire would burn up in 15-20 laps. The series made a big change in NASCAR 4 with the GPL physics engine, when handling started to lean towards oversteer (fishtailing) verses a distinctive understeer (plowing) characteristic in the earlier games. 2003 Season continues with this trend. In 2003, almost every fast setup I’ve tried is on the loose side, often not only under acceleration out of a corner but turning into the corner as well. But while the handling may lean more towards loose, I feel the cars retain a certain oval setup “tightness” that keeps the car drivable. The cars definitely don’t handle like the cars in Grand Prix Legends, which would be near impossible to drive on a high-speed oval. The “loose” handling trend also seems to be reflective of the pattern in real NASCAR racing.

One of my first thoughts after turning a few laps in 2003 Season is that it must be much easier then the original or I must have upped my skills considerably. It was probably some of both. I found that the driving isn’t easier, but that setting up the car is. In 2003, cars respond to changes exactly as expected, while things are never that simple in real life. Although the garage in the original game was extremely frustrating, I also found it realistic and challenging. Setting up a car seems a little too easy in 2003 Season and several of the other newer releases. However, this also shifts the focus of the game away from “crew chief” and into the driver’s seat, which is probably a good thing.

But if your one of those guys who thinks that NASCAR Racing takes no skill at all, this game is a good one to prove you wrong. It might be pretty easy to turn one lap in clear traffic at Daytona, but to master this game, you will have to master some more advanced techniques. For example, coming into a corner a little too hot a few times can overheat the left front tire and cause a “push”. Turning into a corner too shallow may result in too much steering input mid corner, which in turn leads to oversteer off the corner. Jump off the throttle too quickly while turning in and you might find yourself sliding backwards into the wall sooner then later.

There are many realistic variables simulated in NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, such as temperature and wind, which will have an affect on the handling of the car. In particular, one thing that I feel is simulated very realistically is the aerodynamic effects in modern racing. Driving behind a car or in a pack of cars feels very different from driving in clear traffic. The game also simulates the aerodynamic draft, but it does not feel over exaggerated like it is some games.

However, there are a couple elements in real racing that aren’t really simulated in the game. A major aspect I noticed was that tire buildup on the track does not seem to be simulated. In real life, bits of excess rubber often wear off the tires and end up on the high side of the track, making the area off the racing “groove” particularly slick. Meanwhile, the surface on the racing groove can actually get grippier as more rubber builds up into the track. However, in 2003 Season, the grip level feels about the same throughout the track, so you don’t have to worry about “getting into the marbles” if you run into a corner too hot.

Also, the damage modeling in 2003 Season is good, but not perfect. The cars seem a little more “robust” in the game versus real life, but this is probably by design to help overall gameplay. However, I’ve also noticed crashing anywhere near the same angle and speed will always result in exact same visible damage.

I’ve never played a racing game with excellent artificial intelligence, and 2003 Season is no exception. 2003 Season has made major strides in this area compared to the earlier games, however, the AI drones will still sometimes drive into your door off a corner or smash into you if you brake a little early on a road course.

The NASCAR racing games have always been popular among “modders” who can change the artificial intelligence, create add-on tracks and update graphics. It is even possible to use the game as a platform for a whole new game, such as a sports car or open wheel sim complete with modified physics; however, the legality of these “mods” is questionable. Nonetheless, there is the possibility of infinite replay with all the available add-ons and multiplayer action.

The graphics of 2003 Season are good although probably not the best among racing games. Papyrus really had the edge by supporting 640 x 480 “high resolution” graphics in 1994, and graphics acceleration in 1995. However, in this field I feel the competition has caught up and edged past Papyrus in the last few years. In 2003 Season, spectators in the stands are still just glorified static blurry specks as they were in 1989, while the new EA games have dynamic spectator crowds that actually move. The animated pit crew in 2003 Season is ok, but they can’t match the fluid movements of the pit crews in the latest EA NASCAR games. Car graphics are still at the top of the class though. Car exteriors and interiors are really smooth, realistic and proportional. EA’s NASCAR Sim Racing has a stunning in-car interior view, but the cars look pretty out of proportion from the exterior cameras. The track graphics are still near the top as well. Accuracy on the 21 real tracks of the NASCAR Cup circuit are near perfect, as expected. However, like past Papyrus games, the tracks look best from the in-car view; some replay angles reveal out-of-proportion areas, particularly with the grandstands.

I do feel the sounds of 2003 Season are still the best. Papyrus kept the edge here by implementing 3-D sounds in its latest games. I’m using decent but not great JBL speakers and the game sounds exceptional to me. By exceptional, I mean the game sounds exactly like NASCAR on TV, as that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to a real life Cup car. I didn’t think the sounds could get any better after NASCAR Racing 4, but after comparing the two, 2003 Season is far superior. The one gripe I have is that by default the spotter voice, in proportion to the other sounds, is a little quiet for my tastes. I can barely hear my spotter over the roar of 43 stock cars. Then again, maybe this realistic, however, I prefer not to wake up the neighbors with the drone of stock car engines, so I prefer to sacrifice a bit of realism here. Fortunately, all of the newer papyrus games allow you to set each sound channel relative of each other, so I was able to go into the settings and turn up the spotter voice.

Although I have heard EA has stepped up their game considerably, I got turned off by all EA racing games when I tried the disgrace-of-a-sim known as NASCAR '98. In my humble opinion, the newer EA NASCAR games have more wow factor, but the Papyrus classics are still where it’s at. Apparently, some others must agree with me, as there is still an active online community supporting the game. The real kicker is that remaining new copies of this game (as of July 2005) commonly sell for over $100, even though EA has released two new NASCAR games since 2004! I live by a personal rule that no single game or personal software is worth more then 50 US dollars (it’s just a bunch of 1’s and 0’s!). Thus, I can’t personally recommend spending $104.49 to buy NASCAR Racing 2003 Season from Amazon. However I suspect the prices will drop eventually, and if you can “steal” a new copy for the bargain price of fifty bucks, I say go for it.


NASCAR Racing 2003 Season Ratings:

Gameplay 9/10

Replay Factor: 10/10

Graphics: 8/10

Sounds: 10/10


Recommended: Yes