hlbirk's Full Review: NASCAR 2001 for PlayStation 2
I must begin by saying that I am by no means an expert when it comes to this kind of mayhem! My husband works security at a store that sells PlayStation 2 equipment and he had a brain fart, thus the reason we even own one.
After the PS2 sat in it's box for a month and a half we decided it was time to purchase a game and give the artificial babysitter a chance to impress us. NASCAR 2001 was the game of choice--only because it had a picture of Tony Stewart's car on the front cover. **No snide remarks, please, I'm a Home Depot employee & happen to be a huge fan of Tony's!**
It only took a few minutes for me to learn the controls on the DualShock 2 Analog Controller. Granted, I wasn't the best driver you've ever seen but it was fun learning. You have your average basic controls for steering, reverse, braking, accelerating and the ability to change your view. There are also other controls you can use to check the damage to the car, upshift and downshift. All damage is fixed by the push of a button or by making a pit stop.
Once I finally got all that down it was time to choose my driver (we already know who that is) and choose my track. As a beginner I chose a track that was fairly simple with the minimum of turns. I chose the view I thought would enable me to drive a little better which was basically a rear view of the car on the track. I tried using the driver's point of view, only to fail.
I was impressed with the graphics that were included. The glossy paint reflections and shadows the cars leave on the track are A-1. You can race at night or in the day and the ads that you fly by when driving are very impressive. You have the option of racing alone, which I recommend for new driver's like myself, or you can race with other drivers. There are sound controls for almost everything and you can choose whether you want to race to music or commentary.
Whenever you crash (which happened fairly often during my experience--ahem!) the controller will shake in your hands for a second or two. Not quite realistic but it sure makes you crinkle your eyebrows and wince a little.
NASCAR 2001 can be played by one person or 2, assuming you have the second controller. We don't so I can't comment much further than the fact that it's available.
Here's a list of tracks available, just to give you an idea: Daytona International Speedway
Darlington Raceway
North Carolina Speedway
California Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Michigan Speedway
Phoenix International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Talladega Superspeedway
Watkins Glen International
Pocono Raceway
and many others.
Of course most drivers are listed but who would care about any others besides Tony Stewart? :)
The game cost $50 from our local Wal-Mart which I thought was a little on the expensive side, although comparable to most other places. I can't imagine that we'll be purchasing very many games until we get the hang of this but I can say that it's fun for the whole family on a Saturday night at home. My husband is even thinking about having friends over to compete against each other! Like I mentioned before, artificial babysitting. :)
This is a great game for someone who is a beginner. As I said above, I don't have much experience with these types of "toys" but it was pretty easy to learn. Now I just gotta practice! I'm so glad this isn't my real job or I'd be broke!
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