Hasbro Interactive has sat on the sidelines and watched Electronic Arts and Sierra take the NASCAR market to new levels (both up and down). For the most part, both companies did a respectable job in creating NASCAR games, but for true enthusiasts, their offerings were a little displeasing. A true NASCAR fan wants everything to be perfect. Physics, modeling, sounds; everything must fall into place and create the most lifelike experience. EA took an arcade approach to their share of the license and unleashed NASCAR 2000 upon us. I can still see NASCAR junkies recovering from that mess. Meanwhile, Sierra stayed to the tried-and-true method and created a few "memorable" games with the license. Now Hasbro steps in with Papyrus spin-off MGI, and they are looking to enter the winner’s circle.

The first thing you notice while playing Heat is the authenticity that Hasbro and MGI were striving for. From the commentary intro to the game to the interface environment, this game makes you feel like you are actually at the event.

The game begins, as I stated before, with a television-like introduction that has one of NASCAR’s anchors explaining the shots, and introduction the game. Before this, however, you can let the game proceed through the opening and see some of the bloopers that came into play when creating the game. Some of the racing guys are very funny. Enter the main menu system. Things are about as straghtforward as they come. Choose from entering a championship mode, Race the Pro or Beat the Heat modes of play.

Championship mode has you either create a driver from scratch or choose anyone of the professional drivers and start a season. For each race you will attempt to earn a higher qualifying position while bettering your knowledge of the track and its best line of driving. Creating an original driver has one advantage to it, the Paint Shop. Ever dreamed of creating the paintjob on one of today’s hottest stock cars? Here is your chance. Using basic tools and lots of different decals, users can create a car and then bring it into the game to use. You pick the sponsor, you pick the colors and you pick the name. The Create a Car mode is very entertaining. Still, hopping in the driver’s seat of the world famous Black Number 3 car can be a rush on its own.

Race the Pro mode is a very entertaining addition to the game, and brings up the replayability score quite a bit. This mode is programmed with the actual lap times on various tracks from the top names in NASCAR. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get in a car and beat that time by finding the right driving line and taking perfect corners. Needless to say, this mode is extremely difficult but not as difficult as the Beat the Heat mode.

Beat the Heat is a Midtown Madness-like mode where you need to accomplish certain aspects in order to move on to the next race. This most reminds me of the Blitz races from MM, as you had to pass through a number of checkpoints in a set amount of time. Heat’s mode doesn’t have you barreling down the streets of London or San Francisco; you are placed on a NASCAR racetrack where you must complete a lap under a certain amount of time or perform an objective on that track. This mode is also very entertaining, and brings up the replay value as well.

As I stated before, NASCAR Heat has all of the normal aspects you would expect with NASCAR on the cover. Official drivers are there (most of them, at least). The tracks are there, including my personal favorites Daytona and PIR (Phoenix International). There are a few inconsistencies with the sponsors, though. I’m not sure of the reasoning behind it, but most of the beer company-sponsored cars have been changed to say the driver’s name on the side instead of the sponsor’s logo. For example, Rusty Wallace’s car says Rusty on the side instead of Miller. Whether this is because of a licensing dispute or Hasbro is being more family-oriented, it does take away from the realism a bit.

MGI’s graphics engine for Heat is very, very impressive. To say this is the best-looking NASCAR game would be an understatement. Not only does it look good, the game actually picks out the optimal performance settings and gives you a way to test your system’s framerate. The framerate test is nothing more than a car speeding down pit row and then doing a full burnout spin. Being a simulation game, the tracks are beautifully rendered and the cars are modeled perfectly. Any fan would be appreciative.

In the sound department, the game takes a hit. The sound effects are more than adequate, but the music is where this game is lacking. When racing, I want to hear some cruising music. I know the drivers have to listen to their crew chief and spotters, but I really would have liked an option to have some music cranked. Sure, you can turn off the monotone spotters, who are about as brain-dead as they come, but I wanted some better music for the game. The stuff there is very forgettable.

Hasbro has secured the top spot in stock car racing games as of the moment. Electronic Arts has launched NASCAR 2001, which shouldn’t be a real threat. The companies Hasbro and MGI have to watch out for are Sierra and Papyrus, who are readying NASCAR Racing 4 to be released in February 2001. It remains to be seen who will come out on top, but there is not another established franchise using the NASCAR license, and for the time being, the newbie is the best.