Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Mar 6, 2023

  dont buy it
• gamedeal user

  Sep 13, 2016

  Edit: 3 hours in, been doing the career mode; managed to scrape a win at Bristol. AI is very competetive, and aggressive but in the right areas! The game needs a bit of work on the plate tracks (Daytona, 'Dega) as it's a bit clunky. So far I'm very impressed with what this game is turning out to be. It's fun to be able to race against an AI knowing they're not going to just dump you like in NASCAR '15. Pros: - Great, competent AI - Close, fast paced racing - Fun Career mode, I enjoyed every race, despite finishing an average of 18th - Challenge modes offer quick, easy fun Cons: - Not all 40 drivers are 'Cup' drivers - Cautions sometimes don't come out when they should - AI on plate tracks needs tweaking Overall - If you're looking for a NASCAR game that's competetive, fun and challenging then this is the game you're looking for. It's not as in depth as iRacing, but for a 'casual' game it destroys all previous titles made by ETX.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 13, 2016

  I wanted this game to be good but sadly didn't even need 30 minutes of gameplay to see that it is not what I'm looking for. Not to say that some hardcore NASCAR fans desperate for an arcade game won't enjoy it, but to many there are far too many drawbacks. Graphics are not very good. Draw distance and anti-aliasing are problematic, and the overall texture quality and lighting is sub par. Taking F1 2016 as a comparison, NHE looks years behind the current standard. Gameplay is unexciting and unrealistic even when changing the settings to suit my desires. Hitting the wall or other cars does not have realistic effects. Damage, despite being set to "full damage", barely occurs unless you have a huge impact. If this game was priced at $20, I might be able to look past this shortcomings and find enjoyment in the only fully licensed NASCAR game option, but at $60 the expectations are much higher. Sadly, this game falls short in many areas. I was very much hoping for a casual break from the intensity of iRacing, however I will stick to other, better racing games for my casual fix, and iRacing for my competitive racing.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 13, 2016

  Played every NASCAR HEAT game there has been. They were always good, they always brought something new or interesting, and everything worked out. Visuals were great, simulation physics were awesome. They offered a great challenge to NASCAR fans. This time around? If you expected Dirt to Daytona Returns... you are going to be disappointed. The car feels like it has 10000000lb of downforce, you can charge into the corner, and somehow a 3500lb race car turns into a formula car that doesn't even wear tires. Setting up a car is quite interesting, but it makes no sense playing around with it when you beat everyone on the default setup on a car that has all the grip in the world. It is a stock car, it should be hard to drive, it should move all over the place, it should struggle to find grip. If you use a wheel, it feels disconected from the car. Has a huge dead spot on initial turn in. There's no feel of what the tires are doing. It feels flat at all times. -won't even bother trying it with a pad. Waste of time. Visuals are not that good; cars look like toys, catchfencing looks even worse at the distance, as if there was no AA. Tracks lack on everthing, doesn't matter what camera you are using, it looks as if you were looking at a 4:3 screen and they stretched to sort of fill up the 16:9 format. AI is OK, if you want to jump straight for a challenge; set the difficulty yourself. That's about the only thing that really works as it did on old HEAT games and the only thing to keep someone interested in progressing in the game. For casuals it will be fun, AI is too easy to beat if set on auto, once you find how to push the car, you can win by 30 seconds or more, even if you start at the back. If you are a hardcore sim racer... save your money, get a grip and join iRacing. Feel sorry to say it. Monster Games used be great at portraying the sport. They failed this time. It isn't even a rebadged/updated NASCAR HEAT game. It is the unrecognized son of Eutechnyx.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 13, 2016

  Tired of all these games under NASCAR license in recent years ! Too arcadish, oversimplified, ridiculous damages and crashes, poor physics... And this game doesn't correctly support wheels like my G25. We have to set it in an obscur text file ! NHE is not ugly, it is even pretty neat, and run at 60fps, but needs more shaders (especially real time reflection). Engine sounds too synthetic, too discrete and poorly mixed. I would like to see a true resurrection of NASCAR 2003 with current technologies ! iRacing is that but overpriced and based on a timetable, so it's the opposite extreme ! Finally, I am aware that Monster Games and Dusenberry Martin Racing are starting from scratch, and I guess NASCAR license is not given. Yes, much work was needed to realize this game, but... We need to be aware that the asking price is too expensive for a mixed result ! So my advice: wait to see if the game will continue to be supported by developers with significant improvements...
• gamedeal user

  Sep 13, 2016

  Where is a patch to allow for ALL USERS TO HAVE KEYBOARD, MOUSE AND WHEEL SUPPORT!? Can't get past the front screen and if we have to edit a file with NO guides to get stuff to work thats wrong! Why did they make the game only have support for Xbox controllers...I can't even review this game if I can not get it started or configed...FIX THE DAMN GAME GUYS!!!!!
• gamedeal user

  Sep 13, 2016

  It took me only 21 minutes to come to my conclusion about this game. As an avid race fan, and someone who's been physically involved in the sport since I've been old enough to, this game SUCKS. Here's why: - It's an arcade game. Yes, even with "Simulation" mode. - If you play in first-person, the cars feel VERY sluggish. - The handling is far from realistic. - Multiplayer literally had four players. - The visuals are gross, and plastic almost. - Antialiasing was checked, but there was no Antialiasing. - Random stutters - Don't go three wide, the AI will wreck you every time. - The sounds were used 16 YEARS AGO. There's no excuse for that. These are just a few reasons not to purchase this pile of shit. I could go on all day. All I've heard is how this is DMRacings first game in years, but that is no excuse for this game. Dirt to Daytona is 30 times better than this game. Want a modern NASCAR game? Do yourself a favor and purchase NASCAR 15. If not, NR2003. I'll be getting my money back. You let me down guys. Should have known better.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 16, 2016

  After two, count 'em, refunds and a pretty toxic Steam review, now deleted, I still came back for more, as I realized I had been looking at this title completely the wrong way. I confess what I wanted was a new NR2003 and, of course, NHE isn't close to being a full sim. I therefore spent both initial evaluation periods trying to see what wasn't realistic about the title - completely the wrong way to assess it... I decided to reappraise the game on its own terms and, amazingly, now I've come to terms with what it isn't, I'm actually thrilled with what it is. It's vital to get your wheel dialled in, and when you do the driving model suddenly comes alive. This, combined with the stunning AI makes for a very satisfying race experience. Yes, I'd love to have fully driveable pit stops and cautions, but putting those thoughts aside, there's actually a really fun experience here, with enough challenge to keep most simmers pretty happy. Not the last word in Nascar sim racing, but actually a very good start by DMR. I really hope they service the game's numerous issues with patches, especially the hit and miss caution implementation, and build on what, when one rids oneself of one's narrow preconceptions, is a pretty engrossing little racer. I'll be buying all the DLC to show my support. There's a lot of promise here, once the blinkers are off.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 23, 2016

  After recieving a refund for this game already, I ended up doing a lot of thinking. I'm fairly certain that nobody SANE is going to tell you that this is a perfect game. I think a lot of us came in here expecting big things from a company that hasn't done anything big in well over a decade. Deep down, I think I was most frustrated that we didn't get another NR2003 (well, no shit! It's not supposed to be!). If you can make it past the fact that this game isnt trying to be the next big sim, its a lot of fun, in a BIG way. The biggest thing that DMR has done right with this game is their AI. While not [i]perfect[/i], I haven't enjoyed racing against computers in a long, long time. While I enjoy a good multiplayer simulator, I personally get more enjoyment out of some solid, singleplayer fun. If that is something you've been looking for in a NASCAR game, I highly recommend NHE. I can't speak for controller users, but my steering wheel is great, casual racing. All-in-all, If I were you, It wouldn't hurt to wait for the game to go on sale, however, we need to remember that without our support, DMR won't be able to come back with a better game. I think these guys can do really good things for the NASCAR franchise, we just have to give them a chance. TL;DR - Keep an open mind. This isn't a simulator. If you enjoy a casual, feel good racing game, take a serious look into NHE.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 24, 2016

  This is my first review of any Steam game, but given all the negative attention, I thought I'd try to give the game an objective look. I started out playing the game on a 360 type controller in arcade mode. It's fun, yet challenging. I had trouble with the challenges, and short tracks that require braking took very fine finesse. After a couple of days doing that, I installed my G27 steering wheel. I looked up some videos on Youtube to see how to set up, and it feels comfortable. Simulation mode is a little more difficult, and the challenges and short tracks and are a little easier. Now, I was playing NASCAR games during the golden age of the late 90's and early 2000s. I played a lot of the Payprus NASCAR games, and I loved them a lot. I also remember when the first NASCAR Heat came out. It was a nice little reprieve from just simulation. This game feels more like that original NASCAR Heat. It can be fun, and challenging. But what this is not is a new version of the old Payprus NASCAR Racing games. This game isn't perfect. But I also don't have any misconceptions of what this game is. It's a sequel to the 2000 NASCAR Heat. It's not NASCAR Racing 2003. Like everyone else, I think it's a shame that it's been over 13 years since we've had something that good. But I don't expect that from this devloper. I think there are a couple of issue. Practice on the track is very annoying because the AI keeps slamming into the back of you. The adaptive AI can make the game more playable, but can also be annoying. With the controller, I had a hard time breaking out of the Top 20, even after improvements to the team/garage/car were made. Maybe that's just me. What works really well overall is the AI while racing. This is the kind of AI we've been waiting for. One that adjusts to you being on the track. I've had some really amazing battles, and yet the AI and I didn't destroy our cars in the process. As someone who's played the last couple of NASCAR titles, this AI is miles ahead. Now the big question: Is it worth $60? Yes and no. This feels like a $40 game. But the amount of time I have spent playing it, and the parts I enjoy, I don't regret the $60 I spent. Also, as a business owner myself, I see consumers gripe about prices all the time. This company paid for the NASCAR license and had devlopers working for them. They have to cover their costs. If they don't get a profit, then they can't reinvest in improving the game, and there's no incentive to do what they do. I've dealt with the same thing, as everyone wants something for free and wants the business to foot the bill.