NASCAR Heat Evolution Review (PS4/XB1)

[SECElit3]

I spent a few hours with the game first night of release. I have mixed feelings about it. The graphics are the first thing that stand out to me as being sub-par in comparison with other NexGen games. I hope they can find a way to boost the Frame rate because 30 frames per second just doesn't get it in this day and age. The racing is great! I run simulation settings, full damage, and all flags.my biggest complaint with this game is that the physics seem off. The cars don't feel like they have any weight to them, and it seemed like the fastest way around the track was to coast through the turn. I didn't have to use my brake at all. Presentation is also lacking. Overall, it's solid for a first release from this developer, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I don't see it worth a AAA price tag. However, if you like NASCAR, and you can find it on black Friday or for around $30, it's a pretty good buy.

If I had the score this game on a 1-10 scale in its current state, I would give it a 5.5.


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[rcp225]

I have no idea what game other people are playin', but I have both PS4 and XB1 versions and to me the graphics are beautiful and the framerate is smooth as glass. Ya want nicer graphics and 64 fps, then go spend your big bucks on a power-house pc. And BTW, most framerate issues I'm hearin' are on the pc version, not the consoles. Now here's something I really don't get - a lot of people like me have said their favorite console nascar game was Nascar: Dirt to Daytona. Why was it (IMO) the best? Because for once the AI drivers were competent and competitive. NHE does it one better. You take the wrong line going into a turn at Kansas and your toast...the AI drivers will fly right by. You lose the draft going down a straightaway at Daytona or Talladega
and (depending on the difficulty mode your playin' on), you're probably not gonna catch the pack up ahead.
Nascar 15 was a joke. You start the race at the back of the pack, and in 2 or 3 laps you zoom past everyone. No blocking, no real drafting and most of all, you were never really punished for every little mistake. Most other nascar console games were sadly the same. For once, here's a game that got it right, or at the very least is headed in the right direction (no pun intended). That very fact should be celebrated. The rest of the bells and whistles that we'd all love to see will come. While I agree for the most part with this review, he mentions the AI drivers like it was a side note. A 6.5...really? The AI is not just an integral part of a nascar game, it's everything.
I believe Monster Games wants to get it right. I believe they will strive to improve the game in every way possible. As usual and as with most game releases. there are gamers out who literally can't wait to prove their manhood by trashin' the game. These same gearheads, mind you, have never sat in or drove a real nascar at 190 mph. Yet, somehow they're the ulimate expert on car physics. A quote will go something like this, "This game sucks. I Race sim mode on the highest difficulty setting and win every race by 10 seconds". Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it, you're the 2nd coming of Richard Petty. It is absolutely nausiating.

[jway44]

Quote: Originally Posted by rcp225

I have no idea what game other people are playin', but I have both PS4 and XB1 versions and to me the graphics are beautiful and the framerate is smooth as glass. Ya want nicer graphics and 64 fps, then go spend your big bucks on a power-house pc. And BTW, most framerate issues I'm hearin' are on the pc version, not the consoles. Now here's something I really don't get - a lot of people like me have said their favorite console nascar game was Nascar: Dirt to Daytona. Why was it (IMO) the best? Because for once the AI drivers were competent and competitive. NHE does it one better. You take the wrong line going into a turn at Kansas and your toast...the AI drivers will fly right by. You lose the draft going down a straightaway at Daytona or Talladega and (depending on the difficulty mode your playin' on), you're probably not gonna catch the pack up ahead. Nascar 15 was a joke. You start the race at the back of the pack, and in 2 or 3 laps you zoom past everyone. No blocking, no real drafting and most of all, you were never really punished for every little mistake. Most other nascar console games were sadly the same. For once, here's a game that got it right, or at the very least is headed in the right direction (no pun intended). That very fact should be celebrated. The rest of the bells and whistles that we'd all love to see will come. While I agree for the most part with this review, he mentions the AI drivers like it was a side note. A 6.5...really? The AI is not just an integral part of a nascar game, it's everything. I believe Monster Games wants to get it right. I believe they will strive to improve the game in every way possible. As usual and as with most game releases. there are gamers out who literally can't wait to prove their manhood by trashin' the game. These same gearheads, mind you, have never sat in or drove a real nascar at 190 mph. Yet, somehow they're the ulimate expert on car physics. A quote will go something like this, "This game sucks. I Race sim mode on the highest difficulty setting and win every race by 10 seconds". Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it, you're the 2nd coming of Richard Petty. It is absolutely nausiating.

We can definitely agree that the AI is awesome. However, the Xbox one graphic stuttering is atrocious. And you can see many videos that attest to such. Frame rate is the biggest complaint with this game. At times, it is ok. Other times, it freezes to a complete halt. If the game moved at a steady playable frame rate, I could get past the issues of it being a bare bones experience. I love the AI, and I love running long events with pit stops and all flags on. They did a decent job with a first effort game and we need to support the developer, but don't try to ignore the fact that the graphics are very subpar for this generation of consoles.

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[themetallikid]

Is there something in the settings that can be turned off to improve the framerate issues? I would rather have a smooth experience than whatever bell or whistle is causing the slow down.

I know sometimes you can turn something off to fix that. My copy shows up today or tomorrow...so just thinking out loud...well...thinking via typing.

[rcp225]

Quote: Originally Posted by jway44

We can definitely agree that the AI is awesome. However, the Xbox one graphic stuttering is atrocious. And you can see many videos that attest to such. Frame rate is the biggest complaint with this game. At times, it is ok. Other times, it freezes to a complete halt. If the game moved at a steady playable frame rate, I could get past the issues of it being a bare bones experience. I love the AI, and I love running long events with pit stops and all flags on. They did a decent job with a first effort game and we need to support the developer, but don't try to ignore the fact that the graphics are very subpar for this generation of consoles. Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

As far as the graphics go, let's just agree to disagree. For every Youtube video or review I've seen, it's probably 50-50. Some are saying the graphics are great, while others are saying it's disappointing. As for me, I don't really play a lot of racing games on PS4 or XB1, so I don't have much to compare it to. But, I'll give ya this - compared to project cars, and some of the other racers, I would agree, the cars and surroundings are not nearly as stunning...and I can understand some of the disappointment. As far as XB1 framerates, I have been playing nonstop and so far I haven't had any issues like slowdown or freeze-ups. I don't know why but I'm being honest here. But, from one gamer to another, I know you're not making it up either. So I guess sooner or later, I'll see the framerate issues you're talkin' about. Let's just hope the developers support the game and continue to make improvements. One thing is for sure, I love the actual racing so far, but there are definitely several areas that could use some work. I heard the online racing is horrific. Have you tried it yet?

[jway44]

Quote: Originally Posted by rcp225

As far as the graphics go, let's just agree to disagree. For every Youtube video or review I've seen, it's probably 50-50. Some are saying the graphics are great, while others are saying it's disappointing. As for me, I don't really play a lot of racing games on PS4 or XB1, so I don't have much to compare it to. But, I'll give ya this - compared to project cars, and some of the other racers, I would agree, the cars and surroundings are not nearly as stunning...and I can understand some of the disappointment. As far as XB1 framerates, I have been playing nonstop and so far I haven't had any issues like slowdown or freeze-ups. I don't know why but I'm being honest here. But, from one gamer to another, I know you're not making it up either. So I guess sooner or later, I'll see the framerate issues you're talkin' about. Let's just hope the developers support the game and continue to make improvements. One thing is for sure, I love the actual racing so far, but there are definitely several areas that could use some work. I heard the online racing is horrific. Have you tried it yet?

I tried one room of online racing yesterday. It was at Martinsville, and there were 15 people competing. As soon as the green flag dropped, guys were running into each other, turning around and driving the wrong way, etc. It was ridiculous. I only tried that one time, and immediately went back to my season mode.
That being said, I have had some real fun in season mode. I've been running with the AI at +2%, and I've qualified for both races in mid pack. Ran 81 laps at Atlanta and loved every second of it. I also run at gas/tire wear at +3%, so in an 81 lap race I had to stop 3 times for fuel and came up one 1/4 lap short and ran out of gas. Was running 7th and coasted to a 12th place finish. I wasn't even mad. It was that good. And, there were 3 cautions during the race all caused by the AI. This game has SO much potential. Hopefully they will continue to support it going forward. I really have been waiting all generation of this console to get some NASCAR racing going, and I'd like for it to continue with solid support.

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[Turbojugend]

Quote: Originally Posted by themetallikid

Is there something in the settings that can be turned off to improve the framerate issues? I would rather have a smooth experience than whatever bell or whistle is causing the slow down. I know sometimes you can turn something off to fix that. My copy shows up today or tomorrow...so just thinking out loud...well...thinking via typing.

There's nothing you can do about the framerate, no visual filters or effects to remove. And this usually isn't something that can easily be fixed with a patch, although Assetto Corsa just announced a patch that will smooth out that game's framerate, so fingers crossed.

The frustrating thing about it is you can see they were sooo close. Race a few practice laps at Kansas and you'll see a game that wants to be 60fps, it looks really good. But throw a full pack on the track, or -- God forbid -- hit a wall, and things get nasty real quick. A few more months of production time and they might have nailed 60fps on consoles, it's hard to say at this point.

The good news is that the overall racing experience is actually pretty good once you get things dialed in to your liking. A couple of days in and I'm okay with this game.

[jway44]

I'm really guessing that we will get a patch soon. The game is too good not to get some upgraded support.

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