First off, the cars in the game all look amazing! They look so smooth and detailed that it's hard to describe them besides the fact that they look like FMV's on the original Playstation's games. Jawdropping! The animation is incredibly fluid, and goes by at a very fast framerate, and looks very realistic. Unfortunately, when damage to cars occurs, things don't look nearly as realistic as they should be. And the tracks just don't look very attractive, and don't look nearly as good as the cars. If everything looked as good as the cars in this game, you'd have the most attractive looking racing game EVER, but unfortunately not everything looks too great. Too bad.
The music in the game is extremely limited, with only a couple of mediocre songs, but the sound effects and voices really shine. The effects are extremely realistic, and greatly make the game experience more fun. And finally in a sports game, there is an announcer who doesn't wear out his welcome by talking to goddamn much! The announcer in this game provides interesting information and some cool comments, but doesn't repeat himself too much, and doesn't feel the need to talk constantly like other sports games announcers. And what a welcome change it is!
The gameplay is incredibly realistic, making an attempt to capture all the physics of racing as accurately as possible. The gameplay is very exciting, but gamers who don't really care about realistic physics may be annoyed by this game, because the controls are very sensitive, and quite unforgiving if you make a mistake in turning. The controls take a while to get used to, but once you do get a hang of them, you'll greatly appreciate how much work the developers have put into the control system. The game has 20 cars on the track at all times, which can take a while to learn how to maneuver around them, but once you get over the initial shock, it can be a great rush to race with 19 other vehicles!
There is a lot to like here for those who relish left turn after left turn. The one player mode is lots of fun, and the two-player mode is pretty cool too, and will keep you entertained for long after you beat the one player game. With its extremely sensitive controls and very complex physics system, Nascar 2001 definitely isn't for everyone. But if realism-based racers are your thing, you'll love it!
