PlayStation 2

NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona

NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona bowled me over with its addictive gameplay, lengthy and exciting career mode, and visceral sense of size and speed. I’m not an avid NASCAR enthusiast or anything but I’d be willing to bet that fans of the sport will find a lot to like about this one. There does seem to be a lack of featured professional racers, though all the big names are in attendance. But despite the franchise to which this game is attached it proves to be a simulation racing game that is not only worth playing but also deserving of our coveted Editor’s Choice award.

Designed to give you the big picture while also providing the details, Monster Games' From Dirt to Daytona offers a good, workmanlike visual experience. For instance, the racetrack is littered with details. The crowds are various and the stands and polygonal structures also change from race to race. The roads are textured with a great variety of color and patterning. Lucky spectators stand inside the track behind their SUVs and trucks watching the race, and loads of team trailers and all kinds of equipment fill in the rest. Nothing stands out as spectacular, but they're all solid, contextual details.

Ultimately, Dirt to Daytona is a sound NASCAR simulation with one of the most robust career modes of any driving game to date. Its relative lack of licensed drivers and overly forgiving damage model might put off some of the more hard-core followers of this sport, but it shouldn't. Its career mode more than makes up for any perceived shortcomings by offering endless hours of play. Even if you bought last year's NASCAR Heat 2002, you owe it to yourself to check out Dirt to Daytona.

There isn’t all that much to NASCAR’s sound, however. There’s only a couple music themes that play on menu screens, which is a very NASCAR-ish…ahem…southern sound to it. On the track you don’t have any music; instead you have your pit crew guy barking out tidbits of information and generally sounding like he’d rather be watching the NFL or something. Other effects like the sounds of engines roaring and cheering crowds are nice, but canned and sound the same for every car. There’s really nothing quite spectacular about it, but it’s not completely horrible either.