NASCAR 2005: Chase for Cup for Xbox Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This year's game brought some really interesting stuff to the table. You start the game by racing against Ryan Newman in a street race. You, then, create your own profile. The game includes the Alliance/Rivalry feature from last year's game. You can build alliances with drivers by sharing your draft with them, and in THIS year's game, you can take it one step further with the intimidator feature. Using this feature, you can now get right up behind another driver, and in many cases, cause them to lose control of their car.
The way Thunder Plates are unlocked is great. In previous games, Thunder Plates were unlocked (at random) by simply completing Lightning Challenges. This year, you can actually BUY Thunder Plates. Thunder Plates are purchased with skill points. You earn skill points by accomplishing certain tasks (such as making 5 allies in one race or making 5 rivals in one race), or by playing Lightning Challenges. You can also earn skill points by simply racing. You get 5 points for every second you lead the race, 7 for every second you're sharing your draft with another driver, 7 when you're intimidating another driver, 12 for every time you make a clean pass, and even more if you start out farther back in the pack and make it into the top 5 and, of course, 1st place.
The game also includes last year's Speedzone Challenge. This mode is great for brushing up on your various skills. The different challenges include drafting, passing, blocking, and more.
In addition to Nextel Cup racing, you will find the Craftsman Truck series, Busch series (referred to as "NASCAR National series"), and even the Modified series. The game also includes production cars and allows for some street racing.
There are also fantasy road courses in the game from last year. The Docks, Devil's Canyon, and New York are just a few.
The controls for NASCAR 2005 are also a lot smoother and more forgiving. It almost seemed as though in last year's game, one would find themselves very dependent on driving assists. In this year's game, making mistakes won't cost you the race.
Graphically, 2005 is overall impressive. The framerate is, however, more varied. Going down the back stretch, you will find the framerate is very solid, and very smooth (even when the rear view mirror is on). Going into the turns and a few other random spots, you will find the framerate drops drastically. Also, reviving one feature from Thunder 2002, when you start a night race, you will see the sun setting in an orange sky. By the end of the race, even on 8%, you will see the sky is totally dark.
Now, the bad news and the reason I give the game 4 stars instead of 5. If I could, I would actually give this game 3.5 stars. Anyway, NASCAR 2005 is missing quite a few drivers. Even in the Nextel series, Jeremy Mayfield and Ken Schrader are missing! Pocono Raceway is missing! As mentioned by someone else, there are several Busch and Craftsman drivers missing. That truly takes something away from the game. Another thing is the ability to create a new car and create a name for each driver of each created car. Whatever info you use to create your profile in Fight to the Top mode will be the info applied to every car you create.
Overall, this year's game isn't bad. With all the extra modes, the game's playability will stay longer. However, hardcore NASCAR fans will be disappointed to see drivers and tracks missing.

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NASCAR 2005: Chase For The Cup lets you feel the action, on and off the track. Develop your racing skills and intimidate your rivals -- then watch as fans react to the drama. Become a superstar owner or driver in Fight To The Top Mode, and become the top driver that NASCAR teams are looking for. Chase For The Cup is a thrilling 10-race championship shootout involving the new NASCAR point system, for all-new chances to show the owners and sponsors what you can do. New Create-A-Driver puts you inside the world of NASCAR -- create your own team colors and designs, customize your body and racing gear Go up against 4 different racers at once, for a new level of online racing