NASCAR The Game: Inside Line

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NASCAR The Game: Inside Line
NASCAR The Game Inside Line cover.jpg
Cover art for Xbox 360 version showing Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Developer(s) Eutechnyx [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Activision
Series NASCAR , NASCAR The Game
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
ReleasePlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
  • NA: 6 November 2012 [2]
Microsoft Windows
Genre(s) Auto racing, Sim racing, Arcade, Racing

NASCAR The Game: Inside Line is the second edition of the NASCAR The Game racing simulator series, and the sequel to NASCAR The Game: 2011 . Developed by Eutechnyx and published in the United States by Activision, it was released for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 on 6 November 2012. A PC version for Windows was released in July 2013 entitled NASCAR The Game: 2013. All the 23 Sprint Cup Series race tracks are featured in the game, with the addition of various Cup Series drivers, teams and cars. [2] The game's cover features NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. his first cover since NASCAR Thunder 2003. [4] [5]

Contents

This is also the fourth and final NASCAR game for the Wii, after NASCAR Kart Racing , NASCAR The Game: 2011 and NASCAR Unleashed .

Gameplay

Features

NASCAR The Game: Inside Line is the second game relating to NASCAR from Eutechnyx. One of the features is a more in-depth career mode which allows players to race in the Cup series, attract new sponsorships and upgrade their car's components. [2] The career mode, as well as the online mode, also includes more realistic race weekends. [2] All of the 23 tracks as well as many Sprint Cup Series drivers, teams and cars is included in the game. [2] [6] The voices of Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip from NASCAR on Fox are featured during pre-race cutscenes. [7] Former crew chief and NASCAR on ESPN analyst Ray Evernham is also featured during the garage setup scenes. [7]

As with the first two Wii NASCAR games, Kart Racing and The Game: 2011, the Wii version of Inside Line leverages the Wii Remote's versatility and motion controls and legacy support of GameCube controllers to offer multiple control schemes.

A.I. and animations

For the game-controlled cars in single-player mode, the developers used positional and telemetry data recorded by NASCAR during races as well as driver performance statistics to replicate the real-life racing styles of the drivers. This includes bump drafting initiated by the A.I. cars. [7] [8] Like in other NASCAR games, pit stops were replicated using motion capture of real-life pit crew members. [9]

Gen 6 cars

The Generation 6 Cars were included in downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, updating the game for the 2013 season. The cars were expected to be released for play sometime around the time of the Daytona 500 in February, [10] but due to an issue while trying to release an update, they were not fully revealed until 31 March and released on 2 April. The DLC was not free, requiring the purchase of individual schemes or the Season Pass. [11] Certain schemes were released for free late in the season for a week's time after the driver scored a victory. There were no more Generation 6 paint schemes due to technical issues.

Windows version

Eutechnyx made NASCAR The Game: 2013, an optimized version of NASCAR The Game: Inside Line developed for Microsoft Windows. [12] The game was the first officially licensed PC NASCAR game since NASCAR SimRacing in 2005. The Windows version was released in July 2013.

Like the console DLC, the PC version features the Gen-6 cars from the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and updated 2013 season roster of drivers. Eutechnyx released for-purchase DLC packs that added over 80 additional paint schemes in September. [13]

Reception

Game Informer praised the game for the improvements it made over the last entry, stating, Inside Line is a step up from its predecessor in every way, but it falls short of being a winner. [18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to Wii by Brain in a Jar [1]

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References

  1. ↑ "Previous titles". Brain in a Jar. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line Confirmed List". Activision Publishing and Eutechnyx. Activision. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "Steam Store".
  4. ↑ Official Release (25 May 2012). "VOTE GIVES FANS SAY IN NASCAR VIDEO GAME COVER". nascar.com . Daytona Beach, Florida: NASCAR . Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Nate (21 August 2012). "Guess who fans voted to NASCAR video game's cover". usatoday.com . Charlotte, North Carolina: USA Today . Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (17 May 2012). "Nascar The Game: Inside Line racing this fall". News editor. GameSpot. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Davis, Ryan; Caravella, Vinny (19 July 2012). "Nascar The Game: Inside Line Gameplay". youtube.com . Giant Bomb . Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  8. ↑ Nealon, Ben (10 September 2012). "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line - Dev Diary #1 - Inside the A.I." youtube.com . NASCAR The Game TV. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line - Dev Diary #2 - Pit Stops". youtube.com . NASCAR The Game TV. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (31 January 2013). "NASCAR THE GAME: INSIDE LINE DLC ON THE WAY". ign.com . IGN . Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "'NASCAR THE GAME: INSIDE LINE' DLC IS NOW AVAILABLE ON 360 & PS3". eutechnyx.com . Eutechnyx. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  12. ↑ Sykes, Tom (12 June 2013). "NASCAR The Game 2013 announced, coming this summer from Eutechnyx". pcgamer.com . PC Gamer . Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "NASCAR The Game: 2013 - Paint Scheme DLC Teaser". YouTube . NASCAR The Game. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  15. ↑ "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  17. ↑ Kato, Matthew (5 November 2012). "NASCAR the Game: Inside Line Review - Eutechnyx Keeps Working On This Car". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Kato, Matthew. "NASCAR the Game: Inside Line Review - Eutechnyx Keeps Working On This Car". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
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