Not to spoil things for Eutechnyx or Activision, but the lack of effort making this game anything other than pretty is apparent from the get-go… and it should be noted that “pretty” means better looking than previous NASCAR games.

The title of the game is misleading as the only thing that is 2011 about the game, besides it’s release date, is the spoiler on the back of the car which replaces the wing that adorned the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s “car of tomorrow” until the 2011 season. If changes occurred anywhere between the 2010 and 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons, don’t expect them to appear in NASCAR 2011 The Game. In cases like that of Kasey Kahne and Marcose Ambrose, the only thing right about them are their likenesses.

Where the accessibility of this game is concerned, it’s nothing special; everything that has become standard for current-gen racing games is both present and absent. Fully reconfigurable controls are present, driving assists are present, subtitling/captioning are absent, and the game can be seen.

Outside of accessibility, the game doesn’t do much to separate itself from the pack. Unless you’re a soon-to-be disappointed NASCAR fan that understands that there doesn’t need to be a driving force to get you from Daytona to Arizona, there probably won’t be anything to compel players to want to drive that next 500 miles. No starting a feud with “Bad” Brad Keselowski or Kyle “Rowdy” Busch. No flipping victory back-flips for Carl Edwards. Nothing. If it weren’t for drafting, Watkins Glen, and Infineon, the only thing players would have to look forward to is the next left turn.

Outside of races, the game is accessible to a certain point; thanks to the contrasting colors, menus are mostly easily read, though they could be bigger - their size isn’t really an issue, it would just be nice to not see a minimal interference approach taken on menus in an otherwise highly visible game.

The options menu isn’t anything to write home about, and almost not even something to write a paragraph about as when it comes time to choose a race to race, there are more options available there than there are in the options menu. As mentioned previously, NASCAR 2011 The Game does feature fully reconfigurable controls and driving assists such as: steering assistance, braking assistance, anti-lock braking, stability control, and traction control.

Career mode will be where the game gets the most miles; with a lackluster season mode and more attractive unlockable Invitational Events, the time players spend with this rental of a game will be better spent here than the just as broken online or split-screen multiplayer modes. More on that in paragraphs to come.

Starting a season in career mode will begin by showing a video that will inform players of the basics of racing. Again, there are no subtitles, but depending on familiarity with drafting and previous experience with racing games, subtitles may not be absolutely necessary which is not to say that subtitles are not needed.

After the video has run it’s course, or been skipped over, players will land on their first race, NASCAR’s biggest, the Daytona 500. Upon accepting the race, race setup will begin; first players can setup the race as they see fit with career skill (rookie, veteran, pro, custom), opponent difficulty (easy, medium, hard, very hard), race length (2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90,100%of the total distance of the race), tire wear and fuel consumption (on/off), tire & fuel factor (standard [1X], double, triple, MAX [4X]), damage (off, cosmetic, full), and whether or not caution flags fly. Upon accepting these conditions players will be asked whether to qualify for position or just go strait to the race. Upon accepting this, players will then be asked about the driving assists they’re interested in using. Players will be asked to do this over and over again for each of the thirty-six races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Everything is equal in NASCAR 2011 The Game; players won’t be penalized or put over for using or not using an assist, racing all 500 miles or having a 5-lap shoot-out.

Videos roll prior to every race in a season, and like the previous video, there are no subtitles, though they would be appreciated. Videos don’t serve any purpose other than bringing players up to speed on the tracks recent and in some cases not-so-recent history.

When the green flag has waved, players shouldn’t expect to see another flag fly until the white is displayed to signify the final lap regardless of what has happened during the race. Caution flags don’t fly when they should, black flags don’t fly when they should - rules are meant to be broken, and if players want to see a yellow flag wave, the best way to do so is to only turn right when they should only be turning left. It is a broken, and often distressing mechanic - especially when Danica Patrick, a driver who has not yet started a Spring Cup race pushes your car sideways down the front-stretch at Martinsville.

Driving assists may be another broken mechanic as it is hard to tell if some are actually there for any other purpose than to just pad the options menu.

In regard to visuals, NASCAR 2011 The Game is officially licensed, so visuals are very much like what could have been seen on TV last year and closely resemble what can be seen on TV in the 2011 season, so outside of the HUD there are no issues that should be brought to anyone’s attention.

Where the HUD runs into problems is that white is not always the most conducive color to visibility. Clouds and other low-contrast background items would make it seem like other colors, possibly player chose colors, would be of benefit as white is good for night races and a darker color may be more attractive and easier to see during a daytime race.

Drafting, possibly the best part of NASCAR 2011 The Game has it’s own red and green place at the top/center of the screen. As the draft players are involved in becomes stronger, the gauge turns from green to red signifying when it’s time to slingshot ahead of the car their drafting with. Also as the strength of the draft increases, audible tones can be heard to indicate that the draft is getting stronger. The draft-wave effect is also a good indicator - as the air travels over the car in front of the players car, it lengthens and envelopes the players car, this will not tell the player when it’s time to go, but the lines are distinctive enough to let the player know that they’re doing something right, and if that’s not enough, the players controller will also vibrate letting them know through physical feedback.

Due to my own visual difficulties I can’t say for sure whether the proximity radar that appears at the bottom/center of the screen is gray or green as I’m unable to differentiate between the two, but better safe than sorry. The proximity radar will let players know whether or not there is a car coming up behind them and where they should be to prevent a pass and loss of positions. Due to this being a licensed game, some cars do prominently feature red on the rear of the car. This may or may not be a problem for those with certain types of color-blindness. Also, depending on the camera view being used by players, this may be a disastrous place for the proximity radar to be - if players choose to use an in-car camera view, the proximity radar is in the midst of the dash amongst the steering and gauges.

With all that being said, and the race being done, when was the last time a driver was allowed to celebrate a victory by jumping around on the roof of the car? What about post-race inspections?

At A Glance

Mobility:
Fully reconfigurable controls.
Driving assists, though it is debatable how assistive they are. (-0.5 points)
Timed events. (-1 point)
Recommended score of 8 out of 10

Hearing:
No subtitles/captioning. (-1 point)
Good cues make up for lack of spotter captioning.
Recommended score of 9 out of 10

Visual:
Menus are easily seen.
Proximity radar is in a less-than desirable place on the HUD. (-1 point)
Color-blind players may have difficulty with some aspects of the HUD - draft-strength gauge and proximity radar. (-1 point)
Recommended score of 8 out of 10