Monthly Archives: February 2011

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Nascar the game 2011 will go Unreleased in UK

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Eutechnyx looking into region-free release of NASCAR 2011 in the UK

Thanks activision…. Good thing I was just able to snag a cheap copy of EA’s last attempt at the license, NASCAR 09 to quench my thirst for the sport for the time being. The game is actually not bad, especially considering what I paid for it.

However, that doesn’t stop me being fed up at this news. There are multiple reasons this is happening. The first is that Activision aren’t willing to take any risks whatsoever, even on a small scale release. EA sold Nascar games in the UK, not to mention Madden NFL. Baseball games don’t come out here which is another travesty but that’s a topic for another day.

The second reason in my opinion is that because Brits are generally so hostile towards Nascar in mocking it’s supposed simplicity that only the most hardcore of fans will want to try it. It’s a great shame that people want to ruin it for the rest of us who appreciate all forms of racing, including the predominantly oval variety. Admittedly, I was one of the doubters at one time but when you grow up you realise that you are brainwashed into a certain way of thinking due to the culture.

The third and final reason I can think of that would cause Activision to not release the game here is because Gran Turismo 5 features Nascar, albeit to a fairly limited degree. You get only two tracks, even if they are the two most famous tracks. You also have access to pretty much all of the top drivers you could want.

Because fans here are very sceptical of the sport, they may not see the value in a standalone game as they don’t understand that the season takes place on many different tracks of varying shape and length. I agree to a point, but just from playing the 3 year old Nascar 09 I can clearly see the benefits a full game brings. An in-depth career mode, customisation and many more cars on the track at one time. You also have access to all of the Nascar divisions and can work your way up the ranks.

Apparently Eutechnyx, the ironically UK based developer working on the game are said to be thinking about a small scale distribution themselves if demand is high enough. They will also be making the game region-free so that UK Nascar fans will be able to import the title from the states. It’s not an ideal situation, but at least there will be some a way to play it if all else fails. This is all providing that the game is good and worth playing, which I really hope it is.

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Williams FW33 Final 2011 Livery

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Williams finally showed off their car in its final form today with the definite colour scheme it will sport for the 2011 season. Upon first glance, it isn’t a whole lot different from the last several years, but for several new details which harken back to the 1990s when the team was sponsored by Rothmans. It’s a cool retro look in a way, going along with the current trend of retro coming back, as seen with the Lotus Renault black and gold.

I generally have preferred the Williams cars of the past that have been more white than navy but this one is still a cool looking car. I suppose it makes sense for them to differentiate themselves from the rest of the field, and navy blue is the definitive colour of the team.

Sam Michael and the team are talking positively about the team’s chances this year. While they have some encouraging signs with how their car is designed, I’m reluctant to commit to any such thoughts myself until we’ve seen a few races. The issue is that every team always say that they’ll improve, but I just have this bad feeling that they will fall greatly short of these lofty aims.

After watching and loving the end of the Daytona 500 recently, it pains me to see how pitiful F1 continues to be in making teams as equally competitive as possible. Practically nothing is being done to ensure a level playing field. The closest F1 will ever get to a Trevor Bayne story is Lewis Hamilton’s immediate impact in 2007 but that was only because of his extraordinary talent and belief, and in no small part because he was raised in motorsport terms by McLaren.

Still, back to the subject, I think Williams should be better this year and you would assume they will stay ahead of Force India and the other midfield teams, by more than a single point this time too. Considering how many important members of staff Force India have lost to Team Lotus and Sauber, it’s hard to see how they can keep their development at a high enough level to challenge the Grove based team. Whether they can edge closer to Renault and Mercedes is less likely, but it would be a great story if they could do so.

This team is not lacking in funding and they need to put their money and brain-power to good use to get themselves back to where they should be, fighting for wins at the very least.