NASCAR’ 15 Victory Edition Review

Nascar 15 Victory Edition Review Screenshot 1

I admit that I haven’t played any of the Nascar games before. It’s just not my cup of tea. NASCAR’ 15 Victory Edition for the PS3 is actually a decent driving game. There is no plot or story to the game. It is very easy and straight forward. It features real Nascar drivers, real Nascar tracks, and it gave me a glimpse into what Nascar is like.

This is the victory edition of the game. It’s basically an updated version of Nascar ’15. It has updated tracks, previously released patches of Nascar ’15 will be included in the game and improved multiplayer options. If you already have Nascar ’15 the victory edition is available as a free update. Another thing this new updated version has  36 previously released DLC paint schemes. There is also the addition of another driver Bubba Wallace in the Cheez-It car and for the first time ever, Brad Keselowski’s MillerCoors schemes (available to players ages 21+). This Nascar game is a decent driving game at best. It’s not the best driving game I ever played but not the worst either.

Nascar 15 Victory Edition Review Screenshot 2

The graphics are pretty good, and the cars look like the real thing. Even though the game is last gen it doesn’t look outdated. The tracks, ads, sparks when you hit the wall of the track, crowds, etc. all look exactly like how they would if you were watching Nascar on a Sunday. I loved the different camera views. Driving from a first person view was my favorite way to drive. I found driving that way was the most fun because you get a taste of what Nascar drivers see in real life.  I like that on the left of the screen you see a mini map of the track, above you is a mini screen showing you  who is behind you, and on the right is current standings.

You can play in career mode, single player, multiplayer, paint mode, and my Nascar. I know that the options were pretty much the same in the previous version Nascar ’14. I also know that some fans are disappointed with this version because there wasn’t any drastic changes in some areas of the game.  As a player who has not played previous versions of the game, what I saw from Nascar ’15 Victory Edition was pretty decent. I liked career mode the best because you get to drive alongside famous Nascar drivers like Jeff Gordon. The controls were easy and not complicated. I played this on the PS3 and having a controller really helps.  You can also practice before each race which came in handy for me because I was able to get used to each track. In Multiplayer there is the inevitable lag as it’s a peer-to-peer multiplayer game. As such, it is subject to the weakest connection among the multiplayer racers in other words, if one (or more) of the racers has a bad connection, everyone else if going to be impacted by that. The developer has done all they can to tweak multiplayer but it is based on the same technology as previous games.

Nascar 15 Victory Edition Review Screenshot 3

What I didn’t like was that it is very difficult to pass by anyone on a track. It’s basically pack driving on each track. You basically have to ram into people in order to pass them. The only hope you have of passing by anyone is if they stop to change tires. Another thing that frustrated me was handling.  Handling could have been a lot better. It felt like you were driving a boat and even just driving straight was a challenge. The handling was very unresponsive. If you maintain a decent speed and don’t drive too fast you will do ok. Then that means you might not win the race and that is the whole point in the game is to win. After awhile I found the game repetitive and boring. It was basically the same thing on every track. To be honest, I think it is more fun to play racing games like Need for Speed than this one.

NASCAR’ 15 Victory Edition isn’t exactly very challenging or very difficult. You don’t need to be a Nascar fan or hardcore racing gamer to enjoy the game. People of all ages can play and just enjoy it.  It is easy to get into and play. There are tutorials along the way to help you figure things out.  After awhile I did lose interest in the game because it was too straight forward, didn’t stand out compared to other racing games, and was just too dull for my taste. It isn’t a bad racing game and is pretty decent. It just doesn’t stand out as much as it could have. NASCAR ’15 is a season update with a lot of polish and fixes. But it’s not an all-new simulation game… it’s a polished season update for $20.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 3 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Get the latest game reviews, news, features, and more straight to your inbox