Of all the EA Sports franchises, the NASCAR series is getting the biggest overhaul this year with NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup. While the PC version has been delayed till next year and is being overhauled for the diehard realism fans of the genre desire, the console versions have also been reworked significantly.

NASCAR: Chase for the Cup isn't going to be the same, old NASCAR game. Check it out. Click the stream option for a larger view. The changes will be noticed the instant you drop the game into your console for the first time. Instead of a start menu, you'll be dropped straight into a prologue street race against NASCAR driver Ryan Newman. If you can beat him (and it'll be relatively easy, because EA wants to ease you into the game), Newman will then call your in-game cell phone, inviting you to join his modified racing team. From that point, you'll work your way up the NASCAR racing circuit to the big leagues.

By starting you off on the modified racing circuit, the designers can work in a gradual learning curve that will acclimate you to race car driving. Modified cars are wider than average, and they feature fat tires, which means that they "stick" in the corners more easily than regular cars. This should alleviate some of the frustration that beginning gamers experience.

One new addition to this year's version of the game is the "Intimidator" feature, which was given its moniker based on the late Dale Earnhardt's nickname. When you race, you'll earn and lose points based on your driving style. If you pass someone cleanly, you'll earn skill points, but if you hit someone or brush against the wall, you'll lose points. These points will be used to unlock new features, but they'll also be used to help calculate your Intimidator score. Basically, NASCAR fans adore their heroes, but they also love their villains. If you have a clean and effective racing style--and if you win a lot--you'll become a hero. But if you like to bump your opponents and race dirty, you'll be a villain.

This comes into play when you "draft" behind another car, which involves coming up behind another driver and then staying immediately in his car's trailing air pocket, thus reducing the air resistance (drag) you encounter. This provides the added benefit of conserving both power and fuel for you as you remain tucked-in behind your "lead." If you're a clean driver, the driver you're following won't worry, and you can easily follow him. However, if you have an intimidating reputation, the driver ahead of you will see you in his rearview mirror and will start to panic. As a result, he'll slide around a bit, thus giving you an opportunity to blow past him.

In addition to the aforementioned Race to the Top mode, NASCAR 2005 will include all the modes from earlier versions, including the speedzone minigames, the lightning challenges, and the season mode. The season mode incorporates NASCAR's new Chase for the Cup playoff system, which should inject excitement into the final 10 races of the season.

EA is pushing the limits of the PS2 hardware by rendering up to 26 cars per track. That said, NASCAR 2005 looks better than its predecessors thanks to the improved lighting and art. EA Sports' Tiburon studio in Florida was one of the primary beneficiaries when Disney shut down its Orlando animation studio, because many Hollywood-level artists moved over to EA. Both the Xbox and PS2 versions will support four players online, and both versions will fill in the remaining 22 race slots with artificially intelligent drivers. The PS2 version will run over a dial-up modem, though it will scale-down the details and number of cars to compensate.

With NASCAR becoming more and more popular, EA has high hopes for NASCAR 2005. The console versions of the game will ship August 31.