A solid racing sim that won't get the credit it deserves.
I must say I'm a bit disappointed graphically. Now let me be clear, Nascar 09 is a good looking game, it's just now jaw-dropping good. In fact, the graphics are mostly unchanged from last year, except for slightly better lighting and a bit cleaner look.
Where 09 is light years ahead of 08 is in it's Race for the Sprint Cup mode, where you start by customizing your own vehicle (which is outstanding) and picking sponsors and contracts. You start as a rookie on the circuit, and as your reputation improves, your car runs better and you get to pick better sponsors and contracts. You can also race an entire season with any of the real Nascar drivers.
The presentation is helped along by the real life Jeff Gordon. This is done incredibly well. The menus are clean and easy to navigate.
On the track, you now can choose pro style or normal driving mode. Pro style is similar to last year, while normal is much more forgiving. Overall, the driving is smoother and not as sensitive as 08.
There are two three areas where I will hammer this game. EA continues to have the ESPN liscence, yet it does nothing with it in the presentation. I mean, nothing!! I would like to have an in-studio prerace show or something of that nature. AS it is , you just simply start racing. Also, EA continues to make pit stops totally optional and unnecessary. That's absurd when pit stops are so crucial in real racing. Finally, while the computer driver AI is noticably better, it still isn't that great. EA must find a way for your opponants to be smarter than this.
Overall, I still think Nascar 09 is much better than 08, as it's driving is much better and the career mode is outstanding. Critics will still hammer it, but that's not fair. I'd recommend giving this title a chance if you didn't like 08. You may be suprised how much better it is.