Developer Eutechnyx is quickly becoming one of the most well known companies in the racing video games industry. The developer started their recent dominance with the free-to-play title Auto Club Revolution and NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. Eutechnyx then followed up the success of these two titles by releasing NASCAR: The Game 2013 and its DLC later available exclusively on Steam. Each game offered a unique take on the racing world including street races and professional organizations, and their new title, NASCAR: Redline, takes a look at the world of NASCAR with a focus on strategic gameplay elements this time around. The result is a fun new title that racing fans should definitely check out on iOS.
NASCAR: Redline allows players to enjoy the exciting action of a NASCAR race from a strategic point of view. Rather than racing a car around the track, players mostly take a backseat ride for the race while carefully managing pit stops, how aggressively to drive and the upgrades needed for vehicles. NASCAR: Redline offers multiple ways to play and features real NACAR drivers and the official tracks from the Sprint Cup Series to make it an authentic experience for race fans, and the game is the only official NASCAR games available on iOS devices.
There are two ways to play in NASCAR: Redline that includes Career and Season modes. Career allows players to begin a new career as a rookie driver. NASCAR: Redline's Career mode lasts all the way through an official NASCAR season to allow players to see if they can climb the ranks and win the Sprint Cup Championship. Season mode is similar only with the player choosing from one of the many official NASCAR drivers included in the game to manage. Some of the drivers featured in NASCAR: Redline include Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick, and real life sponsors and car brands such as Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford are included in the game to keep it as real to action as possible.
During races, players will control when pit stops are made, what parts of the vehicle will be worked on and so forth. Players also control their driver's tendencies during the race such as how aggressive they driver, though being more aggressive will make the car run through gas faster and make tread wear off on tires quicker as well. More strategy becomes involved with each new race and the different tracks in the game. All 23 official NASCAR Sprint Cup locations are included in the game, and players will need to know the difference between each and how they affect performance of vehicles. Carefully managing the tires, gas, aggressiveness and pit stops with drivers in NASCAR: Redline is incredibly addictive and is a unique idea not seen in many other racing titles.
During races, events will trigger that require the player to perform well in a mini-game in order to pull ahead of another driver or avoid a wreck. These events forces the player to take control of the vehicle and manage both pedals and the wheel to stay within a designated area for a certain amount of time. The game isn't too difficult to complete successfully, though it can take a few tries to learn how it works the first time you try it out. The action events are a bit more complicated than quick time events in most console games of today only with touch controls, so it doesn't take too long to adjust to these events, plus the events look pretty awesome when crossing the finish line for the win.
Races can be sped along for players that don't want to wait around for 400-500 laps at a slower pace. Once a good strategy is in place, the race results will be sped up until the player is needed during a pit stop or to change strategies. Of course, time can also be slowed for new players or to think out a new strategy in the middle of a race. Thanks to this great feature, races in NASCAR: Redline can last as long as an hour or two or as little 10-15 minutes if you rush through everything.
Completing races will earn the player experience points to level and attain new unlockables and E-Bucks to purchase new upgrades, parts and more. Cars and their engines can be modified outside of races, and the E-Bucks earned during races are used here to trick out the engine with new pistons, chassis and more, or other parts on the car can be upgraded including the brakes and transmission. Each race will give awards based on the player's performance during the race, but it's possible to use a retry to attempt the race again if something goes wrong. There are a limited number of retries available in the game, but additional ones can be purchased with E-Bucks as well. Players that wish to speed up the entire process can purchase additional E-Bucks in-game to get upgrades and unlockables quicker while saving some precious time.
For an iOS title, NASCAR: Redline is a pretty impressive work. The game has decent graphics and sound design that won't make the player feel as though their at Pocono or Bristol, but it is comparable to watching races live on television. The controls for the game are good and utilize touch screen interface to make quickly cycling through the various strategic options available to the player quick and efficient. Throughout the game, players will have assistance from their Crew Chief, Ray Evernham. The game does crash sometimes, and this can be really frustrating when it occurs during longer races, but usually editing some of the settings on your iOS device will easily solve any problems with the game. NASCAR: Redline has a solid presentation that makes it a good purchase for only $4.99 on iTunes.
NASCAR: Redline is a great choice for race fans that want to capture the action of NASCAR in their mobile device. Eutechnyx has created another great racing game with this new release, and fans can be sure they're getting their money's worth with hours of gameplay. The game is authentic to the NASCAR experience and features unique gameplay that is revolutionary in design and extremely entertaining in execution. NASCAR: Redline is a game that isn't just about the racing, and yet, the game is one of the more entertaining NASCAR releases in some time. Check out NASCAR: Redline only on iTunes today!
NASCAR: Redline is now available to purchase exclusively for iOS and can be purchased for $4.99. NASCAR: Redline has been rated appropriate for ages 4+. For more information or to purchase NASCAR: Redline, check it out in the official iTunes Store.
Game Features:
Single Player
Career and Season Modes
Real World Drivers, Tracks and Sponsors
Strategic Gameplay
In-Game Purchases
Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: Eutechnyx
Available exclusively for iPhone & iPad (reviewed)
Release Date: October 3, 2013
Score: 7 out of 10
ZergNet