Popular NASCAR racers and cars are busting out of the oval stadium and racing out in the wild with NASCAR Unleashed. Take your favorite drivers on the open road in this crash and bash arcade racer available on all current popular game consoles (Wii version reviewed here).

NASCAR Unleashed is a pretty standard arcade racer. Controls are simple, just gas, steer, brake, boost, and drift. You can use the Wii remote only or with the nunchuck attachment, or the Classic Controller. You may start out on an oval track, but soon you’ll be out on the open road on dirt, sand, and pavement for a one of a kind NASCAR race.

As you drive, your boost meter will fill up depending on how much you draft behind another car, or drift in a turn. When the meter is full, you can kick in the nitro for some extra speed. You’ll earn points based on your performance in the race, as well as how many challenges you complete. During the three laps, a challenge will pop up, like crash a certain number of cars, drift a number of times, etc. If you pass the challenge, you’ll earn extra bonus points. Your points unlock new cars, drivers, and other goodies.

NASCAR Unleashed places an emphasis on aggressive driving and crashing. You’ll get bonus points and complete certain challenges by smashing into other racers. If you completely crash a car, you’ll create a rival who will drive more aggressively. But if you get hit, you can earn some payback bonus points by crashing the car that got you. Just make sure to slip into the pits when you take too much damage!

The game features cup races, time trials, quick races, and split screen multiplayer. While the game doesn’t do anything particularly great, NASCAR fans who want a quick arcade race fix may enjoy this one anyway.

Kid Factor:

NASCAR Unleashed is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Violence. You crash and explode cars, but that’s it. Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, and younger gamers might get frustrated at the difficulty. But because of its simplicity, it’s probably one of the better NASCAR games for kids.

Tags: Game Reviews