Metacritic Games

NASCAR Heat 2002 (Playstation 2)

A blend of arcade and simulation games, 2002's edition of Heat features Championship Race, Beat-the-Heat, and Race-the-Pro modes utilizing 25 Winston Cup drivers (including Gordon, Wallace, Bobby Labonte) and 19 real-world NASCAR tracks.

Infogrames
Racing
Players: 2
E (Everyone)
Developer: Monster Games, Inc.
Released June 21, 2001

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

81 / 100

Critic Reviews

90 GamePro
Until we see how well EA Sports’ "NASCAR Thunder 2002" turns out, NASCAR Heat is the stock-car game to beat.
89 Gamezilla!
No matter which mode you choose, hours of adrenaline-pumping, white-knuckle racing will be at your fingertips. The developers did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of NASCAR racing.
88 Sports Gaming Network
If you can handle the twitchy racing style of the expert mode, the tuning options are numerous. The game features a good damage model, and the support of the Logitech force feedback wheel adds to the realism of the game.
85 Happy Puppy
The finest NASCAR racer to hit any console--setting a new standard that EA will have to follow.
85 Electric Playground
It does have some issues, like the damage modeling, that keep it from being the ultimate hardcore simulation, but as a challenging arcade game this one certainly deserves a test drive.
83 Gaming Age
This is easily a title no fan of the sport will want to be without. And it may very well make you a fan in the meantime.
81 IGN
EA Sports' "NASCAR Thunder 2002" might give it a run for its money when it's released, but for the time being, Heat is simply the best.
80 Maxim Online
NASCAR Heat is more than a grueling simulation, it’s a grease monkey’s wet dream come true.
80 GamePen
The one category where this game stands above others is the physics and controls.
78 GameSpot
It will probably appeal more to the less hard-core racing fan and to those who can ignore the game's slim damage model.
75 GamerWeb Sony
NASCAR fans will find this title exhilarating and well simulated, and will really sink their teeth into the advanced controls and tune-up options.
75 Electronic Gaming Monthly
This is, hands down, the best game for oval-track racing fans. [Sept 2001, p.145]
70 PSX Nation
Though not the ultimate representation of the sport we are still awaiting, the game gets the action through and should satisfy most fans with its packed gameplay. Definitely worth a look.
67 Game Revolution
While it is to some degree better than "Nascar 2001," in many ways it is almost the same game (aside from the new foil cover). It features the same oval tracks, same types of cars and the same types of options.

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