NASCAR The Game: Inside Line
| NASCAR The Game: Inside Line | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for Xbox 360 version showing Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | |
| Developer(s) | Eutechnyx |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Series | NASCAR, NASCAR The Game |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows |
| Genre(s) | Auto racing, Sim racing, Arcade, Racing |
NASCAR The Game: Inside Line is the second edition of the NASCAR The Game racing simulator series, and the sequel to NASCAR The Game: 2011. Developed by Eutechnyx and published in the United States by Activision, it was released for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 on 6 November 2012. A PC version for Windows was released in July 2013 entitled NASCAR The Game: 2013. All the 23 Sprint Cup Series race tracks are featured in the game, with the addition of various Cup Series drivers, teams and cars.[1]
Gameplay
Features
NASCAR The Game: Inside Line is the second game relating to NASCAR from Eutechnyx. One of the features is a more in-depth career mode which allows players to race in the Cup series, attract new sponsorships and upgrade their car's components.[1] The career mode, as well as the online mode, also includes more realistic race weekends.[1] All of the 23 tracks as well as many Sprint Cup Series drivers, teams and cars is included in the game.[1][3] The voices of Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip from NASCAR on Fox are featured during pre-race and post-race cutscenes.[4] Former crew chief and NASCAR on ESPN analyst Ray Evernham is also featured during the garage setup scenes.[4]
A.I. and animations
For the game-controlled cars in single-player mode, the developers used positional and telemetry data recorded by NASCAR during races as well as driver performance statistics to replicate the real-life racing styles of the drivers. This includes bump drafting initiated by the A.I. cars.[4][5] Like in other NASCAR games, pit stops were replicated using motion capture of real-life pit crew members.[6]
Gen 6 cars
In early 2013, the Generation 6 Cars were announced as a downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, updating the game for the 2013 season. The cars were expected to be released for play sometime around the time of the Daytona 500 in February.[7] However, due to an issue while trying to release an update, they were not fully revealed until 31 March and released on 2 April. The DLC was not free, requiring the purchase of individual schemes or the Season Pass.[8] Certain schemes were released for free late in the season for a week's time after the driver scored a victory. On 19 October, the company officially announced that there will be no more Generation 6 paint schemes due to technical issues.
Windows version
On 12 June 2013, Eutechnyx announced NASCAR The Game: 2013, an optimized version of NASCAR The Game: Inside Line developed for Microsoft Windows.[9] The game was the first officially licensed PC NASCAR game since NASCAR SimRacing in 2005. Shortly after the game’s announcement, it was made available for early access beta testing through pre-order via Steam. The game was tuned and tweaked in line with key player feedback and was officially released in late July.
Like the console DLC, the PC version features the Gen-6 cars from the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and updated 2013 season roster of drivers. In September 2013, Eutechnyx released for-purchase DLC packs that would add over 80 additional paint schemes.[10] The Windows game includes online multi-player as well as AI competition.
Drive For The Cover
In May 2012, Eutechnyx announced the Drive For The Cover tournament to determine the cover driver. It was a 32 driver bracketed tournament that matched drivers in pairs for fans to vote on Facebook for their favorites.[11] The winner, announced in mid-August, was NASCAR's most popular driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who beat teammate Kasey Kahne in the final round.[12]
Drivers featured
In addition to series regulars, both the 2012 and 2013 seasons featured part-time drivers as field fillers. The 2013 season also featured several inaccuracies in drivers and paint schemes.
- Travis Pastrana – featured as the #6 Roush Fenway Racing driver in the 2013 version (replacing Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.), despite never having made a Cup Series start.
- Sam Hornish, Jr. – replaced A.J. Allmendinger in the #22 Penske Racing Dodge in 2012 (as in real life). He was to have been included in the 12 Penske Dodge, as seen in trailers.[4]
- Robby Gordon – Gordon's Robby Gordon Motorsports team was carried over into the 2013 version as the #07 Ford (previously the #7 Dodge), even though he ran no races that season.
- Austin Dillon – Dillon's part-time entry was featured in the game, replacing the Circle Sport entry that 2012 Rookie of the Year Stephen Leicht ran most of the season.
- Dave Blaney – Blaney's 2013 console scheme erroneously used Robby Gordon's #7 logo from 2012.
- David Reutimann and Travis Kvapil – the 2012 BK Racing schemes were carried over into the 2013 console DLC.
Soundtrack
Source:[13]
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| "Like I Roll" | Black Stone Cherry |
| "Itchin' on a Photograph" | Grouplove |
| "Rock Show" | Halestorm |
| "Last One Standing" | Simple Plan |
| "Now" | Staind |
| "Afterlife" | Switchfoot |
| "Goldrushed" and "In the End" | The Royal Concept |
| "Feeling Good" | The Sheepdogs |
| "My Hometown" | Uncle Kracker |
| "Gettin' Home" | Simplified |
| "Victim of Circumstance" | In Transformation |
| "Bridges" | Transparent |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line Confirmed List". Activision Publishing and Eutechnyx. Activision. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ http://store.steampowered.com/app/225220
- ↑ Makuch, Eddie (17 May 2012). "Nascar The Game: Inside Line racing this fall". News editor. GameSpot. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Davis, Ryan; Caravella, Vinny (July 19, 2012). "Nascar The Game: Inside Line Gameplay". youtube.com. Giant Bomb. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ Nealon, Ben (September 10, 2012). "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line - Dev Diary #1 - Inside the A.I.". youtube.com. NASCAR The Game TV. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line - Dev Diary #2 - Pit Stops". youtube.com. NASCAR The Game TV. October 15, 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (31 January 2013). "NASCAR THE GAME: INSIDE LINE DLC ON THE WAY". ign.com. IGN. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ "'NASCAR THE GAME: INSIDE LINE' DLC IS NOW AVAILABLE ON 360 & PS3". eutechnyx.com. Eutechnyx. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ Sykes, Tom (12 June 2013). "NASCAR The Game 2013 announced, coming this summer from Eutechnyx". pcgamer.com. PC Gamer. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ "NASCAR The Game: 2013 - Paint Scheme DLC Teaser". YouTube. NASCAR The Game. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ Official Release (25 May 2012). "VOTE GIVES FANS SAY IN NASCAR VIDEO GAME COVER". nascar.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: NASCAR. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ Ryan, Nate (21 August 2012). "Guess who fans voted to NASCAR video game's cover". usatoday.com. Charlotte, North Carolina: USA Today. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line Soundtrack". NASCAR The Game. Retrieved 30 April 2013.