Electronic Arts' Tiburon studio continues to evolve its NASCAR franchise, bring something fresh to the oval-racing sim each year. Last year, it was Grudges and Alliances, bringing more personality to the game, along with greater consequences for your actions. The '06 edition takes this concept to the next level with the first-ever squad based racing experience. Now, players can compete on a team level, communication via controller or voice command with other cars on a team to aid with drafting and blocking. Much like the action games that have popularized this control style, NASCAR 2006 will allow players to even swap cars during the race within the team. For example, with the DEI cars are leading the pack at Daytona, you don't have to just allow the computer controlled Michael Waltrip take the checkered after pushing him through traffic, you could swap from the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. car and savor victory yourself. Or perhaps more importantly, when the inevitable big pileup occurs at Talledega, taking out your Bobby Labonte car, you can swap over to Tony Stewart, who was safely ahead of the fracas. Career mode again begins with the Whelen Modified series and progresses to Craftsman, Busch, and ultimately Nextel Cup. While climbing through the ranks, the team aspect allows participation and even control of teams, enabling the player to become both a fan-loved driver and a successful owner. The game includes all 22 official Nextel Cup tracks, 13 fantasy tracks, and three Busch tracks. Each carry over element has been enhanced, with more create-a-driver choices, commentary from TV host Bill Weber, and more than 30 new Lightning Challenges hosted by the ever-funny driver Kenny Wallace. With a stint behind the controller, we can report that this is indeed an improvement on one of the tightest franchises on the market. Expected to go on sale late summer for PS2 and Xbox, NASCAR 2006 will offer online play for up to four players on each system.
