704Games have revealed the next NASCAR Heat game will feature popular support championships the NASCAR Camping World Truck's and NASCAR XFINITY Series.
Much to the dismay of fans at the time, the original NASCAR Heat Evolution game shipped with just the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series present in launch title, later receiving a much criticised DLC package bringing just the 2017 spec liveries to the old cars, however non of the new for this season rules packages would be added as part of the last DLC package, leaving many to wonder in 704Games had a new title up their sleeves for this year.
After a long and occasionally cringe worthy promotional campaign to see which real world NASCAR driver would be featuring on the box art of the new title, the developers have finally seen fit to release some fresh details about what NASCAR Heat 2 will actually contain, and for many the protracted silence has already been well worth the wait as both the supporting Camping World Truck Series and the junior NASCAR XFINITY Series are both confirmed as base content shipping with the new title.
"We saw it, we heard it from fans and people on message boards that there wasn't a lot of depth to the game, online included," said Sean Wilson, the game's executive producer. "We needed to give you a reason to actually stay and play more."
Of course the main series will again take centre stage, alongside the full 2017 racing schedule and all the teams and drivers of the category, but the inclusion of both regular support series will be seen as a major boost the title both in North American and Europe markets, and leads us to wonder if a fleshed out career mode could possibly be making its debut for the new release.
In other Heat 2 news, 704Games have confirmed split screen multiplayer will be making its return to the franchise after inexplicably finding itself dropped from the 2016 release as more news about the title is expected to follow in the coming days and weeks.
"Split-screen was probably the most requested feature that we saw from fans in message boards and on Twitter," said Ren Vickers, 704 Games' Marketing Director. "It's an audience that likes to sit on the couch and race together... “In my year on Twitter, it's the (Xfinity and Trucks) series and split-screen that's been the most talked about,” Wilson said, “and we knew that. We had to do that."
What is more the team behind the new game have confirmed that the career mode for the new title will offer a challenge to experience players whist allowing those new to racing games the opportunity to become engaged right from the very beginning:
"Hopefully, that will make it a little more fun at the beginning," Wilson said. "Because we can get you in a truck, and we can get you in a pretty good truck. That way you're kind of winning, but you still have so much in front of you, you still have the Xfinity, you still have Monster Energy, but the whole experience is going to be more balanced from the beginning, other than 'Well, you're going to suck.' Because we have to start you somewhere, but if you start winning right out of the gate, what's the point in that?"
Of course with the inclusion of trucks in Heat 2 comes the ability to race on the dirt ovals, much like the recent iRacing update, and this form of racing has not been neglected by 704. Which should be fun...
So far so good from the newly rebranded 704Games, lets hope that at long last NASCAR fans can have a game worthy of the popularity of this spectacular form of American motorsport.
NASCAR HEAT 2 is expected to release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC September 2017.
Check out the
NASCAR HEAT sub forum here at RaceDepartment for all the news and discussions around this exciting new NASCAR game.
Looking forward to the new NASCAR game? Can 704Games make a better fist of this one than the roundly disappointing Heat Evolution? Let us know in the comments section below!
I seen a Lamborghini go by my house today and I could only think of the gt3 car lol.
