NASCAR Heat 2002 is a familiar game with one not-so-familiar feature. This unfamiliar feature is the one thing that really sets it apart from other racers and is definitely the number-one reason to purchase NASCAR Heat. That feature is the multiplayer mode. Four players can race against each other on one television. Big deal, you say. Mario Kart 64 did that four years ago. However, what Mario Kart 64 did not allow you to do was hook up eight Xbox's to eight TVs and link them together for the ultimate multiplayer experience. 32 people can race simultaneously on the same track! How awesome is that?

Now I know what you're thinking: what's the point of including a feature that allows so many people to race simultaneously, when very few Xbox owners will actually be able to use it. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. If you only have one friend who has an Xbox, and he or she has a copy of NASCAR Heat 2002, you're all set. Bring your system over, grab two TVs (I'm sure that most people have more than one) and you'll have enough gaming resources for eight players. If you have more friends or relatives than that, then you'll have to take turns (unless you have another Xbox). But either way, it's incredible that so many people can play against each other in a racing game. I can't think of too many other racing games that have this awesome feature, can you?

NASCAR Heat 2002 also gives gamers four single-player modes: Single Race, Championship, Race the Pro and Beat the Heat. Don't expect anything out of the ordinary from Single Race and Championship, as they are standard single race and championship modes. In Race the Pro, you go head-to-head against some of the top real-life racers out there, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Skinner and Kurt Busch (Jeff Gorden is mysteriously absent though). Sounds cool, right? It is, but as with most good things in life, there's a catch: you have to race the pros on their best tracks! Thankfully, you may retry each race as much as you want. Considering how good the pros are, having infinite continues does not seem like enough. I guess they don't call me "pros" for nothing.

Beat the Heat is the most unique mode in the game, but it's hardly revolutionary. Gran Turismo practically invented this mode with its use of licenses. In GT, you'd have to pass various tests, such as braking or cornering, to prove that you are worthy of the particular license (licenses are needed to participate in all of the races). Beat the Heat is very similar. You don't have to play this mode, as it is not required to finish the rest of the game. But most of the objectives are the same -- brake, accelerate, corner, pass and pit the best to win. Each of the 36 challenges have been divided into six categories: Basics, Passing, Rivals, Reflex, Advanced and The King. Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies are awarded if you win, just as in Gran Turismo. Unlike GT, however, is the fact that you must complete each challenge to advance to the next. You can't skip around categories either -- the Passing scenario cannot be accessed until you've completed the Basics scenario and so on. This adds a little bit more challenge to the game, though none of the challenges are as difficult as the ones in Gran Turismo 3.

The most impressive visual effect in NASCAR Heat is the real-time shadows. Other than Grand Theft Auto 3 and Gran Turismo 3, I haven't played any racing games with shadows as realistic as this. The fence formation changes throughout each track, but no matter how jagged the fence was, its shadow still covered the vehicle almost perfectly. Infogrames didn't stop there though. The shadow effects used in the in-the-car view are incredible. The roll cage always streaks several shadows on the insides of the vehicle. It [the shadow] changes perfectly as the car or light source moves. Whenever you drive close to the fence, its shadow comes through, creating one of the coolest graphic effects ever seen in a racing game.

Just to see how flexible the game's engine was, I decided to drive backwards for a while. I gained a ton of speed and waited for the guy in first place to come by, then slam my vehicle into his. The crash was beautiful. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car went flying into the air, while mine just spun around in circles. If that didn't ruin his chances of winning first place, then nothing will! There weren't as many particle effects used in the crash as there were in NASCAR Thunder, but it was still an impressive sight. The front end of my vehicle was pretty beat up, but I knew [hoped] I could do better. So I decided to further test NASCAR Heat's engine by slamming my vehicle into any oncoming traffic. The results were somewhat shocking. Every crash was enhanced with white smoke that filled the screen (literally -- there were times when I could not see anything on the screen because of all the smoke) and another dent on the front of the car. It seemed as if I could crash the vehicle a thousand times and get a different result every time. The only downside is that the headlights never broke. It would have been cool to see some of the Xbox's true power put to use with tiny pieces of broken glass flying everywhere, but I guess we'll have to wait until next year for that.

Unfortunately, not everything about NASCAR Heat's visuals is picture-perfect. The pop-up is awful. Yep, you heard right -- NASCAR Heat 2002 has pop-up. It's not always obvious, but some of the backgrounds, especially the fences, just pop up out of nowhere. All I have to say to that is: why? This is the Xbox, the most powerful game console ever made. PlayStation 2 is only the third most powerful console, but NASCAR Thunder 2002 did not have any pop-up on that platform. So why does NASCAR Heat 2002 have pop-up on the Xbox? Graphically, everything else about the game is in place; the shadows, the textures, the highly-dentable vehicles, etc. But the pop-up makes NASCAR Heat seem cheap and dated.

The rear-view mirror looks pretty bad too. Some games use a variation of fog and pop-up called fade-in. NASCAR Heat's rear-view mirror uses fade-out. Normally I wouldn't bring this up, but after seeing how good the mirror looked in NASCAR Thunder, one can't help but notice the difference. Gran Turismo 3's mirror had some fade-out too, however, that game came out in July. A lot can change in the fall, and suddenly games that looked stunning in the summer, just don't look so red hot anymore. Don't get me wrong -- GT3 is still the most beautiful racing game out there, but NT2002's mirror is by far the best.

Other than the multiplayer mode, there is nothing revolutionary in NASCAR Heat 2002. A game doesn't have to be revolutionary to be fun, nor does it have to be the best. But with all of the must-have games available for the Xbox, most gamers are not going to buy two NASCAR racers. It's a tough choice to make, I know. I was much more concerned with the stability of my vehicle [in NASCAR Heat] than I was when playing NASCAR Thunder 2002. This may or may not be good, as it's an eye of the beholder sort of thing. Personally I like NASCAR Thunder 2002's arcade-style gameplay better. However, the unstableness of NASCAR Heat's vehicles heightens the intensity of the experience to levels NASCAR Thunder cannot reach. The bottom line: arcade fans and casual gamers should get NASCAR Thunder, while simulation lovers will probably prefer NASCAR Heat's realistic style. If you're still undecided, rent both and make your decision then.

Gameplay: 8.5
When it comes to realism, NH2002 is the best NASCAR racer around. That doesn't mean that only racing fans will enjoy it, because I'm not a racing fan and I enjoyed it a lot. What it means is that no NASCAR game available will give you as much to worry about as NASCAR Heat 2002. NASCAR Thunder 2002 allows you to just slide on by most of the vehicles, and if any of your opponents are putting up a fight, ramming them into the wall will usually solve the problem. In NH2002, it isn't as easy to get ahead. If you ram too many opponents, you'll often spin-out.

Graphics: 8.5 
NASCAR Heat looks really good, but not as good as it should. I don't want to start comparing games again, but it's obvious from the very first time you play NH2002 that it does not take advantage of the Xbox's superior power. Most of the graphic effects have been done just as well on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. In some cases, they've been done even better on those platforms.

Sound: 8
Everyone rejoice: NH2002 is virtually music free! Instead of annoying techno tunes, your ears are filled with the sounds of revving engines, screeching tires, crumbling metal and other familiar NASCAR sounds.

Difficulty: 8.5
NASCAR Heat is quite a challenging game. Simulation fans will embrace its authenticity, while others may get frustrated and look elsewhere for their NASCAR racing fix. It's a great game, but there were times when I wanted to quit and never come back because I was spinning out so much. Some developers need to realize that realism isn't as important as entertaining the player.

Concept: 8 
The game itself is not very original, but NH2002 scores major points for including the awesome multiplayer mode.

Multiplayer: 9
In the words of Austin Powers, "Yeah baby, yeah!" the Xbox is revolutionizing the industry with a multiplayer setup never experienced before. 32 real-life humans can race against each other, and in the same room no less! No online connection required. Let's see the PS2 or GameCube offer a game like this. Don't hold your breath 'cause it will likely never happen.

Overall: 8.5
I could go on and on about the differences between NASCAR Heat 2002 and NASCAR Thunder 2002. Both are great games that are worth buying. But if I had to choose just one, I'd go with NASCAR Thunder. It may not be as realistic, but overall it's more fun to play.