I had to steer to the right to go straight, so much so with the included setups that I actually exited the game to recalibrate my controller.
The first indication of the newly enhanced physics model is how much the car pulls to the left down the straights, because of the way the car is set up to turn left more easily. While I did the obligatory quickie race at Daytona, things really got interesting when I took the car to Atlanta, where lifting off the throttle for turns is required.
The 2003 takes the Papyrus physics model to a whole new level of accuracy, and for the first time in this series, I felt like I truly had to focus on just driving the car, not just worrying about racing the competition. Because this game is primarily about the physics model, that's where I'll start. Its success in this regard has drawn praise from NASCAR drivers themselves, but more significantly, these guys don't just drive the car for promotional dollars, but because they feel it's realistic enough to actually help them stay sharp for the real thing. This title has always been first and foremost about trying to produce the most realistic simulation of stock car racing ever. For those of you who have not purchased one of these titles, or are perhaps played a different NASCAR game and crave a deeper, more involving experience, you've come to the right place. If I had to bet, I'd say most readers of this review have likely purchased an earlier version of this series, and are wondering just why you should buy it AGAIN.
So they "pulled out the stops" as designer Rich Yasi put it, to give us the best possible experience, and set the bar as high as possible for EA. Unfortunately for them, either EA outbid them, or for some other financial reason Papyrus couldn't continue the way they were, and thus we are faced with the reality that NASCAR Racing 2003 is their last such title. I just could not believe they would abandon their cash cow. When I read that the racing gurus at Papyrus would no longer be making NASCAR sims, the first thing I did was dig for corroborating evidence.
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