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WAIT A MINUTE HERE - THIS AIN'T NO NASCAR GAME...THANK GOD! |  Arend Hart from Michigan says (13/Feb/2001): | Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of touring car racing (thank you SpeedVision Channel), and I think this game is a top-notch racer. But it does have its issues. It's a good thing these issues don't affect the gameplay, but they do leave a strange tast in my mouth. Generally I don't buy too many games - I tend to do a lot of renting. However, this title was purchased the day it released.
So, why did I buy it without seeing it first? Well, since I'm constantly following news in the Playstation gaming world, I knew that Jarrett and Labonte was basically their top-selling European hit, TOCA:World Touring Cars (sometimes referred to as TOCA 3), repackaged for American consumption. I've played TOCA:WTC, and really was impressed. So, naturally, I couldn't wait for an American version so I could freely play it at home. And I do play it, quite often actually. So I have gotten my money's worth out of it. Bit again, it does have it's share of issues.
What's my beef, eh? Well, it's that a company felt they had to dumb-down a game in order to placate the lowest common denominator in hopes of increasing sales in the good ole' USA.
You see, we Americans (males in particular) have quite a reputation in the rest of the world. We're a bunch of overly macho hillbillies who are dumb as a box of rocks and whose only interest in auto racing is in making left turns: NASCAR style. We're seen as barbarians who don't know the slightest thing about style and finesse. And you know, for 90% of the US population, the stereotype is pretty accurate. I mean, c'mon, watch ten minutes of any Jerry Springer episode and you'll see a pretty good snapshot of our society. Watch any more that ten minutes and guess what...you become a part of that lunacy. In the world’s and my opinions, NASCAR people = Jerry Springer people, and I don’t want to be a part of either. Anyway, in my humble opinion, NASCAR is the most B-O-R-I-N-G kind of racing.
So, now I’ve probably ticked off quite a few NASCAR fans, because you probably came here to see how this new NASCAR game, Jarrett and Labonte stacks up, and I'm sitting here ripping on your favorite sport. Well, first off, I honestly apologize if I have offended you. NASCAR isn't so bad, but it really isn't for me. And as for Jarrett and Labonte, I'm sorry to say, you're gonna have to look elsewhere for your NASCAR thrills. This game has nothing to do with NASCAR, and except for the possibility of it opening your mind to the truly thrilling world of Touring Car racing, you'll be awfully pissed if you buy this with the intention of racing the Daytona 500, because you won't find it here.
You see, the TOCA series must not have done so well in the States on it's last two incarnations. So, Codemasters must have figured that if they attached some pretty recognizable names to one of their biggest and best European racing titles, it would at least draw some US sales. So, they signed on Jason Jarrett and Justin Labonte. Wait! Did I just typo, shouldn't it be Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte? Nope, their kids. Must be the elders wanted too much money for a profile shot. They should have stopped right there... However, in order to not infuriate those NASCAR people, Codemasters decided to overhaul the front end a little so the names Jarrett and Labonte really seem like they belong in the game (which they don’t). They made it so that in order to play in the Championship mode, you MUST play as either Jarrett or Labonte. This aspect really gets under my skin. It bugs me so much, I can't even get myself to play with a behind-the-car view, because the freaking back window says J.Labonte and not A.Hart.
They also got one of the elder Labontes or Jarretts or someone to do the announcing. He does a horrible job of pronouncing the names of foreign cities, and all in all sounds like an annoying old redneck.
So now, that the negative rant is over, on to the positives. This game is truly excellent despite having NASCAR references. As with any TOCA title, the graphics are a bit blocky at times, but with extremely realistic body and equipment damage, you won't mind a bit. You get full control over the cars' settings, and you can even make changes during pitstops. There is a multitude of actual circuits from all around the world to race on. The control is nowhere near as spongy as in Polyphony's Gran Turismo series, but it may actually be more realistic, and depends a lot on your setup decisions. All in all, Jarret and Labonte Racing is fast, fun action and the best track racer available for the PSone.
So basically, you aren't going to find a more relaistic track racer than Jarrett and Labonte Racing, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who lives and dies for racing sims. Just be forewarned, NASCAR people: this ain't no NASCAR game, and TOCA people: play with the hood view and turn off the old annoying redneck.
Check out Codemasters' Colin McRae Rally 2.0 - another a superb simulation racer!
| Stupid Codemasters NASCAR Is not a bad Sport!!!! | | THE ASS KICKER from Sampson's Lake Oregan says (28/Sep/2003): | Jason Jarrett and Justin Labonte Are from Nascar not stupid touring car series!!! i can't beleave codemaster are so dumb Jason and Justin like nascar and Arca! Jason Jarrett and Justin Labonte are arca champs and they are not touring drivers! codemasters put Jeff Gordon on the cover and he's not a touring driver and all the fan's that like touring cars are so stupid and retarded! Stupid damn idiots Codemasters had to be GAY and steal our NASCAR drivers!!! and for all of you touring fans if you hate NASCAR I hope you Crash and burn!!! Later Idiots!
| Good! But why the NASCAR references? | | james from Miami, Divided states of America says (29/Aug/2003): | I love these types of games. Codemasters just missed the mark. How? Honestly, all americans are not NASCAR fans. But this is touring cars and four door cars are welcome. I really think that after looking for world touring cars from codemasters, and then finding it labeled differently just to appease americans is downright stupid. Your true fans enjoy it when you bring to light our favorite series. Do not limit us to the usage of NASCAR families just to make a buck or two. Bring back the good old sports car races. The only reason this is not a 10 is because of the obvious catering to NASCAR fans through the usage of NASCAR names. Here's some info. In order to make it in NASCAR you have to start somewhere and most race drivers do touring cars first, and a lot of them do dirt tracks as well. So it may be that Jarrett and Labonte have raced touring cars.
| A serious racing game for serious racing fans | | Fieldy from Adelaide, Australia says (4/Feb/2001): | Jarrett and Labonte Stock Car Racing (aka TOCA: World Touring Cars for us outside of the U.S) has to be arguabally one of the best racing games made for the Playstation and rivals other racing games on more powerful system (ie PS2 and the now disbanded Dreamcast). Codemaster have managed to squeeze every bit of power out of the 32-bit system to give us lush graphics, detailed car with realistic damage and smart AI that wants to ram you off the road. It features tracks from around the world ranging from Silverstone to Vancover to Adelaide (Extra marks go to Codemasters for including Australian cars and tracks, especially for having Bathurst and Adelaide) and many car manufacters even though the selection is no GT2, it's still a good selection nonetheless. And now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a thrash around the Adelaide track in my Holden Commodore. Highly recommeneded.
| Great Racing Game | | Allen Harrison from Bunker Hill West Virginia USA says (17/Dec/2000): | Jarrett and Labonte Stock Car Racing is a fun exiting game. If you like real-time damage this game has plenty of it. You race on 23 tracks, 40 world class cars, and 4-player split screen mode. I feel this will be a top selling game. The day I got this game I couldn't stop playing it this game is worth spending money for
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