Get ready to go head-to-head on Xbox. Get the scoop on the best sports games from Operation Sports Managing Editor Shawn Drotar. In addition to writing previews, reviews, and the site's blog, "Splinters From The Pine," Shawn is proud to provide exclusive coverage for Xbox.com. He can be contacted at shawn@operationsports.com.

Operation Sports:

NASCAR 2005: White Hat, Black Hat

By Shawn Drotar, Managing Editor, OperationSports.com

Ever since most of us were little kids, we'd play "Cops 'n' Robbers", or something like it. Everyone knows that there are the good guys, and the bad guys, and that the struggle goes ever on. In sports, it's not usually as cut and dried—or at least not involving as dire a set of circumstances—but the good and bad guys still exist, and how you think of them most often depends on what side of the fence you're on.

These battles tend to make for the most exciting and memorable confrontations in sports history:
The Boston Red Sox and the "Evil Empire" New York Yankees.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons.
The Oakland Raiders and, well, anyone.

You get the idea.

In the world of NASCAR®, it's no different. There are heroes and there are villains.

In NASCAR® 2005: Chase for the Cup™, you'll decide which one to become with your actions on the track. Will you drive clean, allow people to pass, share your drafts, and become a "hero", a la Dale Jarrett? Or, would you rather ride on people's bumpers, intimidate other drivers, and maybe—only on occasion and entirely by "accident", of course—"rub" the car nearest to you in an effort to win the race? If so, you may be a "villain", much like NASCAR's resident bad boy, Tony Stewart.

Cutting off the competition, villain-style.

When playing NASCAR 2005's Fight to the Top mode, your standing as a hero or villain can make a tremendous difference in the way your races and eventually your entire career unfolds.

You'll notice that in Fight to the Top your driver is always represented on the right, with a meter that will track how racing fans feel about you at that moment—whether they consider you a hero or a villain, and to what extreme.

If you mind your manners on the circuit, racing cleanly and in a gentlemanly fashion, you'll start garnering recognition as a hero and gain allies on the track. With hero status, AI-controlled drivers are more likely to work with you, and less likely to bump your car while making their rounds. Your Draft meter will fill up faster, and using it will give you the opportunity to move through the field quickly. As a hero, it's also easier to gain allies, who are more willing to share draft with you—filling up your Draft meter even faster. Becoming a hero will make your racing life easier in general. However, it won't all be "donuts" in the infield … Since opposing drivers know you're not the rough-and-tumble type, they're less likely to get out of your way, forcing the heroic driver to be more cautious and particular while racing. If you're trying to pass a villain—well, the challenge becomes even greater.

Mind your manners to avoid these kinds of messes.

If you're the type of driver who's not particularly courteous, banging into the opposition to get them out of your way, using your Intimidator meter to force foes aside, and generally racing like a selfish son-of-a— … Well, you can certainly expect to be labeled a villain. Being a villain can make racing easier in some ways, and much more difficult in others. You don't have to worry about being polite, or making clean passes—you can simply rub and bang to your heart's content on your way to the checkered flag. However, it's harder to draft, and you can expect to make a lot of enemies on the track, enemies who don't have any compunction about putting you into the wall. Driving as a villain takes less skill and finesse, but you should expect to be going it alone.

Stay in the spotlight to keep fans happy.

What's important in NASCAR 2005 is not whether you're a hero or a villain; that's a question of style, after all. In the end, what's important is how good you are at playing your chosen role. Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart both have legions of fans. If you keep winning, and keep yourself in the spotlight, your fans will love you, whether you wear a white hat or a black one.

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