NASCAR Thunder 2004

NASCAR fans won?t be feeling the Heat this season, but Thunder?s rumbling.

EA Sports locked up the NASCAR license this season, which means that it?ll be the only stock-car racing game out there?so it?s a good thing that NASCAR Thunder 2004?s improvements and tuning seem like exactly what the series needs to recover from a slightly flat performance last year. As long as EA clears up the mild sluggishness of the frame rate in the preview version (as it planned to), the sense of speed seemed on track to finally mimic the feeling of blasting down a track at 200 mph, which would resolve a long-standing flaw in the franchise. The tracks and environmental lighting were much more lush and rich, and, better yet, the handling felt less tricky and mulish?experienced gamers should be able to wrangle these rides without breaking their thumbs.

On the features side, NASCAR 101 provides some welcome tutorials for newbies, and the Thunder License, Lightning Challenge, and Speed Zone modes mix mini-games, real-life scenarios, and instructional laps to provide additional schooling. The races now follow the full NASCAR format, including happy-hour practices, and the Career mode is much more streamlined and manageable. The online competition (on the PS2 only) performed smoothly and should be a big attraction.

The big new feature?grudges and alliances between drivers?injected an interesting element into the mix. Trade too much paint, and other drivers? passing indicators turn red, which means they?ll pop you any chance they get. They?re not as vicious as a fellow gamer would be, but they definitely can rumble. Overall, Thunder feels more authentic, accessible, and playable?the only disappointment is the absence of a GameCube version this year.

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