NASCAR Thunder 2004

"Decent, but lacks improvements over last years game."

After a long hiatus from Nascar games I decided to delve back into it as Nascar Thunder looked like a very promising title. However the promise of solid online play and nice graphics mislead me and I ended up purchasing a par racing game with really nothing amazing being offered over 2003 (after borrowing it).

Graphics: The graphics are really nice but following the trend of so many sports sequels, especially on the PC, the graphics are just average, really nothing spectacular. The car crashes are again a failure in and of itself, I understand that you really can't make real life style crashes, but I want the car to look like it's taking some damage, which as in many previous versions just isn't happening, one of the better graphical features is the racetrack itself though, the streaks of tire rubber around the track is a nice touch (as it doesn't disappear or look lame), as is the well rendered smoke coming off of the just spun out car. However even with these few saving graces the game is very flawed graphically, and it is mainly because it looks like not much more work was done over 2003.

Sound: The sound is really nice, but the one problem is that there isn't enough of it. The main screen music is nice featuring bands like Rancid and I believe Puddle of Mud. The in game sounds are pretty good, but the simple fact is, if nothing is going on, on the track then the sound is nothing more than your car with the occasional ''Low on fuel'' warning from your Pit Captain. But what sound is in the game is solid, everything from squealing tires on a burnout, to rubbing metal on colliding cars. Overall good sound but penalized for a lack of it. *Highly recommend having some mp3's playing in the background.*

Control: OK it's as simple as this, with steering wheel: Good, without steering wheel: Bad. Do not buy this game if you do not intend on getting a steering wheel, because driving is terribly hard if you are trying to just use the arrow keys, especially on the expert and ''No assist'' modes. The driving when using a steering wheel is much more fun and rewarding if you are playing the game in any serious manner, and from that aspect they are as solid as can be, the one problem I have with the steering is the fact that burnout recovery is much harder in this than any other Nascar version I have played. Perhaps it's more realistic, I don't know but you will be pulling you hair out after losing control of your car over and over again.

Fun Factor/Replay: The game is fun for about the first week you buy it, the game offers plenty of cool features but since it is so realistic probably alienates most of the non-Nascar fan people. The online racing is a big upgrade, it's a lot more stable and pretty much lag free, there are a few bugs that must be worked out but it is probably the best online racing sim I have played so far.

The bottom line, if you have 2003, wait for 2004 to be 10-20 bucks before buying it, it really doesn't offer enough over last years game to warrant a $50.00 price tag.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/14/03