NASCAR Thunder 2003

"Can You Handle the Thunder Again?"

NASCAR Thunder 2003 for the PlayStation2, I do have to say that Tiburon has improved since the last NASCAR game that they made NASCAR Thunder 2002 (the PlayStation2 and X-Box versions). There are things that Tiburon has put in to make this game much more challenging then that of their previous NASCAR title (NT 2002). Once you some people start playing this game they just can’t seem to put the game away because of the Challenges and the things that you must unlock in the game (plus a legendary driver who was left out of NASCAR Thunder 2002). Here is how I find each section to be so good about this game:

GRAPHICS: 10/10
The graphics may seem to be a little grainy but when you race at some of the tracks it seems that they look little more realistic then they did when Thunder 2002 was released last year. Another thing that makes this game good is the way that the sun glares off the cars and the way that the shading is in this, makes this game the most realistic game made by EA Sports or in this case Tiburon.

DIFFICULTY: 10/10
The difficulty is actually quite good especially on Rookie at some of the tracks but once you can get used to that you might want to switch to Veteran for a more of a challenge from the A.I. The difficulty definitely plays a role in Career Mode where you definitely have to try to survive the 12, 24, or 36 races in this option and must try to fight off the other opponents throughout your Career. Another thing that makes this game real challenging is that you have to unlock a lot of things, maybe to many things.

SOUND: 10/10
The sound that Tiburon used in this game is definitely much better than last year’s version of NASCAR Thunder 2002. Like when you go out qualifying, he engine sounds like it does if you are watching qualifying live or on T.V. and makes it sound like real thing and when you do a race it’s also like you are controlling the car in an actual event at that certain track that you are racing at.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10
The gameplay of this game may be off when you first play this game but once you can get a good car setup you can expect the gameplay to be better once you can get the car to your liking in the game. When you go into some of the turns it may be hard getting into at first but give it some time, after you get a car setup to be able to try to stay as low as possible on the track (but it takes a little longer at road courses such as Watkins Glen, and Infineon and some infield road courses).

OVERALL: 10/10
Overall I think that this is the best NASCAR game that has hit the PlayStation2 so far. While this game is better than last year’s and is definitely better than NASCAR Heat 2002. To me this game must be a must have NASCAR game to own for any NASCAR fan and there are some Non-NASCAR fans who also might be able to enjoy this game.

RENT or BUY

To rent or buy is the question for this game. If you want to see how this game is go out and rent it first. But if you really want a fun NASCAR game you must go ahead and buy this game because this game really comes out in the Top-5 in the racing genre. I know that this game blows NASCAR Heat out of the competition with the NASCAR battle.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/02, Updated 09/27/02