NASCAR Thunder 2002

"190 mph at Daytona...it does not get any better than this!"

It was almost the end of the 2001 NASCAR season, but that did not stop EA from releasing NASCAR Thunder 2002. This game came out with a lot of hype, and after they released NASCAR 2001, which was not as good as it should have been, they needed a solid performance. They promised a whole lot of things, but I wondered how well things would turn out. Is it good? Is it better than NASCAR Heat 2002? Let me tell you about the game.

Even though the majority of sports games do not have a story, this game does. In Career mode, you have to win eight championships in 20 years, and you buy sponsors to make you money if you meet their goal, which you can use to upgrade aspects of your car. Plus as the other racers retire after the end of the season, you get a chance to take over their ride, just like they would do in real life. The problems with it include the length. You race 12 races a year, and at 5% length, you can not change it, which will disappoint the hardcore NASCAR fans who would like to race a full length career.

Graphics 9

NASCAR Thunder is near perfect when it comes to graphics. Tracks recreated, looking just like they would in real life, the car models were excellently done, but the level weren't as good as NASCAR 2001 though. However, they sacrificed graphics to put in a 43 car field. Which would you rather have? Some of the GT3 fans would say the graphics suck, but GT3 only has six car fields. If they had 43 cars, the game would look like this.

Sound / Audio: 8

There is not much music in this game, like there was in, say, NASCAR 98, the only real music here is the intro, which plays Lynard Skynard's ''Sweet Home Alabama'', while it shows other cars racing at Talledega. But in the game, you can head the engine noises, metal crunching metal, and car skin marks really add to that NASCAR feel.

Gameplay: 9

After an opening tribute to Dale Earnhardt (didn't see that coming huh?) you are treated to three different options. Single Race, Season, and the meat of the game, career. Single Race is where you race one race at the length and track of your choice. Daytona? Go ahead. Dover? Sure! New Hampshire? Yep. Season is where you run the 2001 NASCAR season. You can run 12, 24, or the full 36 races. Career Mode is the best part of the game, you have to win 8 races in 20 seasons, while buying upgrades for your car, such as pit crews engine, etc etc, and making money from doing the objectives that certain sponsors give you. While other racers retire, you are given an option later on to race with those cars, which they would do in real life. The only downside is the length. You are only given the option to race 12 races per season, and at 5% of the actual race length. I really wanted to enjoy racing a full race seasion, but I can do tha with season mode. The controls of the game are pretty good. The controls are responsive, and you can choose whether you want to use the D-Pad or Analog stick.

Challenge: 7

In the options menu, you can choose which difficulty level you want the A.I to be, but the difficulty level in Career mode is kind of easy, once you get all the upgrades its usually easier to win each race. But if you are just beginning career mode, you will notice the races are usually tougher to win, since you're car does not have any upgrades, which shows you need to upgrade if you want to get anywhere.

Replayability: 9

Career mode alone puts the Replayability factor very high up there, as you need to complete 20 seasons while winning 8. As you win each championship you unlock more drivers to use in the Single Race or Season mode, such as Greg Biffle, Randy LaJoie, etc etc. It is also plenty of fun to go the wrong way on a track like Daytona and crash into others head on.

Buy or Rent?:

Well, how can I say this in a civilized manner...BUY!!! I bought this game brand new for $50 and I am still playing it to this day. If you want a NASCAR game for a good price, than NASCAR Thunder 2002 is for you! (hey I am a rhymer!). However if you hate NASCAR then don't buy this game, but if you want to try out NASCAR games or you want to learn all about this fun sport, then this is a good rental if you can find it, or borrow it from a friend!

Overall: 8.4 rounded down to 8.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/03, Updated 07/14/03