This Game Shows What A NASCAR Console Game Should Be...
User Rating: 9.1 | NASCAR Thunder 2003 GC
NASCAR Thunder 2003 is a masterpiece of a racing game. Even though EA has now gone hay-wire and has been messing around with the latest NASCAR games, NASCAR Thunder 2003 for the Game Cube has definitely stood the test of time and remains one of the best games in the entire EA lineup of racing games... Gameplay: 10/10 - NASCAR Thunder 2003 (NT03) is one heck of a game to play! The package is loaded with many features and extras, along with decent racing physics. It is a casual NASCAR fan dream come true... The racing in NT03 is a great mix between arcade and soft-simulation. The game handles like a dream, especially once you get some experience. All 43 cars are in the race this year, which makes for some packed action at some of the smaller tracks. The cars are loose to begin with, but tighten up as the race wears on. The same can't be said for the AI cars, as they are easily manipulated by your car, and don't fight you as much as you like. That being said, NT03 is an easy stock car game, but it can be harder depending on how you race. If you race like a moron, wrecking everything that moves, you may find yourself lapping all of the other cars and not being presented with that much of a challenge. However, if you race politely, the AI puts up a good fight, and it becomes very challenging to win a race without hitting anyone. To round out the good side of the racing gameplay, the pit animations are very nice, and all of the information on-screen is presented nicely and it is very easy to understand everything. The bad parts in racing in NT03 are the crashes. Any time the yellow flag comes out and you are under caution, you will see two different angles of the crash that brought out the yellow. The crashes are very bad, and look like bumper cars and steroids. The cars bounce around like they are on hydraulics, and the crashes that the AI causes themselves just don't look real. Compare this game to a real NASCAR crash and you will see what I mean. The only other disappointing part of the game is that you can't actually control your car under caution. This means you can't warm up your tires or block people in the pits. However, you can still control what you want changed in the pits. Other than that, there aren't really any major flaws in the game. The big new (well, not really new) game mode in NT03 is "Career Mode". In this mode, you get 20 years to build up your legacy as a stock car driver. While you do this, you can upgrade your car in the form of paint jobs, sponsors, and actual car adjustments. The more money you win and earn, the better you can make your car. You can keep adjusting and building new cars as long as you have the money. However, it may take a few races to build these new parts, so you may find yourself waiting a lot of the time. In all, Career Mode is a great addition to the game, and its simplicity helps the mode itself. The other main campaign mode is "Season Mode". Season plays exactly like career, except you don't have to option to do all of the "Research and Development" as the game calls it. The thing that separates Season from Career, is that you can modify your own season event list. Want to race Daytona for the entire season? Go for it! You can run season mode for 20 consecutive years, and in between each year, you can modify the championship schedule. In all, season mode is a great addition to the game, and even though it is not as in-depth as Career mode, it is still worth a look. The two new (and I mean NEW this time) modes in NT03 are Lightning Challenge and Thunder License. In LC, you can choose from 31 situations from the 2001 - 2002 NASCAR seasons, and re-create the situations. Every situation has the driver you play as recall the situation from his point of view, and tells you how to beat the event. These events range from fictional (but could have been real) to re-creating actual events. Everything from Mike Skinner surviving the Aarons 499 big wreck at Talladega, to Micheal Waltrip attempting to win the 2001 Pepsi 400 instead of coming second. The other mode, "Thunder License", has Richard Petty directing you around all of the 23 NASCAR tracks. Every time you complete a track on Rookie, Veteran, or Legend, you earn a Thunder Plate that allows you to qualify either 1st, 10th, or 20th. These modes are a lot of fun, and really help you get used to the controls. Of course, where would a racing game be without Single Race (except, maybe Burnout Revenge)! Single Race is a great mode on it's own, and the sheer volume of content is amazing. There are 170 cars in the game (counting individual paint schemes), including most of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers, a few legends thrown in such as Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, and Richard Petty. One noted absence is Bobby Wawak, who was in the PC version of the game. The legend drivers (excluding #3) all have a past scheme from their time put on a current car. It looks really cool on Bobby Allison's PIPER car from the mid-80's when it is put on a 2002 Dodge Intrepid. Along with all those cars, there are 65 events to choose from. These include all of the normal 36 events from the 2002 Season, but there are also a few other events. These such events include night versions of the tracks for nearly every track, a fantasy track called "TIBURON", and a few fantasy infield roadcourses for some of the tracks. All of this variety makes Single Race worth playing for some of the players who find the Career and Season modes a bit too long and/or hard. Along with some great pre-race intro's and commentary, an amazing variety of modes and selections, and a very simple yet in-depth Career mode, NT03 is a blast to play! Graphics: 8/10 - The graphics in NT03 are awesome, yet there are major bad points. On the plus side, everything is crisp, detailed, and the car models look awesome. The damage model is near perfect, with almost every variation of damage possible. The reflections are nice, and the tracks are near prefect, with only a few minor screw-ups. On the bad side, there are few and big problems. The first one, is that the name "Winston Cup" is never shown because EA doesn't want Beer or Tobacco in their game, because it promotes bad things. This means that you'll be racing in the "NASCAR Racing Cup", driving the number 8 "Earnhardt Jr." chevy. I can understand why they don't use beer or Tobacco sponsors, but it really took away from the look of the game from my point of view. However, I still think this game looks good, and it is one of the best-looking GC games to date... Sound: 7/10 - The sound is where the game falls apart. The commentators are very well done, having both Joe Moore and Barney Hall from MRN (Moment Of The Race Network) was a great choice, as they are insightful and less boring than John Madden. The MRN Radio Network is also featured in the Lightning Challenge mode, where the actual radio calls of the event are featured during the browsing of Lightning Challenges. The sound of the engines roaring is a bit too high though, and there are only 4 music tracks in the entire game. I'm not saying that's bad, I just wanted a bit more music, because I've memorized each song to the point where I can just sing the songs to myself in the menu without any music. The sound in this game is very well done, but there just isn't enough there... Value: 10/10 - This game is well worth the $50.00! Even now that it's probably $5.99 at EB Games or some place like that, is an amazing deal. It's literally packed to the gills with cars, tracks, events, features, modes, and it is a lot of fun. The unlocking takes place via Thunder Plates, which is the equivalent of Madden Cards or NCAA Pennants. Every time you achieve a goal, such as win a Lightning Challenge, win a Championship in Career, or win a race with a driver with a locked paint scheme, you earn these plates. There are 171 (the last plate has to be unlocked with Action Replay) of these plates, and they consist of everything you can unlock. Movies, Paint Schemes, Events, Tracks, Cheats, and the like are all unlockable Thunder Plates. This game will have you attached for a very long time, and the multiplayer that can be up to 4-player split-screen in this game is very choppy, but very entertaining. This game will be in your collection for a long, long time... Final Word: 9.1/10.0 - One of the best games I've ever played in a long time. NASCAR Thunder 2003 is a must-have racer for the GC. Even if you are not a NASCAR fan, this game will grab you by the horns! No one should miss out on this experience, because it is one worth feeling... Rent Or Buy - What are you waiting for? Go buy this game now! It's one of the best GC racers out there, and it's a really easy pick-up-and-play game. See ya at the track!
