IndyCar Series

by Infogrames

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008NRMB
• Item Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 20, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,719 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

It’s not just driving--it’s blisteringly fast, nerve-shatteringly intense, pure professional racing and it’s unlike any racing video game to date. This is IndyCar Series, the official video game of the grueling US open-wheel championship, features real drivers, cars and tracks.

Set to be the most exciting and entertaining open-wheel racing game ever designed, IndyCar Series features adrenaline-fuelled, ultra-close pack racing, with up to 33 cars racing on a track at one time. Requiring total focus to handle the incredible overtaking maneuvers, players will be racing at speeds well over 200mph. IndyCar Series delivers the Indy Racing season, including the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500) race, "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." The season is an open-wheeled championship on short ovals and super speedways throughout the US, including California and Texas, with the Indy 500 as the highlight of its racing calendar. Indy cars are similar to F1 but are powered by 3.5-litre V8 engines, used by all teams. Fast and furious, the 650 bhp cars reach 0-100 mph in less than three seconds.

As a game, IndyCar Series provides immediate lightening-paced action, authentic yet intuitive handling, spectacular collisions and a dynamically adjusted level of difficulty to keep the challenges on the circuits coming thick and fast. To succeed in this intense sport, it’s all about racing using real Indy Racing tactics, making for a fresh racing game challenge. Players must continuously overtake other drivers, defend positions, perform close maneuvers at high speeds, utilize drafting techniques and switch fuel settings to take advantage of either speed or economy.

Codemasters’ IndyCar Series is the only game that features the official cars, tracks, teams and drivers, totaling 14 tracks, 27 cars and 15 action-packed races all in US TV-style presentation. A fully authentic Indy 500 mode features the spectacle and excitement of the most attended single-day sporting event in the world. Brilliant detailing makes it a hugely realistic racing challenge, with all the IndyCar Series rules and flags, right down to a dynamic track surface in which track temperature affects tire grip. Accurate in-game recreations of the racing speedways even include fully animated pit crews, field marshals, clean-up crews and vehicles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lack of Steering Wheel Support A Huge Disappointment!, June 23, 2003

By 

K. Palmer (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IndyCar Series (Video Game)

I'm a native of Indianapolis and am a fan of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and like PS2 racing games. I enjoy racing around IMS in my PS2 Nascar Thunder and Formula 1 games, so I was very excited about IndyCar Series when it came out and I could race the 230+ MPH vehicles I watched many times in person over the years on the track that I know so well.

But, as other reviewers have noted, there is no steering wheel support for this game (I have the Logitech wheel, which is essentailly the standard for PS2), but I don't think that you would know that from the information on the box for the game. I can imagine the look on my face when I plugged in my wheel and... nothing.

The game plays OK with the standard controller and the graphics and sound are decent, but it just isn't the same as driving with a well-calibrated wheel in your hand. I'll make sure I research my next racing-related product first.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy this game!!!!, October 26, 2003

By 

CHARLES E KNAUB III (Fairborn, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IndyCar Series (Video Game)

If you are a fan of racing sims, this game is for you. Even is you are not a fan of indycar, buy this game and you will soon be a fan. Wheel to wheel excitement and all the fun of the month of may at the Indy 500, you cant pass it up. Great driving engine also and realistic feel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite racing game, May 23, 2003

By 

J. A. Bishop "jkbishop" (Centreville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IndyCar Series (Video Game)

I've only had the chance to play for about 1 hour, but this game is really impressive! Most important, the feel of the driving is excellent. Steering is responsive, and yet stable on the straightaways. It's challenging to stay on the ideal line, but also forgiving enough that drifting wide doesn't put you in the wall. The suspension shows good movement over bumps. The graphics are solid. Finally, there's a "driving school" with lessons and commentary by Eddie Cheever, Jr. that seems challenging and useful.

I'm a hardcore IRL fan, so I would have bought it anyway, but I think this is my new favorite racing game, beating out Gran Turismo 3, my old favorite, and way ahead of F1 2002.

As others have pointed out, the game does not support USB wheels. I agree that this is kind of silly. However, it does support the Mad Catz MC2 Universal, which plugs into the game controller port, and is also compatible with X-Box and Game Cube. The wheel works well and is easy to set up.