NASCAR Thunder 2004

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Become one of over 40 NASCAR racers, and drive on all 23 Winston Cup tracks and 11 amazing fantasy tracks -- over 60 events in all
• Sharpen your skills with a set of mini-games that introduce the fundamentals of championship racing -- passing, split time challenges, drafting, and holding position
• Incredible online racing features, with peer-to-peer racing, online rankings, text chat and buddy lists
• Play the enhanced Career Mode, and guide your racer through 20 seasons by managing sponsorships, car construction, research and development and even pit crews
• Relive some of the greatest moments in racing history as if you were there, in Lightning Challenge

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00009WAW9
• Item Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 16, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,343 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: PlayStation2

From the Manufacturer

The green flag has dropped with NASCAR Thunder 2004. From 200 MPH super-speedways to hairpin turns on 11 fantasy tracks, tuning your car and finding the line is no longer enough. Now you’re running to the edge against 42 other unique NASCAR personalities every race, drivers who remember your every move and won’t think twice about paying you back. Out-smart and out-drive them as you battle three-wide from green to checkers. Online or on your own, racing just became a contact sport.

Product Description

NASCAR Thunder 2004 takes you into the screaming speed and backroom grudges that make up a professional racing season -- understand what the pros do: that racing is a contact sport! Advanced AI creates more intense rivalries -- if you're rough on your fellow competitors, they'll retaliate, so make sure you make the right friends and enemies!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars EA Definitely Messed It Up!, October 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: NASCAR Thunder 2004 (Video Game)

Well, I have to agree with the author that stated EA messed up what used to be a good game. I constantly play Nascar Thunder 2003 and thought that 2004 looked better. WRONG. Granted, the graphics are a lot better, but that's the only thing that has improved. The gameplay has been ruined - the graphics are so overdone that a white "wall" of what looked like smoke would appear every so often in the game. Personally, it looks like EA just used the code for the PS1 version of the game and beefed up the graphics. The sound is pathetic - doesn't even sound like a real car like 2003 does. It's also not compatible with the Logitch wheel. The same day I bought my copy I had it up for sale if that tells you anything.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you liked 2003...you'll dig this one!!, September 20, 2003

By 

"paulg15" (los angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NASCAR Thunder 2004 (Video Game)

i'll start off with the only complaint i can find thus far...the replay on the 2003 version was "cooler" because you could select the "reel" going forward or backward. This one is great in it's own right because you now have the option to select the camera angles right there!!. But(run on)on this version only going forward seems to be the "haps"!! Other than that...For the NASCAR Winston Cup Series fan (Nextel next year)...this is a super cool game!! Shifting was different for me as now it is a L1;R1 thing, but overall if you like the genre, this game is...Cool and Fun!!!...the alliances & grudges is super nice and mirrors today's current action....Ea really guessed great and it played out for them!! (whatta trend, brawls in da pits!!;P)Race clean and you'll be cool...bump and grind and they will find you!!! highly recommended for the NASCAR fan!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but, December 29, 2003

By 

Brian Forrester "Brian Forrester, Noblesville IN" (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NASCAR Thunder 2004 (Video Game)

I almost really enjoy this game. I'm on the fence here.

The Goods:

* Graphics have been improved. Despite some complaints about the smoke you'll find in corners (usually caused by your own car sliding the previous lap), the graphics have been greatly upgraded since the '03 version.

* More depth in the Career mode. Your sponsors now drop you for poor performance.

* More money earned from Sponsors. If you don't make your Sponsor's performance requirements, you still receive a per-race fee.

* The Rival system - More on this in the "Bad" section.

* EA Sports Bio - This feature is great. If only we could get EA to roll over saved Career, Dynasty, Franchise saves from one version to the next. It sucks to spend a year on a dynasty mode only to have to start from scratch when the next year's version comes out. Why hasn't more noise been made over this? I know, I'll write EA.

The Bads:

* The Rival system - I really, really like this idea. However, it was WAAAAAY overdone. You tend to piss people off during short tracks. This is a given. The problem is, you'll have rivals taking you, and themselves, out of a race out of hatred. How often have you seen a set of rivals take each other out on the first lap of Daytona in real life? Exactly. Fix this EA.

* Rival Icons - At least you can turn this visual off. When on, you have a heck of a time judging distance to turns, as the icons obscure your view.

* Qualifying - I constantly get dumped by my Secondary sponsor because I can't qualify worth a crap. It may just be me, I may suck at driving a clean line. But it shouldn't be this tough.

Other than the insanely intense hatred you apparently receive from Rivals on this game, it kicks. If EA tones down the Rival reactions (Like turning 90 degrees and t-boning you on the first lap on Daytona, for example) and allow you to carry-over Careers from previous versions, I'd crown EA the Gods of gameing. Until then....

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