NASCAR Thunder 2003 (Xbox)

Reviewed by

Brad Shoemaker

on 10/10/2002

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The actual racing itself in NASCAR Thunder 2003 is a pretty complicated affair. If you've never played a NASCAR game before, you'll gain new respect for the drivers that participate in the real sport as you try futilely to make it around a turn without eating the wall. After enough practice, you'll realize that running a smooth race depends on a delicate interplay between acceleration and braking. In short, there's a lot more skill required here than it might look like on the surface. During a race you also have ratings for your damage, tire wear, and fuel, meaning you'll have to strategically decide when it's best to hit Pit Road for repairs. The drivers are aggressive, even at the lowest difficulty setting, so you'll have a lot on your hands at all times. Racing in Thunder 2003 can be difficult and frustrating at times, but once you get the hang of it, it's gratifying to see your standing constantly increasing.

Crashes: the real reason anybody likes stock car racing. You'll see your share of crashes in Thunder 2003.

Like all good third-party sports games, NASCAR Thunder 2003 is out for all three major consoles. In terms of gameplay and features, the three versions are identical. As you might expect, though, the Xbox version of Thunder 2003 is without a doubt the best looking. Its racing visuals are of higher resolution than those of its GameCube and PS2 counterparts, with a higher frame rate and slightly nicer lighting effects. All three of the games look good, but a slight nod goes to the Xbox version, if they must be compared. The graphics are quite good overall in the Xbox version--the cars are rendered in very nice detail, with detailed textures and reflection effects. The game never has any significant frame rate issues, even when all 43 cars are roaring down the track at once. Sound-wise, Thunder 2003 is reasonably good. The race announcers are perfectly serviceable, and the radio chat from your team is actually pretty helpful in the middle of the race, as they advise you about your distance from the lead, cars about to pass you, and other such pertinent info. Unfortunately, all of this can be lost in the roar of the engines and the screech of clashing metal, so you'll most likely have to fine tune the volume settings to make the voices audible. Other than this minor issue, the sounds in the game are quite good, with the possible exception of the repetitive nu-rock soundtrack that plays during the menus.

Overall, NASCAR Thunder 2003 is an impressive update to last year's game. The core gameplay remains solid and is perhaps a bit more focused, and the game gives veteran racers not only the latest drivers, cars, and tech, but also a good number of new gameplay modes and features to play with. Yearly sports franchise updates don't always provide enough of an upgrade to even warrant their existence, but in this regard, NASCAR Thunder 2003 definitely satisfies.