GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
NASCAR Thunder 2002 xbx Game Reviews
NASCAR Thunder 2002
Critic Score
Metascore: 82 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.5 out of 10
based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 2 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Includes over 50 drivers (Gordon, Earnhardt Jr., Jarrett, and unlockable NASCARĀ® Busch Series drivers) and all 23 tracks from the NASCAR Winston CupĀ® series and allows you to Create-A-Car and earn money and sponsors to build your own racing dynasty. [EA Sports]

PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
DEVELOPER: EA Sports - Tiburon
GENRE(S): Racing, Driving
PLAYERS: 4
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2001

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Game Informer
Thunder absolutely screams on the Xbox with very short loading times and beautifully rendered environments. [Dec 2001, p.108]
90
Hot Games
Fluid handling, detailed cars and tracks, varying weather conditions, and an impressive 43 cars on the playing field all add a sense of depth to a game that was once known as the smallest niche in the race market.
Read Full Review
90
GamePro
Despite Thunder’s minor imperfections, it still has the most engaging gameplay of any NASCAR game.
Read Full Review
90
Electric Playground
On both the Xbox and PlayStation 2, EA Sports has brought the Thunder with authority as far as this race fan is concerned. I've played both versions and the Xbox version is the better of the two.
Read Full Review
88
Xbox Exclusive
The overall best looking, sounding, and playing NASCAR game to date, for any gaming system.
Read Full Review
87
GameSpy
Not only a great racing game, but it's actually better on the Xbox than anywhere else.
Read Full Review
85
IGN
An excellent stock car racing sim that cannot and should not moonlight as a mass appeal racing game.
Read Full Review
85
Cloudchaser
The gameplay is absorbing, and you’ll find yourself learning quite a bit about the nuts and bolts of racing.
Read Full Review
82
Team Xbox
WARNING: After a few hours of playing this you may notice your neck a little red.
Read Full Review
82
Sports Gaming Network
It's the best-looking NASCAR racer on any of the next generation consoles...The AI is solid most of the time, but there are instances where you get clipped for no known reason.
Read Full Review
80
Next Generation Magazine
Graphically, a solid game, with great reflections, sun wash, damage modeling, persistent skid marks, and more. [Jan 2002, p.28]
80
GameSpot
NASCAR Thunder 2002 on the Xbox is the most visually appealing stock car racing game on the market, and its gameplay will appeal to a wide range of racing fans.
Read Full Review
80
Cincinnati Enquirer
This title feels more like an arcade game than a serious simulation, so players who crave an authentic experience probably would prefer Sierra's "NASCAR Racing 4" for the PC, where you drive using a game controller with a steering wheel and pedals.
Read Full Review
75
Game Revolution
The attention to detail, from the realization of 43 cars to the breadth of 23 tracks, should make any NASCAR nut proud.
Read Full Review
70
Yahoo! Games
The career mode is very well implemented, and is something that should be found in more games like this.
Read Full Review
69
Official Xbox Magazine
A PS2 port that went un-enhanced but otherwise plays fairly well, but it's not without some flaws. [Jan 2002]
50
Xbox Nation Magazine
Competent but uninspired. [Jan 2002, p.94]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 4.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

David B. gave it a 9:
Nascar Thunder is a great game for all ages its easy and its fun and I recommend this game to anyone who loves racing.

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use