There must be a chase that I cut to on this one. As the Spaniards would say: 'Los graphicos son buenos.'
NASCAR Thunder 2002 's intro, though not as elaborate as
Gran Turismo 3's , is heart-pumping and mirror-worthy to boot. Beautiful stands are packed with lifelike crowds that roar their approval at you. The cars are absolutely phenomenal as 43 cars can be on the screen at one time, each with their own snazzy color scheme. Sponsors are as real as any billboard logo you'll see, and even the NASCAR car's make is as distinct as the smell of liver and onions. The tracks are beautiful while shimmering horizons loom overhead. Heck, even the Pit Stops are worth watching, because each man is busy doing his own perfectly rendered job. Anything from filling up the tanks, to taking off the tires is performed down in the pits. What else amazed me was the ability for the developers to have so many nice looking cars on screen at one time, and keep the game running nice and quick. There are really no graphical flaws. The damage done is convincingly truthful, while smoke will try to escape an overheated engine. Pieces will lay strewn and skid marks will criss-cross all over the track as cars vigorously fight for position. In my case, I wasn't fighting for position, but fighting to keep from 'kissing' the walls. Thus, my skid marks looked somewhat like Zorro's 'Z.'
You have two options as to what song you want to hear on startup. You can hear one of EA Sports' rock medleys, or you can hear the anthem of NASCAR racing, that anthem being none other than Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynard . I opted for the Alabamian song, and thus got my racing juices flowing every time I turned on my PS2. The music is good throughout the game, providing you with nothing too loud. Too loud equals annoying sometimes, so NT2002 is definitely not annoying in the music dept. The sound effects are ear enamoring from the get go. Massive multi-HP engines growl from start to finish, humming in happiness when speeds of 200 mph are reached. Tires remind you that you turned too hard, while those unable to heed the tire's warnings will hear a fiberglass smashing crash as front bumper takes on concrete wall. Your team captain bellows in your headset any movement from opposing drivers, be it high or low. He also will give you advice if he sees a passing situation. The crowd will virtually writhe with excitement as the race gets hotter. The pit sounds are delectable with air wrenches 'zzzz-ing,' and tires rolling, etc. It's difficult to grasp NASCAR's atmosphere and jam it onto a CD, but having stunning sound definitely helps!
