rec.autos.simulators

I've only played for about 1 hour and I like it better than Heat.  While not
as accurate a driving sim as N4, I personally find it less frustrating to
play (stupid AI in N4 kill me everytime).  All the tracks are there, and the
full 43 car field.  The graphics are nice, but a little jaggier than I
expected.

The best part of the game however is the career mode.  Finally, EA has
provided some real depth to the game.  Racing, winning sponsors, improving
the team incrementally, its all there.  As a big fan of the PS1 title
Jarrett and Labonte Stock Car Racing, Nascar Thunder 2002 improves on this
aspect of the game dramatically.

And finally, painting a car is no longer an execise in frustration.  I put
my share of time in learning how to paint with PSP for N4, but found it
awkward and frustrating.  Thunder made it easy for me to create a
professional and unique looking car.  What a concept...

Is it perfect?  Of course not.  Is it the best offline racing game
available?  You betcha.  I'm hooked.

Thanks Ed Martin.  You've done wonders for the genre, first at Papy, then
Hasbro, and now at EA.  Keep at it and keep pushing the envelope!

My full review will be posted tomorrow.

    1.    Set ups?  The set ups in 2001 were ridiculously simplified.
Specifically you couldn't adjust each gear just length or shorten them all.
Same for  tire pressures and shocks you couldn't adjust each individual
wheel just all four at once so it was impossible to dial out under or over
steer (which wasn't that important because...

2.    Physics? I don't expect N4 but is it at all realistic.  2001 had no
oversteer just push.  You could never make your car loose no matter what you
did (and there wasn't much you cold do see above).

Setups are still simplified, but I never owned Nascar 2001 to compare it to.
It is nowhere near N4 (for even GT3) in terms of tweaking.  IMO, I never did
so well with setups in N4 anyway.  I just usually downloaded setups from
websites until I found one that matched my driving style.  The setups in
Thunder are much more to my liking, but that's just me.

I think you will like what they have done with the physics.  No, it is not
N4, but the cars do exhibit both over and understeer when using the advanced
driving model.  Even in the novice driving model, both can be easily
demonstrated.

I've also found that body roll and weight transfer has been modeled.  Unlike
the other EA versions, you actually have to use the brakes correctly.  It
also feels like you are steering a car now, rather than arcade drift
steering.  It is certainly more forgiving than N4, but it just... feels
right.  Personally, I think N4 is *too* realistic from a physics standpoint,
especially when you cannot feel the G-forces on your body.  That's like
taking away the second most important sense from a racecar driver (next to
the sense of sight of course).

For any true *** racers, rent before you buy, but do give your self a
chance to enjoy it.  Set your expectations properly as well.  I can't
believe the number of people griping about F1 2001 being unrealistic.  I
think some of those people won't like any sim unless it is GPL...

"Buster"