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NASCAR Thunder 2002
Xbox cover art featuring the car of Jeff Gordon
Developer(s)	EA Tiburon Black Box Games (PSOne version)
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Series	NASCAR Thunder
Engine	enhanced NASCAR Thunder engine
Platform(s)	Xbox, PlayStation, PlayStation 2
Release	PlayStation NA: October 2, 2001 PlayStation 2 NA: October 16, 2001 Xbox NA: November 15, 2001
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

NASCAR Thunder 2002 is a 2001 racing simulator video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports that came out for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It is the fifth game in the EA Sports NASCAR series of video games following NASCAR 2001, and is the first of the series to have a new title (the other games simply read "NASCAR", followed by the year).

NASCAR Thunder 2002 was the first NASCAR game released for the Xbox and the second released for the PlayStation 2. The theme song for the game on the six-generation systems is "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Notably, it is the first NASCAR game to feature alternate paint schemes on the cars. It featured the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon on its cover and 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte on the disc.

Gameplay

Game modes consist of Create-a-car, Quick race, Season mode, Career mode, and practice. Before every race, the player has the option to qualify for a position at the start of the race, get to know the track in practice, or 'race' other cars in Happy Hour. The game has 35 drivers from the 2001 Winston Cup season (minus Dale Earnhardt due to his death, but the game has many tributes to him including a black No. 3 screen on start-up) and several then-Busch Series and fantasy drivers that can be unlocked.

The PlayStation version was separate from the PS2 and Xbox versions, included only 36 drivers, and included an instant-replay feature, fantasy tracks, only 18 drivers per race, and all of the alternate paint schemes were removed. It also has a different intro without the #3 shown before the EA Sports logo. A system of power-up/cheat cards and challenges, similar to Chase/Thunder plates and Lightning/Dodge Challenges in later editions, was a major game mode in this version. It also included the Daytona Beach track.

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
	PS	PS2	Xbox
Electronic Gaming Monthly	N/A	8.17/10	N/A
Game Informer	N/A	8.5/10	9/10
GamePro
GameRevolution	N/A	B	B
GameSpot	5.8/10	8.2/10	8/10
GameSpy	N/A	(average)	87%
GameZone	9/10	9/10	N/A
IGN	N/A	8.3/10	8.5/10
Next Generation	N/A	N/A
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine			N/A
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	N/A	N/A	6.9/10
The Cincinnati Enquirer	N/A	N/A

The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received "favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. NextGen said that the Xbox version was "Graphically, a solid game, with great reflections, sun wash, damage modeling, persistent skid marks, and more."

The game was a nominee for the "Console Racing" award at the AIAS' 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which was ultimately given to Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec.

References

1. "GameZone.com - PlayStation 2 News - ASCAR Thunder 2002 Ships". 2001-11-18. Archived from the original on 2001-11-18. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
2. ^ "NASCAR Thunder 2002 for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
3. ^ "NASCAR Thunder 2002 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
4. ^ "NASCAR Thunder 2002 for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 14, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
5. EGM staff (December 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 149. Ziff Davis. p. 244.
6. Kato, Matthew (December 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 104. FuncoLand. p. 93. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
7. Kato, Matthew (December 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 104. FuncoLand. p. 108. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
8. Jake The Snake (September 13, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
9. Air Hendrix (October 15, 2001). "NASCR Thunder 2002 Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 22, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
10. Four-Eyed Dragon (November 29, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 22, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
11. Liu, Johnny (December 2001). "Nascar Thunder 2002 Review (PS2)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
12. Liu, Johnny (December 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 - Xbox Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 3, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
13. Provo, Frank (January 24, 2002). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 Review (PS)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
14. Provo, Frank (October 16, 2001). "NASCAR 2002 Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
15. Ahmed, Shahed (November 16, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 Review (Xbox) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
16. Cauthen, John (December 5, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (PS2)". SportPlanet. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 26, 2003. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
17. Bub, Andrew S. (November 30, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (Xbox)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
18. Ovaldog (November 11, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 Review - PlayStation". GameZone. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
19. Bedigian, Louis (November 4, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 1, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
20. Zdyrko, David (October 16, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
21. Boulding, Aaron (November 8, 2001). "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
22. ^ "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (Xbox)". NextGen. No. 85. Imagine Media. January 2002. p. 28. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
23. "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (PS)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 52. Ziff Davis. January 2002. p. 146.
24. "NASCAR Thunder 2002 (PS2)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 51. Ziff Davis. December 2001. p. 169.
25. "NASCAR Thunder 2002". Official Xbox Magazine. Imagine Media. January 2002.
26. Kent, Steve (April 2, 2002). "Xbox titles zoom into overdrive". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
27. "5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2022.

External links

• NASCAR Thunder 2002 at MobyGames

• 2001 video games
• PlayStation (console) games
• PlayStation 2 games
• Xbox games
• NASCAR video games
• EA Sports games
• Sports video games with career mode
• Multiplayer and single-player video games
• Video games developed in the United States
• Simulation video games
• EA Tiburon games