As with most of EA Sports' 2000 franchises, NASCAR 2001 did not have the best of outings last year. The gameplay was unbalanced and most annoying were the jaggies that appeared throughout the graphics engine. Fans of NASCAR started to wonder if they were ever going to get a game that really represented their beloved sport. Well both fans and casual observers will be surprised to find that EA Tiburon went back to the drawing board this year and have ended up with the best NASCAR game to date. Everything has been redesigned from the ground up to provide a well rounded experience whether you are an expert or beginner in the genre.

The visual outing this year has been vastly upgraded when compared to last year's travesty. The graphics engine is much cleaner but the game still slightly slows down in places with those jaggies appearing now and then. It would seem that developers are still struggling to get the anti-aliasing down with the limited RAM issue that has been plaguing the PS2 lately. Regardless, these minor nuisances do not detract from the gaming experience. Quite an amazing feat is how EA Tiburon has managed to include all 43 cars in each race. Not only are they present but when you are in the middle of the pack, you can see them all blazing ahead with no slowdown or pop-up. The cars are extremely detailed and realistic damage is included this year. The detail of the damage incurred is staggering. You can clearly see scratch marks, pieces of cars spread over the track, big pile-ups and big explosions. Some great dynamic day and lighting effects have also been worked into the game. In terms of frame rates, the game zips along most of the time at 60 frames per second refresh rate. Pop-up is not really an issue here due to the nature of the tracks mostly being oval. The sound effects are solid as you hear the roar of the engines and the crowd cheering. The voice work for the pit crew and announcers has been done well with enough variety to keep things moving along. The soundtrack is pretty basic but includes probably the best track for a NASCAR game, Lynard Skynard's Sweet Home Alabama.

Not only have the visuals have been improved but so has the gameplay. The controls have been tweaked to the point now that anyone should be able to pick up the game and play it. Some hardcore fans may be thinking "oh no it's an arcade game". This is not the case as the game is fully customizable. If you want pure simulation, then you've got it. It is a good mix of simulation and arcade play. Cars can be tweaked as needed. In the car setup you will find options for transmission, tire pressure, rear spoiler, suspension, wedge and gear ratio. In terms of on screen action, things move along at a quick pace. With 43 cars on the track, unless you are totally useless, you will find yourself close to the pack. This makes battling for positions more intensifying and realistic. The AI is very competent since each driver is based on real-life tendencies, leading to constant changes in the pack of racers.

There are 4 modes of play: Quick Race, Season Mode, Career Mode and a multiplayer mode. The Season Mode is where you will spend a good portion of your time as you compete in a series of races in quest of the NASCAR Championship. The series is fully customizable as you can choose 12, 24, 36 or custom series. The other half of your time will be used up in the fairly deep Career Mode. Here you can create your own car and drive your way to the top. You will upgrade cars through money you earn in sponsorship deals and winning races. The multiplayer mode allows up to 4 players using the multi-tap to engage in some high speed competitions. Of course a NASCAR game is incomplete without support. NASCAR Thunder 2002 features more than 50 NASCAR drivers including Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliot, Michael Waltrip and more. All 4 car manufacturers including Dodge are present as are all 23 tracks including Daytona, Rockingham and Vegas.

EA Sports has upped the ante in the NASCAR game market. For fans of NASCAR this is a must purchase while others owe it to themselves to at least give this a try before passing it by.