NASCAR Thunder 2004 is a racing simulator by EA Sports, released on September 16, 2003 and available in separate versions for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows. This was the last NASCAR game for the PlayStation. It was succeeded by NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup.
It features the 2002 champion Tony Stewart on the cover with a scowling look to represent the new Grudges and Alliances feature. It was the only game as of 2002 to feature the previous Winston Cup Champion on the cover. The game had the most extensive soundtrack of the series up from four songs from the previous game. The game also has a career mode, season mode, Lightning Challenge mode, SpeedZone, as well as a tutorial mode featuring Richard Petty. The game is an EA Sports Bio game, and is compatible with other EA Sports Bio games like Madden NFL 2004 and NCAA Football 2004.
The game was also a sponsored for the 17th edition of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw and SmackDown pay-per-view Survivor Series, which was taking place on November 16, 2003 from American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gameplay
thumb|Gameplay screenshot (Windows version)
Game modes
- Career mode returns from previous games in the series. The player takes control of a custom driver and races to get sponsors, equipment for his or her garage, and respect from other drivers.
- Season mode allows players to take control of either a custom driver, or an existing driver for a season or more, with custom rules and schedules.<br/>(PS2) 88/100
| IGN = (PC) 8.5/10<br/>(PS2/XBOX) 8.8/10
| GSpot = (PC) 7.5/10<br/>(PS2/XBOX) 8.8/10
| GameZone = 8.4/10
| GSpy = 4/5
The game received positive reviews from critics, with IGN giving the PS2 version an 8.8/10, praising the sounds, "QuickSave", and microphone support. The main issue that IGN cited was that the driving model is somewhat unrealistic. The Xbox review was also an 8.5, and praised the framerate. GameSpot called the game the Tony Hawk or Madden of NASCAR, and gave the game an 8.8, with Metacritic giving it an 88. The more critical review came from GameZone, which gave the game an 8.4.
Awards
The game received many top awards, the most notable was received at the 2003 Spike Video Game Awards, where NASCAR Thunder 2004 won the award for 2003's best racing game. It is currently the only NASCAR game to win an award at the VGAs. NASCAR Thunder 2004 also nominated for The Electric Playgrounds 2003 "Best Driving Game for PC" and "Best Console Driving Game" award, but lost to Need for Speed: Underground and Project Gotham Racing 2 respectively.