GAME REVIEW: NHRA DRAG RACING COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
This article is from our archives and has not been updated and integrated with our "new" site yet... Even so, it's still awesome - so keep reading!
Published on Sun, Sep 30, 2007
By: The LACar Editorial Staff
GAME REVIEW NHRA DRAG RACING COUNTDOWN
TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Review by Cliff Lindberg
When I see a game with giant
"NHRA" letters on it, I assume it's a racing game.
However, after playing THQ'S NHRA Drag Racing countdown To The Championship for
PS2, I soon realize this game places very little emphasis on racing, and instead
focuses on setting up vehicles for the race.
Before each race one can set up the vehicle, be it a motorcycle or pro stock
car, to ensure maximum performance for the day's conditions. There is a
surprisingly large amount of detail that went into these settings, and setting
them up correctly is truly challenging.
After being pleased with the settings, it is time to burn out the tires, back up
and stop at the finish line. Although this seems rather strait forward, the
controls make this difficult for a first-time player. In addition, stopping
precisely where the game wants you to not easy. Go slightly too far and it
doesn't give you the option of backing up; you are disqualified.
Assuming that one makes it to the start line successfully, the race comes. The
controls once again become the hardest part of the game, since steering the
vehicle past 30 mph generally leads to the vehicle flipping over or hitting a
wall, which in both cases lead to being disqualified. To make matters worse,
during the race the vehicle drifts to the side, making steering a must.
The music in the game is not for me, but the vehicles make decent sounds
(engine noises are recorded well). Unfortunately, the commenter gets annoying
around the third race, always saying the same things and continuously stating
the obvious.
The graphics yell out that this is a low budget game. While the PlayStation® 2
doesn't compare to the newer systems, it still can produce much better graphics
than those which are in this game. One would think that a game which receives so
much sponsorship could afford better graphics. Even the box for the game
features advertisements from the American Automobile Association, Powerade and
Goodyear.
If one ignores the horrendous controls, annoying commentator and poor graphics,
then one may be able to enjoy this game. Unfortunately I am cannot look past all
of these problems. I play video games for entertainment, and this game doesn't
provide enough of it. That's quite surprising, since some of my favorite games
are also produced by THQ.
