Review: ‘Days of Thunder: NASCAR Edition’ Is A Great Addition To NASCAR Gaming

In 1990, the classic film Days of Thunder hit theaters and took the sport of NASCAR mainstream. Along with that new wave of attention, a video game of the same name came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Piranha Games and Paramount Digital Entertainment have revived the classic game with a modern twist.

Tuesday night, my buddy Adam downloaded the game from the PlayStation Network and within minutes we were getting ready to hit the track. As someone who collected and raced NASCAR video games since the original Days of Thunder game, I was excited to have a try at the new Days of Thunder: NASCAR Edition.

As in the film, Cole Trickle, Rowdy Burns and Russ Wheeler are in the field, but now they are joined by today’s stars such as Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, and a number of other drivers – although some, like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch, were not in the game.

We opted for the career mode, which starts you out with a blank car competing in a series of preseason races before moving into the regular season and finally the Chase.

Once you build up your momentum and earn money, you can attract various sponsors and improve your car’s top speed, fuel mileage, tires, durability, etc.

Durability is a key because you will wreck – a lot. But, the rest of the field is doing the same and it is easy to make up ground.

What is striking about the wrecks, however, are the reality of the individual cars in the wreck. Unlike some games, the cars in this game react the same way cars on the track would most likely react. Instead of flipping wildly – which may happen now and then – cars slide up and down the banking and slide through the grass, forcing you to make quick moves to get through the pack.

To make avoiding the wrecks a bit easier, the game also has two “special” features. One slows down time as you “focus”, allowing you to make evasive maneuvers and make it through the wrecks. Once clear of the trouble, another feature allows you to “drop the hammer” on the competition and drive away. That also comes in handy while leading – especially at Talladega where you can reach 257 mph.

Along with the fun, quality racing and realistic wrecks, pit strategy is also a factor in the game. With most races stretching 20 to 30 laps, pit stops are essential and come more often than not when the field is wrecking in some cases. The adjustments are pretty simple; engine, tires and fuel. Just beware of pit exit.

While the action is solid for avid race fans, the game is fun for even those that do not follow the sport. My friend was able to pick up the game quickly, winning his first race. Yet throughout our races, we continued to race our way to the front, wreck with the field, pit and then race our way back to the front.

At times Adam described the game as NASCAR racing mixed with “Twisted Medal, without the guns and bullets.”

As you go through the game and earn more money and compete for the championship, new sponsorships and improvement open up. While we only completed half of the season in one night, we will certainly finish the second half soon.

Days of Thunder: NASCAR Edition is a great companion to NASCAR The Game: 2011 and is available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and MAC.