NASCAR Rumble
Cover art featuring the cars of Tony Stewart and Jack Sprague
Developer(s)EA Redwood Shores
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

NASCAR Rumble is a racing video game created by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. Players race through 18 different courses set in six different areas collecting powerups to aid them. The game is a departure from many NASCAR games, as it is an arcade racer featuring various tracks and Mario Kart-esque powerups. A non-NASCAR licensed sequel was made for the PlayStation 2, called Rumble Racing. There are drivers from the then Winston Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, as well as legend racers and fictional trucks.

Gameplay

In NASCAR Rumble, the main object of the game is to win a race or series of races against one to five opponents. They race in normal or souped-up stock cars from the at-the-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series (including Adam Petty, which uses his NASCAR Busch Series car, as he had yet to debut in Winston Cup in 1999), in addition to several Craftsman Truck Series drivers (all from their respective 1999 season), unlockable past NASCAR legends (all of them using Dodge Charger Daytona bodies), and bonus vehicles. Another feature in the game includes the voice of Animaniacs voice actor Jess Harnell, who talks to the player during a race. The game also features three original songs by guitarist Derek Trucks.

Game modes

Single race

During a single race, players race one race on any track of their choice. They can choose between one and eight circuits and one to five opponents. The option to select AI opponent(s) is also available if enabled in the game options.

Championship

In a championship, the player can participate in a championship consisting of three rounds, each set in a track sharing the location. Depending on how well the player does in each race, they are rewarded with ten points for a win, eight for second, six for third, four for fourth, two for fifth, and one for sixth. A running total is kept, and final standing position is based on the total points earned in all three races. If the player finishes in first, they receive a trophy and unlock the legend championship in that series.

Championships can also be played in "Cyberteam" mode where there are three teams with two players on each. The team members combine their points and the standings are based on both members, so it can be a good check of strength for an expert player. There is also "co-op" mode, where two human players are on a team.

There is also a "Legend" mode, where the player can unlock a legendary NASCAR driver in a championship against the legend and four "regular" drivers. The player must finish first in the championship to win, regardless of the legend's final position in the standings.

Showdown

"Showdown" is a one-lap shootout against an opponent of the player's choice. The player also chooses the track and power-up density.

Time trial

In a time trial, the player has four laps to get the track and/or lap record for a track of their choice. Track records are "official" if only four laps are run, regardless of power-up density. There are a maximum a five track records kept for each track, but only one lap record.

Reception

The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[2] Eric Bratcher of NextGen said of the game, "Don't expect an ultra-realistic racing simulation here. It's more like the NASCAR-licensed version of Road Rash. And it's great."[12]

Dan Elektro of GamePro said of the game in one review, "Yes, it's closer to Hot Wheels Turbo Racing than NASCAR 2000, but no matter. NASCAR Rumble's silly spin on the usual stock car showdown is a wild and welcome shift into high gear."[14][lower-alpha 3] In another GamePro review, however, Scary Larry said, "In the long list of impressive PlayStation racing games, NASCAR Rumble is definitely in the funny car competition."[15][lower-alpha 4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 7.5/10, 6.5/10, 8/10, and 7/10.
  2. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, one critic gave it a score of 85, and the other 77.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 4.5/5 scores for graphics and control, and two 5/5 scores for sound and fun factor in one review.
  4. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and sound, and two 4/5 scores for control and fun factor in another review.

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (February 3, 2000). "Get Down and Dirty with Nascar [sic] Rumble". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "NASCAR Rumble for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. ↑ Kanarick, Mark. "NASCAR Rumble - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Young, Jeffrey Adam (March 10, 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ Hager, Dean; Chou, Che; Davison, John; Smith, Shawn (April 2000). "NASCAR Rumble" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 129. Ziff Davis. p. 164. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  6. ↑ Steinberg, Scott (March 12, 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  7. ↑ Fitzloff, Jay (March 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". Game Informer. No. 83. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on December 5, 2000. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  8. ↑ Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Jacques Strap (April 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". GameFan. Vol. 8, no. 4. Shinno Media. p. 84. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  9. ↑ Liu, Johnny (March 2000). "Nascar Rumble [sic] Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ Fielder, Joe (February 9, 2000). "NASCAR Rumble Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"]". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (February 7, 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Bratcher, Eric (April 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". NextGen. No. 64. Imagine Media. p. 90. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ Kujawa, Kraig (April 2000). "NASCAR Rumble". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 7. Ziff Davis. p. 95. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ Dan Elektro (April 2000). "NASCAR Rumble Struts—and Shocks" (PDF). GamePro. No. 139. IDG. p. 124. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  15. ↑ Scary Larry (February 22, 2000). "NASCAR Rumble Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG. Archived from the original on August 26, 2004. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
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