NASCAR Rumble

PlayStation exclusive

NASCAR Rumble is a racing game by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. Players race through 18 different courses set in six different areas collecting powerups to aid them. The game was met with fairly positive reviews, and earned an 80% on GameRankings. This game is a great departure to many NASCAR games, as this game is an arcade racer featuring various tracks and Mario Kart esque powerups.

Released: 31 January 2000
Platforms: PlayStation
Genres: NASCAR Racing
Developers: Electronic Arts
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

NASCAR Rumble is a racing video game created by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. The player races through 18 courses set in six different areas collecting power-ups along the way. The game is a departure from many NASCAR games, as it is an arcade racer featuring various tracks and power-ups. 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 bonus vehicles.

Keywords

race cars
realism
temporary invincibility
starting grid
product placement
playstation underground

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

In NASCAR Rumble, the main objective 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, who 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 (each of them using Dodge Charger Daytona bodies), and bonus vehicles. Another feature is the voice of Animaniacs voice actor Jess Harnell, who talks to the player during a race. The game also includes three original songs by guitarist Derek Trucks.

Reception

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

Dan Elektro of GamePro said, "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." 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."