Why Is NASCAR Thunder 2004 Still So Loved?
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- Опубликовано: 10 июн 2024
- NASCAR Thunder 2004 is still one of the most played games by NASCAR fans today. Almost as much as NASCAR Heat 4. But why? What makes this game so beloved? That’s what I’m trying to find out today.
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My introduction to NASCAR was actually NASCAR Thunder 2003, steppenwolf’s magic carpet ride was epic. I too went backwards many times in Daytona and Talladega wrecking the field.
250 mph on Tiburon!
@@DerrickRG haha yeah I think I had to max out the gears to keep that from happening
Same here. I got a PS2 for Christmas and 2003 was the first game I played on it. Going from an N64 to a PS2...I was blown away by how great the game looked.
For me it was NASCAR 98 and Flirtin’ with Disaster by Molly Hatchet!
Every night I pray that NASCAR Thunder 2003 will be offered as a backward compatible game for Xbox One (or the next gen).
This was the first game I was ever truly "hyped" for. I remember begging my parents to buy me this game. And the memories will leave. Also the soundtrack instantly takes me back to 2003-04
I can still hear "Fall Back Down" as I fly down the back stretch at Daytona
Part of my Spotify playlist includes most of the games soundtrack.
i've owned that game when i was 5 years old and the reason tony Stewart is my number 1 favorite driver
@@mlgalcatraz9840 And he is now a team owner sign of the times
And every game sense has been a let down pretty much
I miss the days where when the jackman screwed up and I'd say "I'm going to fire you", I literally could do it lol
I thought I was the only one who fires them if they cost me a race lol
Yeah I be p.o at one of them saying com on guys get your sh** together!!
Iceberg: "NASCAR Thunder 2004 is the best Nascar game."
Ace Moneymaker: "So, you have chosen... death."
Ace needs his 10%
@@DerrickRG 2005 is a very solid game, AI was good, as was 06/07
but 2004 was still so much better.
You did miss one big thing to add to the immersion. Drivers actually retired in this game and there was movement between series. You could take over the ride of your favorite driver's ride (you bet your ass I took the number 5 car). The addition of silly season is something that adds massively to the realism of that career platform.
The only element missing from that feature is having drivers move from one car to another (instead of just drivers retiring and being replaced by a Busch Series driver).
@@NotSteveCook truth! It is an element so underutilized in NASCAR games I didn't even consider it could be even better
Drivers retiring is one of my favorite parts. My only gripe is all the Busch drivers were bad. In 2003, guys like Scott Wimmer could take over a ride and be a top 15 driver.
Haha, the Kellogg's ride was easily the most awesome in the game.
@Ethan Weeter Do you remember which tracks you didnt win at. I know some tracks, the balancing is off. I remember Bristol was difficult to win as the Ai cars were glued to the track in the turns. But for tracks like Texas and Richmond you could dust the field, especially Richmond.
I remember my dad was so far into career mode all the real drivers retired, I think he was in the 2020s or 2030s.
That A7X song is in Madden 04 too
Chapter 4 was in NT2004, Madden 04, and NHL 2004
real life dave marcis lol
Ea did that a few times I remember two as one being in both nascar 09 and nhl 09
What Madden was Bat Country in? I swear I remember playing a Madden game that had it before I knew who Avenged was. Maybe 2006?
@@blankblanker5139 yep, and NHL 06
2:18 So that's where the DEI team began it's downfall :P
Yep, JR never forgave Mikey after the beach race in 03
The downfall basically begin in 05 when they made a team swap
@@brandonn6837No shit, its a joke man.
@@brandonn6837 r/whoosh
Thanks Teresa.....🙄
Because of everything it has!! And even more!! It surpasses much of the recent NASCAR games
Yes. Even F1 2021.
It was an easy game to play, but also challenging in terms of the physics. The competition and the AI was good for its day. The rival and ally made you have to race clean or suffer consequences.
Career mode started out challenging. You had to build your team to compete up front. Get sponsorships and then get results. I love this game and I still have it.
The in-depth stats that continued for every driver throughout the whole career or season and the ability for drivers to retire and be replaced is my favorite thing about this game.
This and NASCAR Thunder 2003 shaped my love of NASCAR when I was 7
You forgot 2 things: Content: Thunder challenges, where mastering every track ensures pole position in quick race. FANTASY TRACKS! It’s fun to test your skills on fake tracks. And, before NASCAR did the Roval, you could try it out here! The Daytona Rolex, Talledega night race? So many features!
1:43 “There is nothing left to decide this race except physics and fate.”
Based and S1appilled
I hope 704 is listening and can go back to this.
Long story for me is, almost or over a decade ago, I was actually gonna get NASCAR Thunder 2004 with my dad at Gamestop but I don't know why I decided to get NASCAR Thunder 2003 instead. The 2003 game was actually very fun to play though.
I could still hear the spotter in that game say, "YOU WANNA SIT IN THIS PITBOX AND HOME DRIVE?!!" Xd
There's some seagulls trying to get my French fries
I cant remember which game it was I used to love playing it was either thunder '03 or '04 but there was a charm and fun factor to those games that the modern NASCAR games dont have
I loved this game. My brother and I spent endless hours on this game. Everything about it was amazing. Thank you for this video.
I started with the 2005 game. I loved the rival-ally aspect, the imaginary road courses, the damage simulation, Rockingham, and the option to race the modifieds and corvettes! Oh and the Milwaukee Mile!
I was just turning laps at Texas in the silver Earnhardt car. I got it new for my birthday and I still play that very same copy.
you can do that kinda thing when you put your damn cd's back in their cases....
Anyone LAN-tunneling this online nowadays - whether console or emulated?
Compared within the generation - still racing ToCA Race Driver 3 online and, most recently, the resurrected online beta for Gran Turismo 4 - ToCA, obviously, has very little NASCAR and, more importantly, with NASCAR Thunder 2004 on my LAN setup, I was surprised by how much more road and surface feel were transmitted through my Logitech wheel over any other offering force feedback immersion not to forget NASCAR's handling physics.
One thing you left out was you could unlock classic paint schemes and retired drivers, that was one of my favorite parts of the game. I did a season with Dale Earnhardt and all his best paint schemes.
I never had NASCAR Thunder 04’ but I did have 03’ and it remains my favorite NASCAR game of all time
I had thunder 03 in gamecube it is and was fire
My favorite NASCAR game on PS2 so many great memories
This was the first Nascar game I ever played. I still have my copy of it and I'd still be playing it to this day if my original Xbox still worked. This game deserves a remaster!
Play it on a xbox 360
@@loganator78r I've tried. It's not backwards compatible.
@@Buynot oh wasnt sure. I figured it would since my 2002 nascar game worked
If you have a computer there is a way to set up a rom for the game. It's difficult and time consuming but almost any rig can run it on a rom.
Although I'm sure you could also find an original Xbox and disc on eBay/Amazon.
This was my favorite game growing up. I've literally put months of gameplay into this, literally. I remember it would tell you how long you had played it in the EA Bio. I always thought I had an biased opinion for this game since it was literally the first video game I ever got. Chrismas 2003 to be in fact, I was 4 years old. I got this and an original Xbox. This was literally my childhood lol. It's awesome to see that it wasn't me being biased when I thought it was literally the best NASCAR game ever made. Getting to 100% completion made me happier than anything back then, considering it took like 5 years to get there too lol. Great Video!!!
While I was born in 2008 this game is my childhood. I remember looking around in the seat and just feeling true happiness
This was my first game I got for the PS2. I loved the career mode I loved the detailed upgrades that came with it as time in the season that passes on.
I loved NASCAR Thunder 04
But honestly my favorite hands down was Dirt to Daytona
Now that’s definitely a game I could start playing again and have just as much fun as I did 15 years ago
Jonathan24 man dirt racing was a lot of fun but hard
They need to have that as a download in microsoft store
THE ENGINES BLOWN!
Lol back then I had both if I wanted realism it was 03 to 05 if I wanted arcade style it was dirt to daytona
To this day, i still go back and play this game. Amazing soundtrack, tons of paint schemes, fun fantasy tracks, a cool damage model/DNFs. It is untouched my modern Nascar games IMO.
I never played the thunder games but I do sometimes go back to Nascar 06 and man seeing all those old names takes me back to having family gatherings at my aunt and uncles house (single wide trailer actually, very on-brand) to watch the races on an old crt TV. Mark Martin, Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson was brand new, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart.
Made me feel old when Jimmie Johnson retired.
NASCAR Thunder 2003 is what introduced me to the sport, and the '04 version was so much fun it took my fandom to the highest level possible. Even with everything that has changed since, that game is still solely why I'm still around watching races in 2020 (at some point).
I'm a Nascar 2005 Chase for the Cup fan, and I grew up with that game in my preteen years. It was iconic, legendary, and one of the most memorable games that I've ever played and my brother was heavily involved with the historic enjoyment of it as he would play it and enjoy it just as much as I did. It had a charming personality about it that made the game feel rough and 'burn rubber' hard core, like a loud lawnmower engine smoking in the hot summer tearing through grass. A game where I could shamelessly bang my head around to the album music, make loud wise cracks at the other drivers, and pan my own driving performance from one race to the next. It was golden and I like it for that freedom.
If three days grace is on the soundtrack you know it's good 🔥🔥
Nascar racing 2003 season: am I a joke to you?
Yes, but moddable
It was made more as a sim platform. I think we all can agree the game let's you know right away it ain't no joke.
Exactly haha. Why I can't take this title seriously. f1 challenge 99-02 was peak EA racing games.
NASCAR RACING 2003 SEASON YOUR NOT MY REAL DAD!!!!
not a video game
This was the first Nascar game I remember playing avidly. Between the ages of 13-18, this was my go-to racing game. Everything about it was just awesome, from retro tracks and paint jobs, to the trophy room (that I HAD to complete). It also gave me great memories of playing with my Dad and him watching me kick the a.i.'s butt time and time again. It's a combination of nostalgia and solid gameplay that I can look back on fondly and that's why it's still my favorite Nascar game.
I remember getting into NASCAR 06 and then desperately searched local game shops for a copy of Thunder 2004. Just so much content with so much polish.
'03 was my jam, but these games were phenomenal. I loved LOVED the team building aspect of career mode. They need to just make THIS with better graphics and updated rosters etc...no cap
vid popped up in my recommendations. First thought- I'm not alone in how I feel about this game! Covered it all, though racing on a Super Speedway to "This Time" by Depswa my favorite memory of this classic. Also, might not be popular but I loved that the career mode started you very weak, so that when you start getting top 10 finishes consistantly, there's a real sense of accomplishment. Thanks for the video.
The career speaks for it self. What i love besides that is the awards stuff, rookie of the year, who is leading the most laps in the season, who has the most poles, or car manufacture standings. Its just so full of details, and a game from 2003!!!! 17 years later we dont have half of those things. Also the MRN stuff before the race were so cool, and had alternate lines too, i mean, details, thats what made this game the best nascar until this day. I still play this game, the career is hard, but the reward feeling you get is just perfect! This game has so many qualities that is hard to describe.
AND HAS A LOOOOOT OF PAINT SCHEMES!
Haha, I'm playing NT04 right now! I like listening to videos in the background while playing it, and while looking for another one saw yours. Keep up the great work man!
When PS5 comes out there are rumors that there could be classic games and I'm hoping that this could be one of the games so I can play it. I've never played NASCAR Thunder 2004 but I have played NASCAR Thunder 2003
this game was my childhood. when i was 7 in 2003 i got a ps2 for christmas and got this game and still really havent stopped playing. every year the new one would come out and it was fine but i always would end up just going back to 2004
EA Sports - It's in the game!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
e
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
e
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
A
A. A
A. A
E Gay Storts: Your Mom is gay
EA Sports, It's In The Game!
*vroom*
*NASCAR THUNDER 2004!*
today it's now EA sports - it's down the toilet
5:34 KG hell ya finally getting free advertisement
Watching this like "huh this looks really good, I want to play it" and then finding out it didn't come to the UK.
How does 06 compare, as that seems to be the closest one to the time that actually arrived over here?
NT04 looks excellent
My friend Dale Reynolds has a video on NASCAR 06. Abridging it, he grew up on 04 and 05. 06 had a fresh physics model at the time. If you grew up playing 04 and 05, you'd DESPISE 06. And despise 06 he did and still does.
06 was fine. It's fun to play for sure. But Its not on the same level.
The handling model for Nascar 2004 is the best the PS2 era has to offer.
@@thebossman550 nr2003 does exist and while it wasn't for PS2 it blew the EA games out of the water
I still like 2006's career the most because you got to manage multiple cars on a team, added a good amount of depth to the team management.
...also to UPS truck, the UPS truck is grear
NASCAR Thunder 2004 has always been my favorite game because 2003 was the first year I watched NASCAR. It is also my favorite season. I have all of the songs on the game saved to a playlist that I listen to frequently still today. I am try to collect all of the Diecast cars from 2003. I guess what makes this game great to me, is I’ve been able to play it since day 1 of being a NASCAR fan. It’s where I learned all of the drivers and cars. This video has motivated me to dig it out and fire up the Xbox and run a few races. Well done
I loved the multiple paint jobs for cars, the tracks and the music. The music alone got opened up a new world for me that scared the rest of my class in elementary school. They found it scary that I listened to A7X, Rancid, Andrew WK, Powerman 5000 and then into more rock and punk bands.
Great video! A nice nostalgia trip for sure! Thunder 2004 was amazing and blows all other nascar games out of the water!
i just played this game a couple days ago and just spent time unlocking thunder plates i never did when i was 7-8 years old. i still love this game and it’s still my favorite ever
Loved the thunder games an chase for the cup in 05 was my top game I owned as a kid and played it religiously
Fantastic game.... Great video man. A real trip down memory lane
This time, down (motograter), tear it up, iheabu, guilt, chapter four. Those were my jams
Cj Earnest glad you liked my song Down! Have you checked out our latest album?
NASCAR Thunder 2003 will always be top for me, but I enjoyed hearing your perspective! Great video 👍🏼
I remember playing this game when I was 7 and I haven't played this since 2016 mostly because the disc is damaged
Same shit happened to me lol. I was like 9 or 10 years old back in 2005-06 and had a copy of Nascar Thunder 2004 for my Xbox. My careless self never took care of it properly and it broke. I was sad as hell afterwards.
The four player mode on this game was wild too!! I remember having friends over and all of us would race and make a custom made season. One of the best games ever
The GOAT of NASCAR games! Got it Christmas 2003 with the PS2 and still play it to this day!
I had this game on the PC, & MAN that game is like a scrapbook for me. Every time I see footage or videos about it, those early memories from as a 10/11 year old kid come rushing back every time. I used to do the same shit at Daytona. I would drive toward that hill in the grass in turn 4, jump the hill & drive head on into the pack just to cause a big pileup. I never did the career mode cuz there is no way I'd know what I was doing at that time, but now when I look back at least it was done right.
Not to mention one of if not THE best soundtrack for anything
I played this game and fell in love with Avenged Sevenfold's "Chapter Four" and loved it every time I played. I acquired Waking The Fallen, then someone suggested I listen to Killswitch Engage, who now happens to be my favorite band. I'll always be an A7X fan though! So, thanks to NASCAR for making me a metal fan. :)
my all time favorite track in the game was Tiburon superspeedway. no restrictor plates, going clockwise direction instead of the traditional counterclockwise, 230+ mph. and it was the one fantasy trophy I was missing from my trophy room that I needed to win.
I have my dads PS2 set up in our high school library and me and the bois play this game in study hall. As high school kids. In 2020. TIMELESS GAME.
Ah, I see you watch The Act Man, too. A fellow man of culture
I was recently watching Schildhouse play NT2004 and it made me wanna play an old NASCAR game, just from how challenging and rewarding it looked. So I pulled out 06:TTC for the PS2, and even that recently after 04, there's a drop-off. I'm breezing through Fight to the Top on Legend difficulty, in Season 2, already competing for the Truck and NNS Titles after winning the Modifieds in Year 1. It feels like it doesn't want me to lose.
I love the way the cars sounded in this game. I like in Thunder ‘03 if you caught on fire you could hear the crackles in the fire.
I was 8 when this game was out & remember my older brother play it non stop & me watching. And he started letting me play, and that's part of why me & other girls like me got into Nascar & other sports, I wasn't the typical little sister lol. Games like this brought families together! Me & my bro still play & his kids too whenever we all get together visiting.
Glad im not the only one who worships this game. My favorite part was the intro to the race where the announcers described the track and some driver history then gave the starting lineup after the ational anthem and flyover. Also victory lane was mastered. The later games really took the heart out of it by removing the race intro and victory lane scenes
Thunder 2003 will always have a special place in my heart as my favorite nascar of all time.
Got this game for Christmas along with the Thick Brick PS2 that year... now i feel old...
Whenever I make nascar heat wishlist videos I always reference this game. It was so ahead of its time. The career mode keeps you hooked and it's super immersive. The deep statistics, trophy room, research and development, driver retirements, allies and rivals, and the biggest feature was the presentation. Nothing makes the player feel more immersed into the game then hearing the MRN team talk about you and the other drivers during the pre race and post race of the career mode. Also hearing the national anthem, the command to start engines and the commentators going through the starting grid. Its stuff like that is what gives the game life. Something that's been missing in nascar games ever since then. I play the current nascar games but nowhere near as often as nascar thunder 2004. I remember receiving this game back then for Christmas when I was 7 and playing the hell out of it until my ps2 went out years later not to mention 04 wasn't loading no more anyway lol. I bought the game off Amazon after nascar heat 2 came out (because it was super disappointing) and started playing the hell out of it again. I'm 15 seasons into the career mode and still having fun even though I'm dominating every race at this point in my career lol. I really hope 704 takes notes from that game. Nascar heat 6 or nascar 2021 (whatever their gonna call it) better surpass thunder 2004 finally. It'll be the 6th game 704 has put out, it'll be on the PS5 and next gen xbox and its being made by a whole new team. If I worked at 704 I would be super motivated to finally knock off 04 from the throne. Give us a fully fleshed out nascar game finally. Most of the features we're asking for is stuff we use to get in nascar thunder 2004 and 2005 chase for the cup.
One of the coolest things about this game for me was the tire marks that were left on the wall when you rubbed against it. It was the first of the series to include it.
My favorite was Nascar 05: Chase for the cup. So many hours put into career mode. Even the mini modes like signing autographs just felt super immersive. Miss EA NASCAR.
This was the first nascar game I had personally and I played it everyday I used to try to get races in before I went to school but man this game will always have a special place in my heart
I had 2001 and 2002 for ps1 and as a 6 year old it blew my mind that your fuel would go down over time. Now i play forza and gran turismo online with tire wear and realistic damage and ive gotten used to making it through races unscathed, id like to imagine it was those games and ATV quad power racing 2 on gamecube that made me fall in love with racing
Thanks for this video!
That Avenged song is such a banger
Plugged in my ps2 yesterday and played this, what a coincidence I got a notification for this
As a little kid, I got nascar thunder 2003 and then... this. And I still play it to this day
2:45 and 4:19 are both true for me. I would change the settings to only hear that song and make a season dedicated to driving backwards. I remember Jack Sprague winning the championship for one of the seasons. It’s crazy but I drove more backwards than forwards.
My introduction to the series was this game at a friends, however the first game I owned was 2005 chase for the cup. Chase for the cup was my favorite NASCAR Game.
1 word as to why NT04 is the GOAT
Immersion
Max Blankenship a new game with accurate damage
Max Blankenship I’ll buy it immediately. (Even though heat 4 did have some too, but they were only a couple of dirt tracks)
Max Blankenship don’t forget sawmill and speedway Blvd
Max Blankenship i remember it from 2004. I don’t think it made it to any other game after it. So it seems like it was only in two games iirc
one little tidbit you left out is the Pontiac grand prix pace car leading the field to the green and during the starting lineup intros is the same pace car you can actually drive in an actual race which is pretty neat. I didn't even know that until I unlocked it's thunder plate
had to rewind at the beginning because i thought you said "a stoned tony stewart" lol good vid thanks for the content!
At the time, this game was thought to be the pinnacle of NASCAR racing on consoles. Years later, it's a time capsule that shows us what NASCAR used to be like before 2004 and onwards.
Nascar '98 is my personal favorite of the games, hearing "flirting with disaster" while flying around at 190mph is just perfect
I got this game for Christmas 2003 with a brand new PS2 system. I played this for hours. This was my absolute favorite game. The same reason why I keep my PS2 system
I fogot to mention, most of the songs off the soundtrack is available on Spotify
I really like the bonus paint schemes you can acquire. I have Dale Sr ones, Alan Kulwicki, Richard Petty and others. I really love that part of the game. Also Tony Stewart was my favorite driver for as long as I can remember so any game with him on the cover is really special to me.
i got this game pretty close to release. at the time i was super big into racing and watching nascar as there were giant shoes to fill after the fateful day made it interesting to watch and i somehow managed to get this one nascar game that was perfect. i also got 2005 but didnt enjoy that career mode as well and that was the last one i ever got.
I’ve never played dirt to Daytona but that’s the other one I always hear is the best. Hope to try it some day here soon. But man I remember playing the hell out of 2004. Starting from your really bad car and pit crew and building through the years. Game was FANTASTIC!!
I got this for my ps2 around 08, noticed how much more fun it was! the soundtrack can't be beat
Even some guys from NASCAR comunity still use the soundtrack
Still got it on my PS2 and sometimes still play it lol.
This one and 2005 were my favs of all time.
2004 was the sweet spot for both driving feel and the level of features. I only wish that the gameplay engine was available one year earlier, because 2003 was the last game that had the No Bull 5 (or whatever EA called it because they had to obscure the Winston branding). Chase for the Cup for me was the beginning of the downfall, and not because of the inclusion of Nextel, the Chase, or even the other 3 series included. It’s because the graphics and game engine seemingly were overhauled for the worse, and a bunch of the cute contingency awards (Bud Pole, Raybestos RotY, etc) that they had in the past 2 games went away.
I never got the chance to play this. Europe didn't get it. But we got NASCAR 06. I personally I loved it. It was the first NASCAR game I ever played and the ability to switch drivers is one of my favourite mechanics ever seen in gaming. Also like to add NR2003 for the fact that it drives so well to this day, it's still got a very active community and many fans preferring it over the modern releases (which they can mod in may I add).
Nascar Thunder 2003 on PS2 was my game. Many fond memories running with Dale Jr. to victory lane on Saturday mornings. What a great era for the sport. 2000-2007 was the best window of Nascar racing ever.
Omg I thought I was the only one... I crave this game so much and miss playing it in my youth. Spent hours in practice honing gear ratios and pressures. Dont get me started and rivalries...
This was my first NASCAR game I played I was like 4 -5 when I played it and I loved this game I still have it on my ps2 and every now and then I play it
NASCAR Thunder 2004 was my FIRST PC game. We were pretty poor growing up, so when my brother brought home a copy of 2004, it was a big deal.
Best game!!!!! The Craven vs Busch intro video.
I had this game as a young teen. And yes it was the best nascar game. And I bought them all as a kid and up to my teenage years. And a little as an adult until I stopped playing video games around 25-26 years old.
Did anyone else manage to win the Daytona 500 in their first race of their career in the career mode? I managed it a few times with caution/pit strategy and such. That really kick starts that career mode with that jackpot. Only thing that disappointed me in this was you never got a trophy or mention of earning "rookie of the year"
I had 03, 04, and 05, but 04 stood out to me because it improved on thunder 03 in all aspects. He's right though. The career mode is what made this game awesome. I remember as a kid getting so frustrated and competitive with this game. Definitely a highlight in my childhood
I think a big part was how well the cars handle. It made it easier for you to focus on racing and not worry about spinning. I think that made a lot of people who weren't big fans of nascar fans of the game because it was easy to pick up and be decent right away. This also allowed more close racing.
2005 chase for the cup was my first nascar game I remember putting significant time into but really my first was NASCAR 2000 on PS1 but I didn't play it much nor have many memories of it, but 2005, from driving the modified series and the regular sports cars not to mention the fantasy tracks (devils canyon my personal fav) it was the pinnacle of my childhood