Sprint Car Challenge PS2 Review

For the purposes of this review we watched a little Sprint Car Racing on TV to gain insight into how well the game captures it, but sadly the results weren’t good at all. The real racing is fast and spectacular and in comparison, Sprint Car Challenge is sadly dull and uneventful.

Don’t get us wrong though Sprint Car Challenge isn’t a total failure and hasn’t completely forgotten to include the “fun” elements of a game, even if the fun is in microscopic form it’s still hiding there somewhere. The handling is decent enough, and once you get the hang of powering around corners in such lightweight vehicles it becomes reasonably enjoyable stuff…nothing more though.

The tracks are mostly an uninteresting selection, although tussling between opponents and the odd crash does enliven things a little. The crash physics are over the top, but watching the real vehicles collide is still a much more thrilling sight. It is cheap though, so it would be unreasonable to expect groundbreaking crash physics, therefore we’ll let that one slide.

As you progress through the game you’ll unlock more tracks and vehicles. On the subject of vehicles, you may expect to unlock additional Sprint Cars with differing decals; although the reality is that Rally Cars and Sand Rails become available, thus adding a slightly rewarding spin to your progression. Less rewarding is the secret tracks, which are basically the previous selection set at night, brilliant!

When all comes to all though, Sprint Car Challenge is a pretty mediocre effort that runs out of steam after around half an hour of play. It’s a title that is only slightly redeemed by its super cheap retail price.

3/10