NHRA Video Game: First Impressions, Good and Bad
Written by David Lamm · August 31, 2005
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The first console video game based on NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, NHRA Championship Drag Racing, was release to stores on August 17. The game was developed from the ground up with console gamers in mind. Four previous versions had been developed by other companies but those were made specifically for PC users. This version looks to be a vast improvement over previous games. Now that hardcore gamers can get the look and feel of driving an NHRA vehicle, there is one missing ingredient.
NHRA.com: NHRA video game developer diary #8: We’re done!
G4TV.com: NHRA Championship Drag Racing 2005 Preview
The graphics and the detail of this game looks incredible. This version has options to race at different tracks the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series travels to, all four professional classes and a multitude of drivers’ cars to choose from. On top of all that you can set up your car with all the challenges the real crew chiefs struggle with each weekend. You can choose from rear wing angles to increase down force, fuel delivery options, tire traction, staging procedures, engine tune-ups along with a few more options. This game looks to be as close to the real thing as you can get without putting on a crew shirt or putting on a fire suit. But there is one thing the programmers and the NHRA missed the boat on. The game is only available for Sony Playstation 2 consoles.
Now that the console version is available, the programmers at Lucky Chicken Games, the company that developed the game, are now working on converting it for PC gamers. But what about the Microsoft XBox crowd? I know that Playstation 2 outsells XBox and there are more Playstation consoles in homes compared to XBoxes. It makes sense to make the original version with the largest potential buying demographic in mind. With that logic holding true, why not convert the game for those gamers that were left out?
All the major video games on the market have versions that can be played on both Playstaion or XBox consoles. One of the most popular video games out there, EA Sports’ Madden 2006 football game, does not ignore the XBox gamers. This thought process does not just apply to sports games either. Most major games come in both versions and some are available for play on Nintendo Game Cube. A word to the game developers and the NHRA for next year; convert the game to reach all types of gamers. You never know if an XBox player might eventually become a lifelong fan of the NHRA.
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