IndyCar Series - PS2

Racing around a short, oval track for ages might not seem like the most interesting of activities. But doing so in a ridiculously fast 3.5 litre V8 F1-type car can certainly liven things up a bit, especially considering these beasts can achieve 1-100mph in under three seconds. Well, this is the general idea behind Indy Racing - the season is an open-wheeled championship on short ovals and super-speedways throughout the US, including California and Texas, with the Indy 500 as the highlight of its racing calendar.

IndyCar Series is based on this popular US motorsport, and delivers immediate high-paced action, authentic handling, and places a heavy emphasis on recreating the sport's explosive collisions. Designed to be accessible, exciting and entertaining, the game features adrenaline-fuelled, ultra-close pack racing, with up to 33 cars racing on track, and requires total focus to handle the incredible overtaking manouevres at speeds well over 200mph.

The concept behind the gameplay is strictly based on the deployment of real life Indy Racing tactics. Simply going as fast as your accelerator thumb can manage won't work here - you've got to look at other options, such as close manouevres at high speeds, using drafting to overtake, maximising grip in the racing line, and switching fuel settings between speed or economy.

The fact that the game features the official badge stamped on the box means that no elements have been omitted. All the official teams and drivers are in there, as are 14 real tracks, a total of 27 cars, and 15 action-packed races. An authentic Indy 500 mode features the renowned sporting event, allowing you to make it through Bump Day to compete as one of the drivers and race 500 miles on the world-famous Brickyard circuit.

Keeping with the authentic idea is the game's attention to detail, which, as well as featuring all the official rules and flags, boasts such intricacies as a dynamic track surface that affects grip at differing temperatures. As well as all this, we're also treated to accurate in-game recreations, which include fully animated pit crews, field marshals, clean-up crews and vehicles.

So racing around a short, oval track for ages does seem, after all, like an interesting activity. And one that makes for an ideal game concept.
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