#163 – Days of Thunder

Nights of Lightning.

PLAYERS: 1

PUBLISHER: Mindscape

DEVELOPER: Beam Software

GENRE: Racing

RELEASE DATE: October 1990

I’m not particularly a day person, nor do I care for thunder in the day time. I guess you could say I prefer “nights of thunder.” Knowing this about myself, and knowing that Days of Thunder is based on the Tom Cruise/Nicole Kidman movie where Tom is a Nascar racer for Nicole’s heart, made me a little hesitant going into this game. Thankfully, the game lacks any real thunder, and it is also devoid of Hollywood actors pretending to love each other. If you can get the hang of the controls, Days of Thunder is a competent racing sim. ‘A’ is go, ‘B’ is brake, but navigating between the two is TRICKAY! WHAT! IT’S TRICKAY! The title screen has no options, so just get in the car and drive, dangit! After a quick qualifying lap, you’re off to your first race and, boy howdy, do you have to be good to win or even place. Bashing into other cars or the sides of the track will result in you needing to repair at a pit stop, but actually slowing down enough to stay in the pit is another story. It’s a crap-shoot getting into the pit, and unfortunately, a crap-shoot you will need to succeed in several times. But, with practice and patience, there’s enjoyment to be had. Here’s the real question: how badly do you, as Tom Cruise, want to win Nicole Kidman’s heart? If the answer is, “more than I care about my beautiful face or career,” take time and enjoy this game. Otherwise, wait a few years for the divorce, and maybe, just maybe, you can win her heart the Keith Urban way: by writing some real purdy country songs and having a heart of Australian gold.

C+