Review: 'CART Fury' fires up

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Platform: PlayStation 2

By Dan Elektro

(IDG) -- With the home version of its minor coin-op hit "CART Fury," Midway has tried to bring as much depth to driving in a circle as possible.

In addition to an arcade mode full of track shortcuts, novelty secret cars and tires-on-fire super boosts, there's an in-depth simulation mode, a tutorial, and some action-oriented sub-games with dangerous names like "Demolition" and "Last Man Standing."

"CART Fury" is pretty, but unspectacular cars and tracks (some ovals, some city road races) are boosted by a blistering frame rate and thrilling sense of speed. Frequent menu loads drag the pace down; a "quick restart" option would have rocked.

The announcers sound a bit plastic, and the rap/rock main theme gets annoying fast.

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Control, however, is enjoyably tight. You truly feel like you're in command of this thundering machine, hugging the track. That immersive, macho feeling makes the otherwise just-okay "CART Fury" worth at least a rent.

CART Fury at a glance

• Graphics: 4.0 (out of five)
• Sound: 3.0
• Control: 4.5
• Fun Factor: 3.5