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Sprint Car Challenge for PlayStation 2
Sprint Car Challenge for PlayStation 2 lets you race light sprint cars with a conspicuous wing above the cockpit. On short dirt tracks you turn in early and let the rear slide outwards. The cars have a lot of power for their low weight, bringing acceleration and correction close together. Alongside familiar oval tracks there are courses with ice, sand and snow. A different surface changes the space you need to keep a slide under control.
You can first practise freely with an available car and track or race other drivers immediately. The game does not only reward a good position: sliding and collisions also earn points. Your results unlock extra vehicles and circuits. Chassis and engine damage make contact noticeable during the race. You therefore have to weigh up how much risk to take when an opponent occupies exactly the spot where you want to enter the next corner.
Two players can race each other locally at the same time in split screen, each with a separate controller; no Multitap is needed. The compact track layout regularly keeps your opponent close and makes a lost position quickly apparent. Repeating a course reveals where a long powerslide saves time and where it takes you too far wide. Sprint Car Challenge thus combines short races with collecting points and unlocking further possibilities.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Sprint Car Challenge for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Sprint Car Challenge
Brain in a Jar developed Sprint Car Challenge for PlayStation 2. The European release appeared in 2005 through Liquid Games, the budget label associated with Oxygen Interactive. In the original January announcement, Liquid presented it as a compact racing game with features also found in more expensive releases: a championship, practice, two-player racing and vehicle damage. A specific motorsport provided the starting point, but the emphasis was on short races with plenty of sliding cars and contact between them.
The game adopts a sprint car's silhouette: a light car with exposed wheels and a large overhead wing. Its courses are not restricted to the ordinary dirt ovals associated with the sport, however. Ice, sand, snow and night racing give the same vehicles different conditions. Points for a spectacular slide or collision add another distinctive emphasis. It is therefore not solely about reproducing an official racing calendar as accurately as possible.
The press announcement initially mentioned a March release; the recorded PS2 release followed later in 2005. That distinction matters when reading old news reports. Later releases on other platforms and the name Sprint Cars should not automatically be associated with this box either. This version is the original PS2 game Sprint Car Challenge. It is also not the same game as World of Outlaws: Sprint Car Racing 2002 or Sprint Cars: Road to Knoxville, despite their shared subject of American sprint cars.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Super Trucks on PlayStation 2 likewise covers a specific motorsport with vehicles other than ordinary racing cars. There you drive heavy racing trucks on asphalt circuits and chiefly need room for a wide cab. Sprint Car Challenge puts light winged cars on loose surfaces and awards points for sliding and contact. Both offer local two-player split-screen races, but approaching and correcting through a corner consequently feels quite different.
4x4 Evo on the same console shares off-road courses and vehicles you can expand your collection of during play. It focuses on real SUVs and pickups, with money for purchases and parts and checkpoints in the landscape. Sprint Car Challenge uses shorter circuits for light sprint cars and also rewards driving actions with points. Finding grip on loose surfaces is the shared element; vehicle choice and the way you make progress differ clearly.
Colin McRae Rally 3 on PlayStation 2 also shows how strongly the surface affects your racing line. There you follow rally stages with a co-driver's instructions and try to set a quick time. Sprint Car Challenge brings several cars together on short circuits where contact and powerslides can earn points. A good steering correction helps in both games, but these sprint car races also demand constant attention to the positions of the other competitors.
MX vs. ATV Unleashed on the same console likewise offers loose-surface events and scope for striking driving actions. You control motorcycles and quad bikes among other vehicles, with jumping, landing and the rider's weight transfer playing important roles. Sprint Car Challenge keeps you in a sprint car with a large wing and focuses on going sideways through corners. Both combine racing with a more playful approach to their vehicles, but require different controls.
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec on PlayStation 2 includes rally races as well as asphalt events. It builds progression around licences, a garage, prize money and a broad collection of real cars. Sprint Car Challenge sticks to a smaller group of light racing vehicles and short tracks, with points for sliding and collisions. Both let you learn to drive faster by repeating a course, but Gran Turismo places more emphasis on building a garage and different vehicle classes.
