is the "Grudges and Alliances" feature, which is based on the player's driving style and attitude. If the player drives dirty and bumps into other drivers, even if it was an unintentional bump, that driver becomes a "Rival", and will bump into the player if they happen to encounter each other later in the race. However, if the player drafts the opponent (a new feature for the game), that rival's level in grudge severity drops. If the player drafts a neutral driver long enough, that driver will become an "Ally", and at times will let the player pass. Conversely, if the player bumps into an ally, their alliance will slowly drop. The maximum severity value for both grudges and alliances is -100 and +100, respectively. Players can see their four highest grudges and alliances at the end of the race. In Season and Career modes, the grudges and alliances the player makes carry over to future races. Reception The game received positive reviews from critics, with IGN giving the PS2 version an 8.8/10, praising the sounds, "QuickSave", and microphone support. The main issue that IGN cited was that the driving model is somewhat unrealistic. IGN gave the PC version an 8.5, with the issue being the spotter's incompetence. The Xbox review was also an 8.5, and praised the framerate. GameSpot called the game the Tony Hawk or Madden of NASCAR, and gave the game an 8.8, with Metacritic giving it an 88. The more critical review came from GameZone, which gave the game an 8.4. Awards The game received many top awards, the most notable was received at the 2003 Spike Video Game Awards, where NASCAR Thunder 2004 won the award for 2003's best racing game. It is currently the only NASCAR game to win an award at the VGAs. NASCAR Thunder 2004 also nominated for The Electric Playgrounds 2003 "Best Driving Game for PC" and "Best Console Driving Game" award, but lost to Need for Speed: Underground and Project Gotham Racing 2 respectively. References External links 2003 video games EA Sports games Image Space Incorporated games NASCAR video games North America-exclusive video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation 2 games Racing simulators Sports video games with career mode Windows games Xbox games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in the United States Spike Video Game Award winners Budcat Creations games