CART Fury is the NFL Blitz of racing games. It combines fast paced racing action with easy to pick up and learn controls. Gratuitous Games should be given a lot of credit for making this game go as fast as it does while not allowing the graphics to suffer too much. The racetracks are well done and bursting with lots of stylish variety and flair, but at times, they also give the impression that a few corners were cut. Luckily, most of the game is spent at high speeds, so you won't notice these few blemishes. The effects around the tracks, such as planes zooming overhead, are really nice eye candy, but are used way too much and get old and very annoying after a few races. The car models look fantastic and you can tell a lot of time went into modeling them after real life cars. However, except for logo and minor color variations, all of the cars look exactly the same, which leads to things becoming stale after awhile. This is a good-looking game that lacks that extra bit of polish to make it a great looking one.

Like the graphics, the sound is well done, but overused with little to no variety. The background music, which is supplied by bands such as Disturbed and Outkast, helps to set up a 'fast-paced, bad-ass racer' mood to the game. The problem is that so few songs are used in the game - about five total - that they grow tiresome. The same goes for the pit crew chief and announcer voices. They are good for what they are there for, but there is no variety in them. Just the same recycled generic comments. A lot could have been done to improve the sound, like adding better commentary and more music.

This is where all the strengths of the game come out. As I mentioned before, this game is so fast paced and easy to pick up that just about anyone can play it and have a blast. What makes CART Fury fun to play is it's simple, easy to understand control scheme and that it takes very little skill to play. Many conventions found in other driving games, such as tire traction and car weight, are thrown out of the window, giving you less to think about and allowing you to focus more on just having fun. Awesome crashes, a super boost ability (your wheels catch fire and you rocket past other cars), real drivers (such as Michael Andretti and Bryan Herta) and special sub-games make for one hell of an arcade racer!

At the start of the game, you are able to choose from three different modes: Arcade, Season, and Simulator. The Arcade and Season modes are pretty much the same thing, with the only difference being that in Season mode, you follow a set path. Arcade mode allows you to play any course except for a few special tracks that must be unlocked. Simulation mode is more of a failed attempt to make a legit racing game, and out of the three modes, it's the most frustrating and least fun to play. In addition to the three modes that make up the main game, you can also choose to play one of six sub-games: Last Man Standing, Time Trial, Block Your Opponent, Lock-on, Demolition, and Follow the Line. Of the six, my favorite is Lock-on, a car combat style mini-game.

Gauging the difficulty is hard to do because all three modes have their own difficulty levels. In Arcade mode, except for your 'rival car', one smart, fast driver who challenges you before each race, the computer competitors are not very hard to beat. In Season mode, things start out easy, but ramp up slowly and pose little challenge, or at least nothing that can't be beaten after two or three races. This is mainly due to all of the cars driving in a 'drunk driver' fashion and showing no skill at trying to beat you. The computer drivers spend most of the race crashing into each other, making winning that much easier. Simulator mode is an exercise in frustration. Unlike the other two modes, the drivers in Simulation mode are cheap and hard. You begin a race by trying to beat a set time in order to gain a good starting position in the start out grid. This isn't all that much of a hassle, but if you don't at least get into one of the top five positions, you have almost no chance of winning the race (which you must do) and moving on. If you want to have fun, play in Season or Arcade mode; if you enjoy screaming about how cheap the computer is, play Simulation.

The control setup is straightforward and easy to pick up by anyone. 'X' and 'square' control your gas and brakes, R2L2 allow you to use boost and the left analog stick/ D-pad steers. When using manual transmission, R1 and L1 allow you to up shift and down shift. If you prefer, the control settings can be changed in the options menu to find the style that is most comfortable for you. Before each race, you select one of four driving styles: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. All of these modes, except for Expert, use automatic transmission and each affects the difficulty of controlling your car. For example, it you choose Easy mode, your car handles extremely well, but you cannot reach the top speeds that the more difficult to handle Expert mode allows.

If you are looking for a fun arcade racer, then CART Fury is totally for you. I can't say it enough - this game is a blast to play and the sub-games, combined with many unlockable secrets, will keep you entertained for hours. However, if you're looking for a racing sim that lets you have control over every aspect of your car, you're better off waiting for Gran Turismo 3 .