Win with ‘NASCAR 06’

“NASCAR 06: Total Team Control”

•••(out of four)

EA Sports for

Xbox (also for PlayStation 2),

$49.99

Rating: E (Everyone)

“NASCAR 06” roars to life in dramatic fashion. Even before hitting the title screen, gamers are thrust into the final two laps of the Pepsi 400. After getting a nudge from teammate Jimmy Johnson, gamers have to lead Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 car past Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and on to the checkered flag.

This teaser clearly drives home this installment’s focus: racing as a team sport. Now you have a contingent of cars to help you race to victory. In addition to some simple commands such as follow, block and head to the pit, you also can swap cars with teammates.

For realism, “NASCAR 06” inches closer to simulation heaven. Chatter from the crew chief echoes through your headset, keeping you aware of your situation. You can even create your own driver and work your way up the ranks – from the Whelen series to the Nextel Cup – building a team along the way.

The opposition also drives with purpose and a surprisingly good memory. Rub other drivers the wrong way in one race and they’ll be torqued at you during the next. The more of a gentleman racer you are, the more polite your opposition is. Drafting, pit stops and plenty of left turns – they’re all here.

While this year’s model shows improvement, it could be better. The graphics are a bit ragged and online play is still limited to four players in a race. But, as NASCAR gaming goes, it doesn’t get any better.

–Ryan Huschka, Knight Ridder

“Donkey Kong: King of Swing”

•(out of four)

Nintendo for

Game Boy Advance,

$29.99

Rated: E (Everyone)

In “King of Swing,” King K. Rool interrupts Donkey Kong and his pals right as they’re about to have a competition, stealing all of the medals. Your job is to return the medals so you can hold the games. That’s it for the weak plot of this game.

What I expected from a Donkey Kong title for Game Boy Advance is the challenge of moving quickly through video game-style environments, then jumping on the heads of enemies to defeat them, as in “Donkey Kong Country.” Nintendo should have left it at that.

“Donkey Kong: King of Swing” has similar characters and backgrounds to other Donkey Kong games, but the way you play it is completely different.

First, the controls have changed. You mainly use the top L and R buttons. Most of the button pushing in video gaming is done with the thumbs, so my index fingers quickly got tired. You move around, jump and attack with those buttons.

The main difference is the pegs. Instead of starting out to the very left of the level and having the exit at the far right, you start out at the bottom and make your way to the top. You grab pegs (with L and R) and jump from pegboard to pegboard and avoid enemies until you can exit. You collect bananas to restore health or to get a brief burst of energy.

This game didn’t need to be made: It wasn’t fun, and I won’t play it in my free time.

–Craig Campbell, 12, Knight Ridder