Days of Thunder
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Long-lost 'Days of Thunder' NES game recreated from 30-year-old floppies
Archivists have recreated a long-lost 'Days of Thunder' NES game using 30-year-old floppies with the source code.
Days of Thunder/Top Gun movie and game hybrid Blu-rays coming
You love Tom Cruise. We get it, he's dreamy. You want to own everything even tangentially related to him, but there's a conundrum now that Days of Thunder and Top Gun are now both movies and games. Frankly, that's confusing. What's a Cruise fan to do? The answer is simple, as 505 Games will soon be releasing Top Gun and Days of Thunder hybrid Blu-ray discs. Each disc will include a copy of the movie and its respective game. Plus, it adds a physical case to the download-only games, so you can finally display them in your shrine! According to Amazon, the wonder-discs will be released on June 7 at $30 each. [Thanks, Josh]
Days of Thunder: Arcade rolls into rare Friday finish on XBLA
So, the Days of Thunder game missed the movie's 20th anniversary thing last year -- was it a thing? -- but there was still one last, sort of deadline for the Xbox Live Arcade version to hit. In late October, when Paramount Digitial Entertainment was still racing to get the game out for the anniversary, a representative told us that both the PSN-exlcusive "NASCAR Edition" and the vanilla Arcade version would be released "around the same time" (whenever that would be). On Tuesday, the NASCAR Edition finally rolled onto PSN, but then Wednesday came and went, with only one Blitz on XBLA. But Days of Thunder is all about drama, right? A thrilling finish! And so, here we are, a Friday of all days, and there's a brand-new XBLA game available for $10 (800 points). It's like ... it's like Microsoft didn't want an univited guest in its House Party.
Days of Thunder: NOTNASCAR Edition coming to XBLA 'this winter'
We feel you. You've been waiting all year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the formative "romantic drama" Days of Thunder. Well, hang tight, your opportunity is coming -- just maybe not before 2011: Paramount Digital Entertainment and Piranha Games today assured patient fans that Days of Thunder: Arcade will be released on Xbox Live Arcade "this winter" (which means it could show up on a late-December Wednesday, or it would otherwise debut in early 2011). Days of Thunder: Arcade is, naturally, an arcade-style romantic drama -- er, make that: racing game. Under the guidance of Rowdy Roddy Burns (was that the name?), players compete in an unlicensed racing circuit, careful to watch for "reckless, aggressive driving" by the movie's star, Cole Trickle, who is not voiced by Mr. Cruise in the game. The PS3-exclusive licensed version, Days of Thunder: NASCAR Edition, adds a bit more authenticity to the "pedal-to-the-metal, adrenaline-fueled arcade racing" with the likes of modern day wheelmen Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, among others. Earlier this month, NASCAR Edition was dated for release on PSN this fall -- that's right, in time for the anniversary! We figured we'd save the best news for last. You're welcome. Update: Uh-oh. A representative for the game informs us: "NASCAR Edition for PSN is now scheduled for a winter release date, as well." But there's hope! "Both games will be releasing around the same time and should be within the next couple of months (Nov./Dec.). However, we are still waiting on an official date." As for the PC/Mac Arcade version expected to be released via Steam? "At the moment, the PC/Mac version is still TBD as far as release date."
Preview: Top Gun and Days of Thunder: NASCAR Edition
Let's get this out of the way: I've never seen Top Gun nor Days of Thunder. I know, I know -- I'll turn my Man Card in at the door. The point I'm trying to make is: If there are in-jokes or sly references in either game, I wouldn't notice. That said, Paramount Digital has recruited Jack Epps Jr., screenwriter of both films, so the company certainly seems serious about fan service. Setting aside their cultural significance -- emphasis on "cult" -- what I saw were two simple, playable arcade experiences. %Gallery-96036%
Hands-on: Days of Thunder (XBLA/PSN)
click to enlarge Paramount Digital Entertainment and Piranha Games are bringing Days of Thunder to the Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer and it has a major actor attached. It's not Tom Cruise, Cary Elwes, Robert Duval, Randy Quaid or even John C. Reilly from the film of the same name, though. Nope, it's Michael Rooker? "Who?," you might be asking? Remember the guy who got stinkpalmed in Mallrats? Yes, that's him. Rowdy Burns himself. He'll play your crew chief in this downloadable title, until he gets back in a race car and challenges you on the track. Days of Thunder plays like an extremely scaled down version of EA's NASCAR series, meaning you hold down the accelerator and rarely use the brake. You can draft other cars to "Drop the Hammer" and slingshot around them and spend points on one of four categories to improve the three different car types. Update: Paramount has contacted us and asked us to remove the gameplay video, because more impressive material is in the works! Does that sound believable? And will NASCAR throw their weight behind this game? It was announced at an official NASCAR event, and the movie is NASCAR themed to the gills, but who knows. That license isn't EA exclusive anymore. Check out screenshots and photos from the first-look event below, then read more details after the break. %Gallery-84446% %Gallery-84447%
Cartridge clock pulls us back in time
Have any old NES carts lying around that you're not using? If you can possibly spare to sacrifice one to a greater (or lesser, depending on your opinion) cause, this might be a fun project: the NES cart clock. Of course, if you're not up to a little DIY project, you can pick this one up at Etsy, courtesy of seller GeekGear. While we can't decide of Days of Thunder is a good choice for hanging on the wall or propping up on a nightstand, we can certainly think of a few NES games that might make good craft projects ....
HDTV Listings for May 1, 2006
What we're watching: Primetime tonight brings us NBA Playoffs, MLB action, 24, Prison Break & more, but those are all also-rans in my opinion. For true high definition greatness one must decide between Days of Thunder at 6 p.m. on HBO with the Cruise-y one himself, or the highly stylized Sin City at 6:45 on Starz (much like Sky Captain it is entirely green screened and looks great in HD). Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
