Developer: Paradigm Entertainment Publisher: Infogrames

Release Date: June 9, 2000 Rated: E 5/10

With a few solid titles already under their belt for the N64, including high quality racing in both the simulation and arcade camps, Paradigm Entertainment was enlisted for another licensed racing title for Infogrames with Indy Racing 2000. Similar in style to F1 cars, though raced on tracks in a style closer to NASCAR, Indy Racing delivers both a simulation of the 1999 IRL season across nine licensed tracks and featuring 20 different drivers from their various racing teams. 

Though it boasts an impressive amount of features for those interested in the much more American style of high-speed, high-performance racing, Indy Racing 2000 is neither a wide-appeal release nor a be-all, end-all simulation of its niche subgenre. It feels perfectly responsive during races, offers decent options of customization to prep for the particulars of the different tracks as well as a full season mode. It looks and sounds perfectly middle of the pack for the genre at the time (though the commentary is sparse and useless, and would likely be better not being included at all), it’s just that nothing about its main gameplay features has any real hope of converting non-enthusiasts.

If there’s any particularly interesting feature to be had in Indy Racing 2000, it would certainly be the Gold Cup feature, which offers a wider variety of vehicle styles and track designs, as well as a greater sense of progression more akin to any more general single-player focused racer. Players start out by racing “midget” cars, earning experience points from races until they unlock better cars in that style, then move on and repeat with sprint cars, F1 cars, and finally the featured Indy cars. It’s not a gem by any stretch, and not worth picking the game up on its own, but it’s a nice little hidden mode that perhaps suggests something a bit more interesting Paradigm could have done if the license hadn’t dictated the focus of the project. 

Continuing Legacy

The early 2000s produced a few titles from Codemasters that focused wholly on the IndyCar style and license, though such singularly-focused racing titles are much less viable as major physical releases than major franchises like Forza Motorsport and Codemasters’ GRID series. An officially licensed IndyCar game has been in development limbo for much of the past year or so as of 2024. 

Additional Information

Saves: Cartridge

Compatible With: Rumble Pak, Expansion Pak

Players: 1-2

Print Guides: None

Aggregate Critical Reception: 67.78% (GameRankings), based on 9 reviews

Other Releases: NA Exclusive

My Streams

Commercials and Print Ads