Being the first review here, I am hesitant to rate Indy 500 XE with anything less than a perfect score. It's a great game, and I whole-heartedly recommend you buy it! In fact, I'd argue it's one of the best Driving controller games available for the 2600. It's also superior to the original game, Indy 500, in nearly every way. The only area where the game falls short for me is in terms of content. I'll explain.

Indy 500 XE has twice as many race tracks as its predecessor. The problem is that very few of these tracks are what I would deem beginner-friendly. All of the courses were designed by people who probably loved the original game and were extremely good at it. While there's no real penalty for crashing into walls, the complexity of the courses means it'll happen more often. I can see new players becoming frustrated. That said, I still think the tracks are brilliant. I especially like the ones in Games 3/4 and 13/14. They feel very organic, and the track in Game 13/14 uses screen-wrapping to masterful effect.

My only other complaint is that none of the race tracks from the original game are included in this release. I suspect they had to be removed to keep the cartridge size under 4k, but I still wish some of them had made it in. The courses in Indy 500 are less complex and would have helped to round out the game more. I could also fully recommend that you buy XE over the original. That said, it still makes for a wonderful companion title.

4.5 / 5 Stars

P.S.: Indy Race 500 XE is one of the cheapest titles available on AtariAge. It deserves more love and more reviews.

P.P.S: The Driving Controller also deserves more love. I'm looking at you, Atari.