"I'd rather eat yellow snow."

Following on the coattails of Hydro Thunder, you have this somewhat difficult to play version called Arctic Thunder in which you take control of a snowmobile rider and attempt to race as well as blast your way through several different rocky stages. While the concept of the game really isn’t all that original, there are a couple of good points that the game has to offer, more with the way that the game play is set up in terms of weapons that can be used to help you or hinder the competition!

The Game Play

The game play is basically race from start to finish while trying to beat out your opponents with different weapons and course path selections. Again, much like Hydro Thunder, there are instances of speed, action and mayhem, but even with the different styles that you can play through, you still have a rather used racing game format that doesn’t quite hit the mark! With the races having a difficulty level that takes quite a bit of getting used to in the later stages, there is hardly any room for error and if you’re not careful, you might just end up at the back of the pack before you really realize it. Controlling Arctic Thunder is little more than knowing just how to use the steering bar and how to get through the course twists and turns.

Anyone with any racing game experience will find that the game has nothing new to offer other than the different weapon selections and otherwise, so veterans to this type of genre will find that the game is easy enough to pick up and learn. Beginners on the other hand may do well to learn all of the controls through a couple of practice rounds before trying to tackle all of the different actions that the game has to offer. Tricks and otherwise are pretty much automatic, so there is nothing in that aspect that you’ll have to learn or stress out over! All in all, the game control is about par for the course, with just the slightest need to learn how to control your character and just what attributes said character portrays.

The Visuals

Arctic Thunder doesn’t give you the same feel that Hydro Thunder did simply because the game seems to move faster than it’s supposed to, leaving you with a wild ride that you really have no insight on. Where the game tries to cash in, is with the multitude of tracks and tricks that you can do as well as the different weapon attacks. However, what you will find is that the visuals are marred by the overbearing speed that the game attempts to throw at you in each turn. The environments that you ride through are pretty much what you would expect with the snow and caves, but there isn’t any sort of extra detail added in that you would expect after having played Hydro Thunder!

The Audio

Audio wise, the game tries hard to offer the feel and excitement of arctic combat and racing, but seems to be muted in the way that it is presented, much like the visuals. The game music does change from stage to stage, which is a definite plus, but the music itself just doesn’t have all of the feeling that you would hope for with an action game such as this! The sound effects also seem to fall along the wayside with the explosions and racing engines seeming to be more of the same action game generic stuff that you would hear in any other game. Putting this altogether into one title and tacking it onto the audio/visual aspect of the game, this is another truly disappointing aspect of the game that I didn’t expect to find.

Why you might not like this game:

Arctic Thunder tries too hard to be the sequel to Hydro Thunder and comes up a little short on the visuals, audio and even the overall game play. By adding in weapons and tricks, now you have to worry about your position should you screw up and spend too long trying to nail an opponent with a said weapon. The challenge on most of the tracks is considerable, which means that most gamers who like racing titles won’t touch this without some Hydro Thunder experience first!

The Verdict

Arctic Thunder is a game that just doesn’t have the same draw for me like Hydro Thunder did. A game with snowmobiles is one thing, but then you start adding in missiles and landmines, and it starts to get a little out of control. The audio and the visual aspects of the game are mismatched in most places throughout the title, with nothing but a feeling of speed being your only sensory joy. However, for those of you who like more in-depth or easier to place racing titles, you might want to return to the Hydro Thunder display and leave this one on an ice flow that’s sailing out to sea!

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 05/14/02, Updated 05/14/02