"One of the missing gems in the Thunder series."

One of the lost gems in the Thunder series by Midway; you’ll find that Off-Road Thunder is not a boat racing game, but rather an off-road trip into the dunes. Giving you control of several different racing vehicles, you have the ability to race through several different off-road tracks that are littered with huge jumps and harrowing short cuts. Though this game isn’t as fun as Hydro Thunder, it is leaps and bounds about Arctic Thunder, and worth playing against a friend if you’re sick of the hydroplane racing!

-The Game Play-

The main basis of the game is that you must place within the top three to proceed to the next stage. If you're good enough, you can score as first place, and then unlock new boats, and new tracks to race on. The races themselves revolve around the lap system, where the computer controlled opponents gain difficulty with each passing stage. As for in-track design, you'll find that using the jumps, and the turbo button is worth taking the time to learn to use. Once you’ve played through enough, you’ll be able to unlock some hidden courses, which will definitely put your skills to the test.

With that under your belt, you'll find that the races are rather easy against the computer the first few times through. After that, you're on your own! Multiplayer mode is one of the finest options about Off-Road Thunder, allowing you and your friends to go at it in an all out race to the finish. But don't expect super weapons, special attacks or anything of the like, this is straight-forward dune racing in some pretty cool, and exotic locations as well as some high powered and wicked looking off-road vehicles!

Sitting in a comfortable seat, you've got the steering wheel in front of you, and the speed lever to your right. With different view buttons and a seemingly vibrating seat once you start racing, you're in for a realistic ride! The control for each truck is different, so experimentation is a must before you find the best boat for your skill. Once you’ve found the right truck and how to control it, you’ll have to adjust to the way that each truck reacts to the location you’re racing in. Where one truck might be heavy enough to get through the dunes, another might be too light and send you all over the road, making for a strange balance of tough and delicate.

-Audio-

Ambient sound effects ring clear, from the bumping of the trucks into each other, and then the droning of the truck motors and the high rev pitch of the motor as the turbo kicks into effect. The stage music is high-paced, and keeps the mood moving through-out, but at times, it can drone into the background, leaving you with something that becomes too familiar. However, on of the best parts of the game is the fact that you change your music during the race, as you can with Hydro Thunder; a plus that you can change the music at will with a simple button press on your left!

-Visuals-

Each truck, and every track is brought to life with stunning detail and excellent design. Dirt sprays look almost real enough to want to clean off your windshield, and the course designs well done and extremely well designed. Effects such as dirt spewing up around the truck, clouds of dust in the drier parts of the stages, and even weather effects look awesome! Some problems arise when the racing gets hot and heavy, with some occasional clipping and some visual chopping problems. It's nothing to be overly concerned with, as it happens on an irregular basis, and doesn't affect the game overall.

-The Verdict-

While this game isn’t quite as fun as Hydro Thunder, it still has plenty of things going for it that make it a must stop and play type of game if you find it in the arcade. Though you won’t get a four-player racing ability {the machine is only set up for two} you’ll still find that taking on a friend in the different courses is worth the money spent. With familiar visuals and excellent music as well as an easy to use control system, the game play remains fast and furious, even in this different environment!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/02, Updated 08/06/02