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January 10, 2002
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 Overall Score: *71*ESRB Rating: Teen (T)

Arctic Thunder [Microsoft X-Box] 

by Midway Home Entertainment  Reviewed by: Alex Karls  


ScreenshotOverview

In the not so distant future... cities around the globe are under siege from a strange band of terrorists. These criminals rampage through city after city, unstoppable, racing one another to the edge of creation and back, riding, of all things, snowmobiles.

That’s right. Snowmobiles.

Don’t worry, there’s a good game in here somewhere, you just need to dig for it. Just in case you’re wondering, that little blurb up there was the entirety of Arctic Thunder’s plot. There’s not much else, as the rest of the game is an incredibly fast, uncontrollable race. Some of you arcade fans might remember Hydro Thunder, the arcade title that Midway launched a while ago, which pioneered the bizarre sport/destruction aspects of this title. Where Hydro Thunder was an arcade title with only nine boats, a few secrets, and only one machine gun, Arctic Thunder is out for the Xbox and has many, many, many different riders, lots of secret material that you can unlock in the point mode, and a host of radical firepower.

The game focuses on racing and gives it to you in three distinct styles. You’ve got the normal race mode, point mode, and arcade style. Arcade style gives you an arcade perfect translation of the game that plays just like the quarter eating machine you’ve come to know and love. Not too different is the race mode, which isn’t very complex and pretty much lets you race any of the unlocked tracks and racers that you’ve got, competing to set a new high score. The point mode is one of the better features of the game, as it lets you race to gain points that you can us to  improve your rider. In addition to that, you’ve got a Battle Arena, for two player versus action, and the Upgrade Shop, which lets you improve your racer and purchase new tracks and riders.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

First off, know that this is one of the most ridiculously simple games I’ve played in a long time. Put it in, start the race, and all you need to do is keep your finger on the accelerator. That said, this should be very easy for a brand new player to pick up, and veterans of Midway’s other arcade titles won’t have to deal with the tricky and unpredictable nature of the vehicles. The race starts off with a boost, to put you ahead of the other racers, but that won’t be enough to save you. Aside from upgrading your character in points mode (which lets you race that same upgraded character in the normal race mode) you’ll also need to learn the layout of the many tracks. There are eight of them to begin with and they’re all hideously strange, full of shortcuts and obstacles, which can win or lose you the race. You’ll see tracks like Alaskan Pipeline, the Haunted Forest, and a closed Ski Park.

ScreenshotThe characters are likewise strange and unusual. First, you’ve got Agent 5, a secret agent beyond compare. Dirty McCurdy is a heavy biker, ready to brawl. Mai Zhou Lin is a deadly female acrobat and Ponzo is nothing more than a big ape. Each character has strengths and weaknesses, both in the power of their use of power-ups, as well as the speed and agility of their vehicles. These traits can be increased in the Upgrade Shop, using the points that you earn in the point mode. All in all, there are at least ten of them, perhaps more given that I haven’t been able to unlock all of them myself.

Arctic Thunder uses a series of in-game power-ups to make the gameplay more entertaining. Invisibility makes you invisible, the snow bomb lets you lay down a path of mines, and the super attack is an incredibly powerful area attack that destroys everything around you. The atomic snowball is one of my favorites, as your character leans off the bike to toss it at enemies in your path. Given that it autotracks, it’s one of the more useful items in the game. With eleven of the freakin’ things, you’re sure to have plenty of special items at your disposal during the game. One of the special items lets you perform a trick as you’re coming off a jump, but they’re chosen automatically and don’t tend to have a specific trigger, other than the speed you’re traveling, regardless of the fact that the book says that you can activate different tricks by holding down certain buttons.

While the gameplay is satisfying for a short period of time, it can be kind of frustrating given how quickly the game moves. It starts out at a quick pace, keeps that pace, and for short periods of time, goes even faster with the boost items. All told, you’ll probably want to practice in the training mode to get used to the tracks and learn their shortcuts.

Multiplayer

Fortunately, since a title this vapid has to have something to keep you entertained, you can play alongside your friends on any of the gameplay modes using split screen but, sadly, not system link. This doesn’t have much of an effect on the overall  game as you can’t unlock special items or gain more points by racing together -- there’s no cooperative mode or extra secrets. It does let you race against your friends though and, in the case of the Battle Arena, you can participate in a deathmatch-like experience.

Graphics

Arctic Thunder gives you a lot to look at for visuals, with large tracks, high jumps, and a quick, driving pace. Although I wouldn’t call Arctic Thunder stunning to look at, it is very flashy, thanks to what I consider a rather insane level design that always tries to present the most eye catching, clashing colors you can find in a game like this. The snowmobiles and drivers are well modeled and have good, semi-realistic movement for performing stunts and attacking other players. Each of the special items has an interesting appearance, save for the Rooster, which just generally turns everything white if you manage to get caught in it. The levels are designed well enough to appear interesting, although they obviously lack the complexity you’d see in an arcade title like Hydro Thunder. As an unfortunate side note, I saw quite a few clipping errors as I played, and more than one point at which the performance of the game stuttered as the Xbox tried to keep up with the game’s demands.

ScreenshotAudio

There isn’t much in the way of a soundtrack on Arctic Thunder and the game obviously hasn’t been designed for its sound effects. They’re good accompaniment and, thankfully, given the rather absurd and quick pace the game travels at, they don’t manage to clutter your already distracted attention.

Bottom Line

Without any substance, story, or coherent sense of movement, Arctic Thunder does a remarkably good job of entertaining, packing every minute with a strange sense of mayhem and absurdity. It goes a bit too fast for its own good, but still manages to be entertaining, for at least three minutes or so. I’d counsel caution in purchasing this title, as, in my estimation, it is a fun little rental at best.

Review Posted On 20 December 2001.

 
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