Arctic Thunder

PlayStation 2 · 2001 · EU

Midway Midway

Publisher: Midway · Developer: Midway

Arctic Thunder, the fourth installment in Midway's arcade racing series, is a fantasy snowmobile-racing game that plays like a mix of Cruis'n and a kart racer on ice. The main object of the PS2 and Xbox versions is to upgrade sleds and unlock secret characters or tracks. You earn Gold Medals or lots of points to unlock most secrets, and you do this by winning races. The gameplay involves shooting down enemies with weapons, boosting yourself ahead, and pulling off tricks. Exclusive to the console versions is a Battle Mode that emphasizes the game's frantic combat. Like other titles in Midway's pseudo-series, such as Hydro Thunder and 4 Wheel Thunder, this snowmobile racing release combines distinctive environments and a responsive physics model with lots of arcade-style jumps and power-ups. Players race their snow machines across the Swiss Alps, up the Alaskan Pipeline and even through a nuclear energy plant in Chernobyl in a continuing effort to be first across the finish line. Also like others in the series, Arctic Thunder is full of extra sleds, tracks, and other secrets to be unlocked through skillful play.