Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Arctic Thunder

Written by Matt Swider on August 21, 2001

First Impressions: Hydro becomes Arctic and Thunder becomes a franchise!

While Midway has official closed off its arcade division, the games that originate from the machines can still live on, as titles are being ported to home consoles, such as Arctic Thunder, which is headed to Playstation 2 in September. Though Midway has included new aspects to add extra enjoyment and beef up the game's entertainment, it's evident that the core gameplay of Arctic Thunder will remain faithful to its arcade original, after I was able to play the beta of the game, showing its progress on PS2.

Being a follow-up to Hydro Thunder, it's fair to anticipate Arctic Thunder to feature many similar elements, expect of course, for the fact that you're now racing on snow, instead of over water. However, now with a touch of gameplay similar to Jet Moto and hand-to-hand combat that can be found in games like Road Rash, it's clear that while many facets remain intact, Midway is brining a fresh edition to the Thunder series.

Through Arctic Thunder's modes of race, point, battle, and training, you'll be able to speed along with the game's 19 playable characters and sleds, on each of 12 different courses. While, as you surely expect, many of the tracks found within Arctic Thunder are covered with snow, the environment is not limited to those conditions. Settings such as water, forest area, castles, and a nuclear plant meltdown will all come into play in addition to the snow. These changes in the environment result in more excitement with variety, rather than one repetitive setting which the game is based off of.

Each track will be packed with numerous items and upgrades available to collect as you race along. Standard items include boost, shield, health, whereas the more complex pickups consist of atomic snowball, which is a type of grenade launcher, and a super attack, launching a wave ahead of your sled.