''Arctic Thunder'' is a

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

developed by

Midway Games Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...

. It was released as an arcade game, as well as on the

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...

consoles, and was a

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for the latter. In the arcade version of the game, jets blow cold or hot winds, depending on the setting, in the player's face during gameplay. ''Arctic Thunder'' is part of Midway's ''Thunder'' series, which also included ''

Hydro Thunder ''Hydro Thunder'' is an inshore powerboat racing video game, originally an arcade game in February 1999 and later released for the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title later that year. It was also released for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in early 200 ...

'', '' 4 Wheel Thunder'', '' Offroad Thunder'', and '' Hydro Thunder Hurricane''. The Xbox version of this game is not

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with the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

. A

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...

port was also planned but was cancelled due to sagging sales of the console. A website was made available before the game's release. As of 2007, the site is no longer active.

Reception

The Xbox version received "mixed" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the

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website

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. Jim Preston of '' NextGen''s December 2001 issue said of the latter, "There's plenty of 'Arctic,' but little 'Thunder.' But then, we suppose ''Snow Snooze'' wouldn't have been as catchy." The magazine later said in its final issue that the former console version's "only saving grace is that the courses are well enough designed that you rarely get stuck in an alcove or behind a pillar – a frequent, frustrating flaw in racing games. But this doesn't come close to the onscreen mess that makes up most of the gameplay." ''

AllGame RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

'' gave the arcade version a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and said it was "not an unpleasant arcade diversion, and it can be quite entertaining to compete against other players. The levels are clever and distinct, and only the patented Midway cheapness and simplicity will get in the way of your enjoyment."

References

External links

* * * *INACTIVE* {{Thunder series 2000 video games Arcade video games Cancelled Dreamcast games Midway video games PlayStation 2 games Racing video games Thunder (video game series) Video games developed in the United States Xbox games Multiplayer and single-player video games