Arctic Thunder


Arctic Thunder is a snowmobile racing game developed by Midway Games released as an arcade game as well as on Sony PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles, being a launch title 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 while he or she plays the game. This is a part of Midway's Thunder series, which also included Hydro Thunder, 4 Wheel Thunder, Offroad Thunder, and Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The Xbox version of this game is not currently compatible with the Xbox 360. A Dreamcast 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 As of 2007, the site is no longer active.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

Jim Preston reviewed the PlayStation 2 version of the game for Next Generation, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "There's plenty of "Arctic," but little "Thunder." But then, we suppose Snow Snooze wouldn't have been as catchy."
The Xbox version received "mixed" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
AllGame 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."