Arctic Thunder Critic Reviews

I felt that if it weren’t for the fact that collecting all twelve of the gold medals gave you that maxed-out character, I'm not sure I would have ever played the game in racing mode.

Don’t let the soft controls or graphic glitches deter you, though. Arctic Thunder still has some fun in the engine, mostly in the breakneck pace of the races.

While not terribly complex, the racing itself makes for excellent fun, and the intricacies and unlockable features are more than enough here to keep you coming back for more.

This game would be the same if you were racing on a snowboard, a sled, or a greased up fat guy. Okay the greased up fat guy would probably raise the fun factor, but you get the idea.

Unfortunately, when there is a lot of action on-screen, there are noticeable slowdowns, which really shouldn't happen with a machine like the PlayStation 2.

Moderately enjoyable with good replay value, but its many flaws really hinder what could have been a great romp in the snow.

Rampant slowdown exacerbates the already flawed gameplay mechanics, and the game can be played just as well with or without applying any amount of skill.

The game is nothing but an exercise in pressing X at the right time.

In a field of its own somewhere near the bottom of the bottomless gaming abyss.

I don't want to beat a dead horse here; just avoid Arctic Thunder, and maybe Midway's next port won't fare so badly.

Only the most desperate sled-junky should bother with Arctic Thunder. Clearly inferior to its ancestor, this jerky ride suffers from terrible frame rates, sub-par sound, twitchy controls and mindless, repetitive gameplay.

Playing this game reminded me of being at a family outing when I was a kid and picking up a coke can to take a drink only to find out that one of my relatives had used it as an ashtray.

I’ve decided to rename it “Chaotic Thunder”. See the game is such a chaotic mess that it’s hard to describe.

An ordinary experience that’s as routine as a metronome.

Arctic Thunder is not fun. The gameplay is repetitive, and the game is easily one of the worst-looking PS2 games we've seen to date.

You'll find more arctic thunder around an outhouse in Antarctica than you will in this entire game. Don't bother to thaw.

A poor game, with all of the markings of a bad game, from shoddy control, no skill required, and simply too many things happening on screen simultaneously.

It seemed like Midway wanted EVERYONE, no matter how bad they are, to be in the race. This might appeal to those who aren’t really good at this game, but it just takes away any skill needed to be a good racer and almost leaves it to blind and random luck.

On a system this powerful, nausea-inducing framerates should be a thing of the past.

Virtually unplayable.