Arctic Thunder

GameZone

A wild, arcade-style race and fight program that will have gamers twisting and turning in their seats almost as much as the courses twist and turn.

GameSpy

Far superior to the PS2 version, Thunder on the Xbox is definitely one of the coolest racing titles on the system. Though the gameplay is shallow, it's playable, fast, and has a ton of things to unlock.

Gamezilla!

Without any substance, story, or coherent sense of movement, Arctic Thunder does a remarkably good job of entertaining, packing every minute with a strange sense of mayhem and absurdity.

GamerWeb Xbox

A blast from the moment you pick up the controller and turn your Xbox on till the moment you turn the game off and put the controller down.

Hot Games

You'll love playing this one over a snow-bound weekend, but probably return it to the rental counter by the time your senses thaw.

IGN

Everything falls apart with Arctic Thunder when you realize that the sense of speed, variety of weapons and the personality of the courses offer very little depth.

GameShark

For starters, there's the brilliant notion that you need no skill to play the game, nor do you technically even need to steer the on-screen graphic. Just tape down the gas button and let the game decide for you, since 99% of the track is just a straight line and you can't turn around.

Official Xbox Magazine

Hampered by mediocrity. [Mar 2002, p.79]

Game Revolution

Simply better than the PS2 version. It's smoother, looks a lot better and the gameplay has made a successful transition from frustrating to decent fun.

Xbox Nation Magazine

It's like the arcade game, except it's on your TV set and doesn't ask you for quarters. Or poultry. [Jan 2002, p.90]

Game Informer

Same crap, different console. [Dec 2001, p.109]

Gaming Age

Midway unfortunately neglected to realize what made Hydro such a great game to begin with; Great course designs and enjoyable gameplay.

All Game Guide

The Xbox game easily bests the earlier PS2 disc in both frame rate and visual clarity, which are more important to the fun of this title than any other elements.

Xbox Exclusive

Falling the same way that the PS2 version of the game did, the audio and the control, as well as the lack luster game play just doesn't seem to make this a popular title, no matter where it appears.

TotalGames.net

Despite looking long and hard, we can’t seem to find any actual game in here?

GameSpot

It's noticeably better looking than the lackluster PlayStation 2 version, but it still has its fair share of problems...[It's] not fun.

Next Generation Magazine

Manages to stay bland despite high speeds and lots of explosions. Go figure. [Jan 2002, p.31]