4 Wheel Thunder for Dreamcast
- ESRB Rating: E - (Everyone)
- Publisher: Midway Home Entertainment
- Genre: Racing / Driving
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Be Lucky This Isn't The Port Of Offroad Thunder
Pros
Looks nice, good number of courses, forgiving controls. NOT a port of Offroad Thunder.
Cons
Incredibly hard AI, too much reliance on boosts.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
4 Wheel Thunder isn't a bad racer for the Dreamcast, but it's really tough.
4 Wheel Thunder is an interesting game in the "thunder" line of racing games from Midway, because it was never meant to be a part of the series to begin with. 4 Wheel Thunder began as a game titled "Xceleration" from developer Kalisto Entertainment, but when Midway picked up the game, it underwent a name change. However, there was a game Midway did develop that involves 4-wheel vehicles and is a part of the "thunder" line: Offroad Thunder (which can currently be found as a part of Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the Xbox, Gamecube and PlayStation 2). At first you would wonder why Midway wouldn't have just ported that game to a console, but if you ever actually played the game, you'll know why. Offroad Thunder is BAD. Thankfully, 4 Wheel Thunder is not. Just very difficult.
4WT (let's just use that acronym for now) is an arcade racer, as evidenced by the forgiving physics and the amount of boosts scattered through the track (which is similar to how all the other Thunder games play, so this one isn't too far removed from the series). If you're looking for a racing sim of some kind, you might be better off with 4x4 Evolution for the Dreamcast (although you can find the sequel on the Xbox and Gamecube now). This is basically a pure arcade racing game. You have a choice of vehicles to drive, such as monster trucks, dune buggies and so forth; whatever you would drive offroad. Each of the vehicles have different stats, and you can get upgrades for them every now and then. Like many arcade racers, don't expect any licensed vehicles here. The game has a fair number of courses across different settings, such as deserts, villages, mountains and arenas. Of course, you won't get every course off the bat, and unlocking them can be pretty difficult.
While the game has a forgiving driving style, 4WT has an incredibly tough AI. You might be able to win your first series of races, but not even halfway through the game does the gameplay become very difficult. The computer seems to drive a little too perfect, and they rarely make mistakes. Also, the only way to really win is if you hit every nitro boost on the course, and some are a little tough to reach. It would be nice if there was a difficulty setting for the game, but there isn't. I remember this game being so tough to complete that I actually downloaded a game save online that had everything unlocked. If you can complete this game 100% with no real problems, then you're one hell of a gamer. But this game can become pretty frustrating when you have to repeat races over and over.
Visually, the game looks solid on the Dreamcast. The textures are sharp, the environments look nice, the cars have decent detail, the framerate is smooth and the sense of speed is good. There's nothing terribly offensive about the look of the game, and it's probably the best looking Thunder game made (of course, this wasn't a Thunder game to begin with).
The sound is alright, but it's nothing to write home about. The music is adequate, and the sound effects get the job done, but nothing terribly extrodinary or offensive happens in this area of the game.
Final Thought
While I wish the developers eased up on the incredibly tough AI, at least Midway had the decency to allow this to be the offroad game in the Thunder series to appear on a console, rather than the terrible Offroad Thunder they released in arcades. It's a pretty good looking game (for a Dreamcast title), and if you still have the DC lying around, this one might be worth your time, especially if you're looking for a challenge.
Shaun McCracken
http://bluestormvg.tripod.com
4WT (let's just use that acronym for now) is an arcade racer, as evidenced by the forgiving physics and the amount of boosts scattered through the track (which is similar to how all the other Thunder games play, so this one isn't too far removed from the series). If you're looking for a racing sim of some kind, you might be better off with 4x4 Evolution for the Dreamcast (although you can find the sequel on the Xbox and Gamecube now). This is basically a pure arcade racing game. You have a choice of vehicles to drive, such as monster trucks, dune buggies and so forth; whatever you would drive offroad. Each of the vehicles have different stats, and you can get upgrades for them every now and then. Like many arcade racers, don't expect any licensed vehicles here. The game has a fair number of courses across different settings, such as deserts, villages, mountains and arenas. Of course, you won't get every course off the bat, and unlocking them can be pretty difficult.
While the game has a forgiving driving style, 4WT has an incredibly tough AI. You might be able to win your first series of races, but not even halfway through the game does the gameplay become very difficult. The computer seems to drive a little too perfect, and they rarely make mistakes. Also, the only way to really win is if you hit every nitro boost on the course, and some are a little tough to reach. It would be nice if there was a difficulty setting for the game, but there isn't. I remember this game being so tough to complete that I actually downloaded a game save online that had everything unlocked. If you can complete this game 100% with no real problems, then you're one hell of a gamer. But this game can become pretty frustrating when you have to repeat races over and over.
Visually, the game looks solid on the Dreamcast. The textures are sharp, the environments look nice, the cars have decent detail, the framerate is smooth and the sense of speed is good. There's nothing terribly offensive about the look of the game, and it's probably the best looking Thunder game made (of course, this wasn't a Thunder game to begin with).
The sound is alright, but it's nothing to write home about. The music is adequate, and the sound effects get the job done, but nothing terribly extrodinary or offensive happens in this area of the game.
Final Thought
While I wish the developers eased up on the incredibly tough AI, at least Midway had the decency to allow this to be the offroad game in the Thunder series to appear on a console, rather than the terrible Offroad Thunder they released in arcades. It's a pretty good looking game (for a Dreamcast title), and if you still have the DC lying around, this one might be worth your time, especially if you're looking for a challenge.
Shaun McCracken
http://bluestormvg.tripod.com
