4 Wheel Thunder

by Midway

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004R9FH
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 3, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,487 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review

What do you get when you move the over-the-top gameplay of the water-based racer Hydro Thunder to gritty land-based environments? 4 Wheel Thunder, of course. This pseudosequel is a nice-looking game that manages to entertain despite its simplistic gameplay.

4 Wheel Thunder lets players race a variety of big-wheeled off-road monster cars and trucks across 24 tracks. The wide tracks are brimming with shortcuts, so exploration is encouraged. We had to practice for hours to find the proper racing line, as the computer opponents are incredibly difficult to beat until you've won a few races and upgraded your ride.

The graphics impressed us, as 4 Wheel Thunder has detailed vehicles that bounce through several well-rendered environments. Best of all, the frame rate is absolutely smooth regardless of how many objects are onscreen. The only thing lacking is deep gameplay. All of our time was spent picking up the speed-boost power-ups scattered around the track, which give a nice burst of speed for a few seconds. Unfortunately there are no other power-ups, weapons, or anything else to spice up the racing, making the game more monotonous than it should be. 4 Wheel Thunder is nowhere near as over the top as Hydro Thunder, but it's still a lot of fun as a pure racing game. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Clean, detailed graphics that run at a smooth frame rate
• Challenging gameplay

Cons:

• Few power-ups mean the racing can get dull at times
• Cheap computer opponents are frustrating until you can upgrade your vehicle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This game is not for amateurs!, February 12, 2001

By 

"chlrogers" (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 4 Wheel Thunder (Video Game)

Don't expect to put this game in and beat it the first day, this is a game of skill! It is possible to unlock all the tracks and other cars. The graphics are awesome and because of the speed of the game it can be really intense, just ask my eye doctor! This game is definitely one to own if you are up to a challenge. I have unlocked all the tracks, and have fully customized 4 out the 8 cars in two months. Side note: To unlock more vehicles, go through the championship mode and beat it with a different car. Since there are 8 vehicles, you can achieve 6 customizations for each car and upon winning the championship, for every different vehicle used, you unlock a "special" vehicle. Therefore, you have the potential of unlocking or customizing a car to have more than 60 different cars. Try it, accept the difficulty and overcome it, you'll love it!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Dreamcast racing title to date!, May 23, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: 4 Wheel Thunder (Video Game)

This is the best racing game for the Dreamcast to date, period. If you are a fan of racing games and own a dreamcast you need to purchase this game IMMEDIATELY. I have played every racing title to date for the Dreamcast and this is BY FAR the best. I would go so far as to say this is the best non-simulation console racing game ever available, on any platform. If you even remotely liked sega rally, or speed devils you must buy this game. It is easily twice as good as either title. The graphics are equal to that of soul calibur, if not better, and there are a huge amount of both indoor and outdoor tracks. As far as the difficulty of the game, it is tough, but not impossible. I am on the eighth track out of 24 in championship mode after about 20 total hours of game play. The game has an excellent feeling of both elevation change & speed, especially when you hit the boost. It also allows for three different camera angles, two rear + in-car. Take it from a seasoned race game fan, you will not regret buying this game!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My kids love it., September 29, 2001

By 

He-Bro (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 4 Wheel Thunder (Video Game)

You can race in lots of diffent ways. 2 players too.

Great fun!