4 Wheel Thunder

4 Wheel Thunder is a racing game developed by Kalisto Entertainment and published by Midway Home Entertainment. While the game had been in development for some time prior as a separate title, it was eventually decided to rebrand the game into Midway's Thunder series.

4 Wheel Thunder
North American Dreamcast cover art
Developer(s)Kalisto Entertainment
Publisher(s)Midway Home Entertainment
Composer(s)Frédéric Motte[1]
SeriesThunder
Platform(s)Dreamcast
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Having 12 tracks across six locations, 4 Wheel Thunder consists of races with vehicles like monster trucks, ATV, or buggy.[3] All of them have different racing features.[4] The goal is to defeat the opponents by coming to the finish line as fast as possible. There are shortcuts on each track which can be taken to drive faster through certain sections, and the players can use a special turbo button for a speed increase.[5] The starting position is always the last place, which forces the use of blue and red turbo boosts scattered throughout the tracks.[6] Being an arcade styled racing game, triggers are used as the accelerator/brake, and the analog stick to navigate the vehicles.[4]

In the single-player segment, there are three game modes: Championship, Indoor/Outdoor Arcade and Practice. In Championship, the player has to be either first or second to finish in order to unlock more tracks, while Indoor/Outdoor Arcade includes a series of races with specific differences between the tracks (outdoor ones are longer, and indoor ones have more sharper turns).[7] The additional mode section offers play modes for a multi-player game with two people: balloon, bomb, bomb race and tag battle. In the bomb mode, explosives are tied to the vehicle, with an objective to transfer those to the opponents by ramming them. Bomb race is a variation of bomb, except it has to be all done within a time limit. In balloon mode, collecting balloons gives an extra time with a winning condition being either winning the race itself or collecting the most balloons.[8]

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[9] The game has been praised for its realistic graphics and fun gameplay, but criticized for its high difficulty level.[17] Midway's influence has been met with mixed reactions, with claims that the game suffers from an "identity crisis" due to elements of the Thunder series being implemented toward the end of the development process.[17] Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen said that the game "has far too many flaws for its slim gameplay value."[18] GamePro said of the game, "In the arena of off-road Dreamcast racing, 4WT is the current champion – but keep in mind that its only competition is Hardcore Heat. Patient and determined gamers looking for a steep challenge will surely find it in 4WT, but casual drivers should stick to a rental."[19][lower-alpha 3]

Notes
  1. Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 6/10, 7.5/10, and 6.5/10.
  2. In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, three critics gave it each a score of 88, 89, and 93.
  3. GamePro gave the game three 4/5 scores for graphics, control, and fun factor, and 3/5 for sound.

References
  1. 4 Wheel Thunder Manual-Dreamcast- (PDF). Midway Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  2. Kollin, Mike (May 1, 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder Sneaks Out Ahead Of Schedule". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  3. "First Contact: 4-Wheel Thunder" (PDF). DC-UK. No. 4. Future Publishing. December 1999. p. 90. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  4. Key, Steve (June 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder" (PDF). Official Dreamcast Magazine UK. No. 8. Dennis Publishing. pp. 76–80. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  5. Melville, Bryan. "4 Wheel Thunder - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  6. Mosquera, Fernando (May 1, 2000). "REVIEW for 4 Wheel Thunder". GameFan. Shinno Media. Archived from the original on June 20, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  7. Bramwell, Tom (June 21, 2000). "4Wheel Thunder [Incomplete]". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 7, 2001. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  8. Provo, Frank (May 25, 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  9. "4 Wheel Thunder for Dreamcast". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  10. Ham, Tom (May 19, 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  11. Skittrell, Lee (June 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 223. EMAP. p. 96. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  12. Sewart, Greg; Hager, Dean; Johnston, Chris (July 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 132. Ziff Davis. p. 139. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  13. "4 Wheel Thunder". Game Informer. No. 86. FuncoLand. June 2000.
  14. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Ngo, George "Eggo"; Van Stone, Matt "Kodomo" (July 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder". GameFan. Vol. 8, no. 7. Shinno Media. p. 12. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  15. Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (July 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder". GameFan. Vol. 8, no. 7. Shinno Media. p. 34. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  16. Bowen, Kevin "Fragmaster" (May 10, 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder". PlanetDreamcast. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  17. Justice, Brandon (May 5, 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  18. Lundrigan, Jeff (July 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder". NextGen. No. 67. Imagine Media. p. 88. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  19. Hryb, Larry "Major Mike" (July 2000). "4 Wheel Thunder" (PDF). GamePro. No. 142. IDG. p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
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