Wave Race Impressions

This is the game I really couldn’t wait to have. I played this game first (and last) at E3 and Spaceworld. I actually picked up the N64 rumble version of Wave Race this year in Japan since it was never released here. For a lot of people, Golden Eye and Mario Kart are institutions, and personally I like those games too, but Wave Race is my true bread and butter. For anyone who liked the original, Wave Race: Blue Storm will definitely not disappoint. I’ve logged in around 12 hours with the game so far, and it’s really hard to pull me from playing more.

Wave Race 64 was actually a tech demo that led to a game. WRBS was the same way. It’s a great game that can show what the GameCube can do. The water effects are truly breathtaking. WRBS took the water physics from the N64 version and improved on them considerably. The waves that I’ve seen so far have just utterly blown me away, as well as chewed me up and spit me out. Chop is nothing. Ripping around massive waves is something you’ll now have to master. And it’s not easy.

All of the track layouts and environments are excellent. Sure, there are throwbacks to the original, but there are so many things added that it’s like a new course altogether. There are some really cool short cuts, like blasting through an ice covered wall to making jumps over walls and rocks, and diving under piers. I haven’t finished the game, but according to my boy Ravi Hiranand (yes, ex-N64HQ), there are 8 environments to race in, with 19 tracks total, not including stunt tracks.

Here is the line up and amount of tracks per environment. Dolphin Park (1) + Ethnic (3) + Southern Island (3) + Aspen Lake (3) + City Harbor (3) + Cool Ocean (3) + Aqua Maze (2) + Victory Gate (1) = 19.

I also must note that Ravi beat me at Wave Race Blue Storm at Spaceworld. That’s the last time I will ever lose at Wave Race. Mark my words Ravi! You’re going DOWN! I guess I can also note that trash talk is also included in Wave Race Blue Storm. Word.

On clear days you can see everything that is going on under the water. Depending on which course you're racing, you’ll see fish, dolphins, and even whales. If it’s under water, NST put it in the game. Water is not the only thing that is beautiful in this game. The surrounding environments are also richly detailed. Too bad you really won’t notice until you watch the replays.

Racing with 7 other racers on the course makes the game a lot more fun, but a little more difficult because there are that many more racers you’ll have to take on. They will get in your way, knock you around, and make you miss buoys. It gets a little crowded sometimes, not that that takes anything away from the fun. The AI is challenging, but decent. You will see other racers wipe out or run into things just like you will. I would almost say that the AI cheats ala’ Mario Kart, but I can’t really tell. It might be the fact that I’m still trying to get better.

There is a learning curve in this game. I would have to say it’s on par with its predecessor. It takes a while to get used to handling the “personal watercraft” (they aren’t Jet Ski’s anymore). Even though I would consider myself an expert in the original, I still had to re-learn everything for this new game. Picking the right racer is the most important thing to success. I was getting my butt kicked all over the place until I began racing with Nigel Carver. His handling suits my racing style the best, even though he’s a little slower than average.

The turbo is an excellent addition to Wave Race. It can help or hurt you. Depending on who you race with, you may not want to use the turbo because it lessens their top speed so badly, even if you use it you’ll eventually slow down enough to get passed again. I think it all depends where it’s used. I usually turbo where I can blast by enough buoys to regain my top speed. The turbo is also great in the stunt mode. Airtime baby! Word.

Speaking of which, the stunt mode is back, and with more tricks than you’ll believe. I haven’t counted them yet, but I think there are at least 20. I barely played this mode, but I will say this, the triple flip has already been accomplished and I’m going for four. I’m not really big on the stunt mode yet because I’m more into the racing, but it’s there, and fun. I love the new look of the rings.

I don’t know what more I can say about this game. This is my THIRD set of impressions for Wave Race Blue Storm. My only complaint is that I wish there were more tracks. Sure, with difficulty you’ll get different variations of the same track, but I wanted more new tracks -- and the old ones added for flavor. 8 environments is sort of weak. Unfortunately, there are no secret levels like Justin and I had been dreaming about. At least, they haven’t been found yet. Sorry Justin... no lava level yet. It's also not online compatible, which was another dream of mine. SEQUEL! Other than that, I can’t complain. Wave Race Blue Storm is an absolutely phenomenal game. It takes what made Wave Race 64 great, and improved on it. If you liked Wave Race 64, get ready. This game will make you laugh, cry, and of course, fill them depends. Even with some minor complaints, Wave Race Blue Storm completely and totally rocks.