WAVE RACE: BLUE STORM
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Game Type: Racing
Similar To: Jet-ski racing games

Date: 1/6/2002
By: Rice

Note: Screenshots courtesy of GameSpot.com

    Nintendo's Wave Race game originally splashed into the scene on the N64 several years ago, and was lauded as the most accurate jet-ski racing sim ever. My question is, what other jet-ski racing game is out there? Anyways, knowing a success when they see one, Nintendo immediately put Wave Race into the plans of their next generation console: the GameCube. The result is Wave Race: Blue Storm, a highly entertaining game chock full of gorgeous graphics and fluid animation.

    I've never played the original Wave Race, so I cannot comment on whether or not the gameplay has improved in Blue Storm. However, I can tell you that the graphics are heads and shoulders above it thanks to the GameCube's superior hardware capabilities. The transparent water flows and ebbs according to the amount of surface movement around it, and splashes around realistically when being torn through at 60 mph by a jet-ski. The various levels that populate Blue Storm are all teeming with high resolution textures, whether it be wooden shacks by the beach or gargantuan ships crowding the city harbor.

Screenshots don't do console games justice.

    Even more impressive are how the graphics react to various variables in the game. If you make a particularly sharp turn, the water will splash onto the camera, temporarily fogging the screen. Also included are several different weathers for every level, ranging from bright and sunny to down pouring monsoons. The latter brings lightning and thunder along with 9 feet waves that crash against your jet-ski. You can see the raindrops splash on the surface as the sea level rises and partially covers the obstacles on the level. The graphics overall are so detailed and react so realistically that I played through the game with my jaw hanging open in awe.

    While racing is the core element in Wave Race, Nintendo has also integrated a tight but simple stunt element into the game. By tapping the A or B buttons while twisting the analog joystick, you can make your character do tricks like 'submarine' or 'cowboy'. Far from being merely a cosmetic feature, doing tricks can boost your turbo meter during races for those critical junctures when the computer is breathing down your neck.

Split screen fun for multiplayer action.

    And if that's not enough for you, there's a full blown stunt mode for you to go Tony Hawk on your jet-ski. In that mode, you have an allotted amount of time to pass several checkpoints in the map. While doing so, you can garner points by doing a combination of aforementioned tricks as well as going through rings that also count towards your score. In the end, there are three factors that add up for your final count: 1.) stunts, 2.) rings, and 3.) total time. All in all it makes the stunt mode a very fun and multi-dimensional experience.

    The heart and soul of Wave Race is the championship mode, which consists of normal, advanced, and expert modes. By beating each mode, you unlock one new track each for a total of eight in all. That gives the player incentive to plow through all of them rather than just giving up, and believe me, you'll need incentive to work through the expert circuit, because it is tough. You'll have to average a 3rd place standing throughout 7 different tracks to beat it. One miscue, and you'll have to start all over. Did I mention the A.I. is absolutely brutal? They'll bump and grind with you, making every turbo and shortcut precious. To beat all 3 modes is a hard challenge--something true gamers will embrace.

Swerve around the buoyes or else you 'retire'.

    When you get tired of playing with yourself (uh...), there's a full fledged multiplayer mode to play with by hooking up however many more controllers you want. You can choose to race with your buddies, but the meat of the action will lie in the stunt mode where everyone runs through the selected map to try to accumulate more points than your friends. You'll be doing tricks like a handstand when the dude next to you will ram into your jet-ski and foil your stunt. You'll swear at him, and he'll swear back. Overall, much fun will be had by all.

    One of the reasons I bought a GameCube over an Xbox or PS2 is Nintendo's track record for good games. The other platforms have fine titles as well, but its software pool is also diluted with crappy crap such as Kabuki Warriors or Legend of Alon D'ar. When you peruse the GameCube's library, you see consistently high quality crap. Wave Race: Blue Storm is no exception. The only weakness I can find is its sometimes frustrating championship mode. Otherwise, if you're even a casual fan of racing games, buy or rent with confidence.

*Glug, glug*... ack... oxygen.

Final Grade: A-
Summary: Fast and furious racing action with gorgeous graphics.

Gratuitous Screenshots:

On your marks. Get set...

Who would stage a race in a harbor?