1996-2001 Nintendo
Wave Race: Blue Storm is the GameCube sequel to the revolutionary Nintendo 64 title released in November of 96. The original idea was to create a water-hovercraft racing title in the vein of F-Zero. Displeased with the progress of the title, Nintendo shifted gears and in turn created an acclaimed water jet-ski franchise known for its remarkable physics and sheer adrenaline pumping fun. Wave Race: Blue Storm takes all the best elements of the original, improves on them, and adds some great new features that help expand the scope and fun of the game.
Features
- Original tracks and revamped versions of originals
- Customizable waves and weather conditions
- Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound
- Supports 480p progressive scan HDTVs
- Four player support
- Only for Nintendo GameCube
Wave Race 64 took many N64 owners by storm when it hit the streets shortly after the system's launch in 1996. Alongside such innovative titles as Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64, a water racer seemed, well, uninspired. Little did we all know that, with Wave Race 64, Nintendo EAD had crafted the last word in water racing games. Shigeru Miyamoto and his team had come up with a racer that even the most ardent hater of racing games could enjoy. Wave Race 64 favored finesse over raw power, requiring players to maneuver around buoys and tight turns; careening through the levels at top speed was a good way to come in dead last. What's more, this game implemented physics into the jet-skiing equation; for once, in-game water actually created drag, and the player's craft did not turn on a dime. The fact that the water looked gorgeous was merely a bonus. Quite simply, we didn't just play Wave Race 64; we soaked in it.
We now stand on the cusp of a new generation of gaming, alongside consoles that can push eight gazillion polygons per second (give or take a quillion), and the fact remains: that age-old N64 game is still unmatched for the quality of its water effects or immersive gameplay. Among water racers, Wave Race 64 is still the king. Well, there's a newcomer that counts regicide among its plans, and it's none other than Wave Race: Blue Storm, the next-generation sequel to Wave Race 64.
While in the planning stages of the Wave Race 64 sequel, EAD decided to pass on the duty of development to Nintendo Software Technology Corporation (NSTC), the Nintendo of America first-party that previously handled the excellent conversion of Ridge Racer 64. With the original game's coding in hand, this NOA in-house team set to work on the unenviable task of following up perfection.
The world got its first look at NSTC's efforts at Nintendo's Spaceworld showing in August 2000. Included on the show's reel was impressive pre-rendered footage of jet skis racing across the water, performing some of those patented Wave Race flips. The assemblance of press and gaming journalists erupted in applause; clearly, the demand for a sequel to EAD's classic water-based racer was high.
However, it wasn't until E3 2001 that the NSTC-developed Wave Race: Blue Storm was officially unveiled. And, oh, what an unveiling it was. After being disappointed by grainy footage of the game in action at Nintendo's pre-show briefing, showgoers were immensely pleased to find a game featuring smooth visuals, responsive controls, and addictive (as in hogging the controller so others don't get a chance to play) gameplay.
Oh, I'm sorry, did I say smooth visuals? What I meant to say was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. How silly of me. Seriously, this game's visual strength cannot be understated. Of course, the meat of the game's graphical power lies in the water engine. Quite simply, you've never seen reflections this realistic or striking. Everything, from the racers to the landscapes, is reflected perfectly on the water's surface. Wave Race: Blue Storm's water effects go one step further; you can actually see swimming fish and other aquatic sights below the surface as well. Neither of these effects matter when you're racing across stormy seas, however. Seawater and foam actually splash onto the game "camera," rendering your view slightly distorted, but not so much as to interfere with gameplay; it's a neat effect meant to draw you into the game more completely.
Throw in some nifty environmental details like photorealistic seagulls, grass lawns that actually get dirtied up when your jet ski skids across them, and a lighthouse that shines its spotlight on you in one level, and you've got a good idea of how impressive this game looks. It should be noted that some of the environmental textures look a bit drab and lifeless, and the racers themselves appear to be stiff in their motions, but these are both imperfections that very well could (and probably will be) spruced up before launch. Lastly, the games moves at a respectably smooth 30 frames-per-second without a hitch, with as many as eight racers onscreen at once. The playable demo at E3 appeared to have trouble maintaining that framerate in four-player splitscreen mode, but again this has a good chance of being rectified by the time you get your hands on the game.
Yes, that's right, you can thank the multi-player gods because NSTC has implemented four-player simultaneous play this time around. Now you and three buddies can go head-to-head for bragging rights to jet-ski supremacy. Another notable feature is fully customizable weather. Settings include everything from bright and sunny days, to violent storms; the game also features changing weather patterns, so you can feature those extremes within the same race. In fact, there is a "tsunami" mode that wasn't displayed at E3, which is said to feature frighteningly large waves. The results, if implemented well, could be awesome.
Wave Race: Blue Storm, like its predecessor, is a pick-up-and-play game. There are no confusing button combinations to be found here. Steer your jet ski with the analog stick, and accelerate with the A-button. The B-button crouches your racer, causing your jet ski to pick up more speed. The analog L and R buttons can be used to make sharper turns. You can change the camera view with the Y-button, bringing the camera closer to, or further away, from the action, according to your preference. Pushing the C-stick in different directions performs various tricks, such as handstands and barrel rolls.
In a simple yet ingenious touch, the designers have created a suitable reward for performing tricks: increased speed. In the original game, tricks served no real purpose in gameplay. The only way to build up speed was to maneuver to the left or right of the buoys, depending on their color. If you missed a buoy or two, you would lose all the extra speed you had accumulated; if you missed too many, the race was over. In Blue Storm, you can make up for missing buoys by performing tricks with the C-stick. To top it all off, if you gain enough speed (either through performing tricks or maneuvering around markers), you can kick your jet ski into turbo mode by hitting the X-button. Both features add a helping of strategy to the classic Wave Race formula. Performing tricks requires you to take your hand off the throttle (or finger off the A-button), so although you will gain a boost of speed in the long run, you will lose some initial speed. As for the turbo, it is important to save it up (and likewise have it ready to go) for the long straightaways; kick in the turbo on a turn and watch your craft slam into the nearest hard surface.
Oddly enough, the control setup doesn't seem to fit with the GameCube controller. Since you control the gas with the A-button, it is impossible to do tricks, crouch down, use the turbo boost, or change the camera view without letting go of the gas. A more optimal setup would have the gas be controlled by either the L or R button. By utilizing the shoulder buttons in this way, the game could free up our thumbs for all the other controls. Also, such a setup could allow for analog control; the harder you press the button, the faster your racer goes. Seeing as there is no braking feature, analog gas could be highly useful. This somewhat awkward control setup will hopefully be altered by launch time.
The demo on display at E3 featured three playable levels: Aspen Lake, Southern Island, and Strongwater Keep. The first two were updated versions of courses from the N64 game, with a few enhancements. For instance, on the Southern Island course, you could bust through an iron grate to open up a new shortcut. Strongwater Keep was a completely new take on the original's Marine Fortress track. The course runs around an abandoned monastery (or what looks like one), where beautiful cobblestone textures abound. At one point, you have to smash through a stained glass window to return to the track, after taking a shortcut through a flooded courtyard. We can only speculate as to what types of tracks will appear in the final release. Here's hoping that the American developers bring an "extreme" sensibility to the game; the game already features characters (or at least character names) from 1080 Snowboarding, so it's possible that NSTC is already taking the game in that direction. Imagine taking death-defying jumps off waterfalls, or steering your jet ski down white-water rapids. This could be asking for a bit much, but the only limit is the developer's imagination, and willingness to push the boundaries of realism.
As for the game's soundtrack, so far so good. The music is an eclectic mix of folksy, harmonica-ized stuff, alternative rock, and electronica-tinged tunes. The sound effects are ear-shatteringly clear. The announcers are a huge improvement on the original game's robotically hyper announcer ("Maximum Power!"), but their constant comments verge on being annoying. However, the audio will probably be tweaked before launch anyway. And let me just say that it is so great to finally hear CD quality (or better) audio coming out of a Nintendo system. A Nintendo racing game without cheesy-sounding MIDI music has been a long-time coming.
Possibly the most amazing thing about the early demo version was that it highlighted some of the key shortcomings of Wave Race 64, a game thought to be near-perfect. I never noticed how lackluster the original's trick system was until I spent some time with this GameCube sequel, and it is nigh impossible to return to the 64-bit game without missing the turbo boost. Also, keep in mind that this is merely a demo of the final game, an early one at that. If NSTC can deliver on the demo's promise, injecting the beloved classic with new gameplay and attitude, then Wave Race: Blue Storm will be absolutely spectacular. EAD set the groundwork for this innovative racing game. Now, it's up to Nintendo Software Technologies Corp to make it dance.