Races are a little more than just blasting through each course while outrunning the competitors. You'll need to keep an eye out for buoys which you'll have to pass correctly (left side or right) as you race; miss too many and you're disqualified automatically, even if the race isn't over! Correctly passing these buoys increase your "Turbo" meter. Once this is filled you'll be able to activate a speed boost. Performing stunts will also help increase the Turbo meter, but beginners may have trouble executing these properly without messing up their performance (and standing!). As it stands, you can win each race in the Championship without using stunts at all, since you can just pass buoys (you have to anyways!) to build up your Turbo meter and let rip. That's not to say that you won't be using any other moves available. You'll often have to launch yourself off ramps, or race through unpredictable waves that can increase or decrease in height at any time. Many sneaky shortcuts throughout each course will also require these non-stunt skills (like diving underwater after landing from jumps). Nonetheless, the lack of emphasis on stunts make them feel more like a novelty better suited for the Stunt mode. Then again, I suck at stunts so who knows? :(
  |
The graphics get the job done, but honestly I was expecting a little more from the GameCube. The racers and the environments have this artificial look to them, and it all looks a little grainy to boot. Almost like a very good looking Expansion-pack enhanced N64 game... almost. There are some weird clipping issues too in terms of animation when you wipe out on land. The riders suddenly appear from the ground to mout their jet-skis for another go! Nothing that ruins the actual gameplay, but eerie nonetheless. The graphics are very colorful though, and everything moves a smooth, steady framerate which is really good enough for first-generation GCN graphics. The water though, does its job very, very well. Like I said earlier, the water will just as often work against you as it will help you in your races. Waves undulate and shift unpredictably. You can't necessarily race expecting the water to be calm in this part and a little rougher in that part each lap. It adds a lot to the physics of the arcade-style gameplay, and adds greater challenge too. As the weather changes throughout your courses, the water will change in behavior and appearance. Clear waters at the beach will darken on stormy days, as will the sky! When it's clear though, it's hard not to notice the additional eye candy NST put underwater. Take a gander at reefs, and sealife as you go through each course. You can even get the camera wet. Not too bad in terms of ambience.
The music department is a lot less busy, but again it's passable. Don't expect a soundtrack from your favorite alternative or reggae (hey, maybe to suit the mood?) band though, everything is mild in-house stuff! Commentary in each mode is available though, but again it's a little artificial. Adds a nice personal touch though.
Wave Race: Blue Storm proves to be a solid launch title for the GameCube. It's a little rough around the edges, but I could forgive these flaws since the game does what it does quite well. This is definitely an arcade racer first, so don't expect a great deal of jet-ski customization, and certainly not any career management for that matter. A Career mode would've added a greater sense of player attachment for each of the racers, IMO, and distance them from regular cart-racing characters. Upgrading your jet-skis with new parts would've been cool too. But again, it's really an arcade racer at the end of the day and as long as you're expecting this while you play, you should be able to get into it.
Overall Score: 84%
Find the Lowest Prices on the Net for Nintendo Wave Race
forums
send article 
hardware newsletter 
article comments (4)
Digg this!
del.icio.us