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Wave Race: Blue Storm
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Only one of two launch titles published by Nintendo themselves--the other is Luigi's Mansion--Wave Race: Blue Storm is a follow-up to the extremely impressive N64 racer, which until this sequel appeared still had the most realistic simulation of moving water ever. The sequel, naturally, looks even more impressive, with huge rolling waves, water splashing on the camera screen and beautiful reflections everywhere. This is the one to impress your non-GameCube owning mates with--if you think they're not going to become excited by a ghost-themed vacuum cleaning simulator. Although the graphics have certainly been improved, some of the other changes in Blue Storm are more controversial. The biggest problem is the extremely heavy handling of the jet skis. It's no doubt more realistic but to the average player it initially seems like you're driving a water-borne milk float, such is your craft's total inability to take corners at speed. Things improve with practice--especially if you choose the English guy's jet ski with the improved handling--but it does severely limit the game's initial appeal. The cheaty, Mario Kart 64-style AI doesn't help matters either. All this isn't enough to ruin the party, though, and this is still a top notch and, most unusually of all, original racer.--David Jenkins
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4/5 |
Wave Race Blue Storm splashes down on Gamecube!
(July 02, 2004) |
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WAVE RACE BLUE STORM SPLASHES DOWN ON GAMECUBE. IS IT AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL OR, LIKE MANY CONVERSIONS, A QUICK GRAPHICALLY ENHANCED REHASH?
Despite being one of the launch titles for the Nintendo 64, Wave Race 64 remained one of the consoles most innovative and graphically astonishing games. It's water effects were like nothing seen before and the game provided a refreshing change from all the endless driving titles out there. Well, if you thought the graphics in WR64 were good - you ain't seen nothing yet!
Those of you are not familiar with the WR format; WRBS is a jet-ski racing game where, like in any other racing game, your objective is to beat your opponents round various circuits. But racing on water means every race is different due to the unpredictability of the waves and varying weather conditions.
Red and yellow buoys are situated around each course, which must be passed correctly in order to keep your speed up and complete the course successfully; red buoys must be passed on the right and yellow to the left.
If you miss five buoys you are forced to retire from the race. This forces you to only miss buoys if you really have to (for example on the last few corners of the last lap).
Fans of the original will feel straight at home. Playing WRBS is like rediscovering an old friend. The game is very arcade orientated making it instantly playable with responsive controls, fitting the new controller perfectly.
There are five modes of play on offer: championship, time-trial, practice (free roam), multi-player and stunt mode. Championship mode provides the most fun and challenge following the same pattern as the original with three difficulty settings (normal, expert, hard), with more tracks being unlocked the harder the difficulty.
Most of the tracks are actually based on their N64 counterparts in all but name. For example, Artic Bay is basically Glacier Coast, Aspen Lake is Drake Lake etc. This could be seen as both good and bad. Good, because all the original tracks were very well designed, but you can't help but feel at least a little short-changed.
To be fair, most the tracks have been improved with new features and sections (not to mention graphically enhanced although this comes expected) but others, like Southern Island, remain virtually unscathed. There is no reverse mode this time round as well but some of the tracks are reversed in expert mode anyway.
The route you take around each track, weather conditions and buoy location changes each time the difficulty increases. This means, in a sense, there are three different versions of each course but they aren't different enough to argue the game has twenty-one tracks.
There are two brand new tracks: La Razza Canal and Strongwater Keep. La Razza Canal is inspired by Venice, while Strongwater Keep is set in and around a Castle. Despite a beautiful setting, La Razza Canal represents something of a missed opportunity for me being the WR equivalent of the Monaco grand prix with too many tight turns (esp. on expert) spoiling what could have been the games best track.
It features some nice touches (like the little short cuts - smashing through tables and chairs) and with lots of practice becomes slightly better, but should have been the games highlight. Strongwater Keep works well with touches of Marine Fortress and Port Blue evident although is perhaps a little short. As with all racing games, some tracks work better than others and the hard ones require lots of practice, which never hurt anyone.
A new Mario-Kart-style turbo feature has been added which can be used when your max power metre is full (after every five buoys passed successfully). It provides you with a short two-second burst of speed. Knowing when and, more importantly, when not to use it as your jet becomes hard to control, can be the difference between winning and losing.
It's a nice addition as you can leapfrog from the back of the pack to finishing in the top three on the last straight, earning valuable extra points.
Another new feature is the improved interaction with objects around each course. In the original, hitting a wooden stump would result in your rider falling off his ski - losing you valuable seconds. But now many off-track obstacles can be smashed through becoming hidden short cuts.
The original was criticised for only having four characters to choose from and race against but this problem has been eradicated with new faces Serena del Mar, Nigel Carver and from 1080 Snowboarding fame, Rob Haywood and Ricky Winterborn. With old favourites Dave Mariner, Akari Hayami, Ryota Hayami and Ayumi Stewart, this brings the total of characters to a respectable eight creating a greater diversity of characters.
New tricks for Stunt mode have also been added including the Motor cross inspired Superman, Cowboy, Bullet, Flip Sub, Nac-Nac and Heel-Clicker.
All in all, WRBS is a highly enjoyable racing title with realistic water physics. But with only seven courses it's lastability is questionable, especially if you owned the original. It does it's intended job of showing off the Gamecube's graphics but has been rushed a little one feels to meet the Cubes release date. A few more (new) tracks isn't too much to ask...is it? |
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5/5 |
Best racer on the Cube
(March 30, 2004) |
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This is the first game I got for my Cube, and it's perhaps still my favourite. Obviously I love racing games; if you can't stand them, then this isn't going to win you over. In fact, the main criticism that's been levelled at this game is that it's inaccessibly challenging, putting off more casual race game fans. This might have some truth in it, particularly for the younger gamers, who have been brought up on easier games. For those who choose to stick with it, the game is incredibly rewarding. There is a massive amount of depth to the handling of the craft, and it is possible to become a real master at the game. The difficulty curve is perfectly pitched as well; Expert setting takes some real time and commitment to crack, and there's a real sense of achievement when you finally polish it off. There's also good scope for time trialling, once the championship is beaten. A potential downside is that there is nothing in the way of secrets to unlock; you have to be happy playing a game solely for the sense of accomplishment that comes with overcoming a tough challenge. Also, there are only seven different environments to race in, although they are very varied, all but one have multiple routes for the different difficulty settings, and most become unrecognisible under the more extreme weather conditions. Some of the weather effects in the game are truly spectacular, and they make a massive amount of difference to the way the game plays. Presentation is of a high standard; the much vaunted water effects are truly amazing, and the sound effects are fantastically atmospheric, particularly when running through decent speakers. |
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4/5 |
easy to learn, hard to master...
(May 16, 2003) |
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this is a really great game. a lot of people will say that "this is a rubbish game," and "you cant control the racer," but thats because they dont understand the concept of the game. you're not controlling a car on a flat road surface, it's a wave race (hence the name, "wave race"!) Of course it's going to be bumpy and hard to control, thats the fun of it. when you play on the hard settings with the storm conditions, the waves get so big and strong they throw your racer about its a lot of fun to play, as is multiplayer (up to 4). make sure you have a big tv though, as multiplayer works in splitscreen. in championship mode (the main mode of the game) there are 8 locales, each with about 3 variations and 5 weather settings, making for 120 different races! theres also time trial, free roam, and stunt modes, as well as the fun multiplayer! there are also many secrets and hidden routes to unlock. so this game will last you a long time. it has good graphics, with some brilliant water effects, and a constantly smooth frame rate (ive never seen it drop, even in multiplayer). the commentary can get a little tiresome, although the sfx make up for it. the music isnt bad. overall a great game. if you want a good (and different) racing game for your cube, then this is a good choice |
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4/5 |
Waverace : Blue Storm
(May 13, 2003) |
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Waverace: Blue storm (WR-BS) was one of the original release titles of the Nintendo Gamecube, so it has been around for quite a while. With this in mind is WR-BS still a good game, and is it still worth the £30 asking price? GRAPHICS:
There is no denying that the water effects in the game are great, the best efforts probably being the menu screens and player interface, as the in game water effects have been lessened, I think, to link seamlessly with the 3D environment. An example of over doing the realism of the water can be seen in Jet Ski Riders for the PS2 which looks amazing, but seeing it along with the surroundings is rather strange, WR-BS gets this balance between the two just right. GAMEPLAY:
This is far and away the best point of this game. WR-BS is the only Jet-Ski game available that boasts fast paced and accurate game action. Watch as your rider gets caught in the swell of large waves. The game allows you to choose all the weather conditions (from sunny – full on storm) for each stage, and each course can be ridden through night or day. LIFESPAN:
As with every game there is a low point and this is it. I have never played a game that took such little time to complete. The main area of the game is the championship mode, with three difficulty settings, Normal, Hard and Expert. Anyone who has played the original Waverace 64 will breeze through the first two difficulties winning every race, and the Expert difficulty should take no longer than two attempts. I completed this game in less than 1 hour and I would not rate myself as a great gamer. All that is left after these three modes is the multiplayer and that is another disappointment with this game, although the inclusion of four-player compatibility is a good step up from the original, the fact that there are still only 7 playable courses (all based on those from 64) and not much variation means it tires quite quickly. OVERALL:
If you like Jet-Ski based games then this is a must have title. However, if you owned the original for the 64 you will probably be disappointed by the lifespan of the game. Although if you were never that good at the original but enjoyed it anyway this is a great game. All in all this is still a good game and worth the asking price but it could have offered a lot more. |
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2/5 |
One of the worst Race/Stunt games Ever
(May 11, 2003) |
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I Loved Waverace 64 on the N64. I played it constantly. I even got got some of the fastest times in the competitions back when it was released. So Naturally I was excited about Blue Storm. Boy! What a dissapointment.
The Control system is terrible, it understeers then suddenly jerks violently to one side. it's Very difficult to control. They have made the courses a lot smaller with the Bhouys tighter packed and a VERY annoying voice over when ever you miss them. I turn the voice totally off because I'd smash the tv if I heard it one more time.
With the courses a lot smaller they have virtually destroyed the fun element of the stunts. You don't have time to do any, and tere are only a few more stunts than last time. Very dissapointing. The graphics are nice, but you don't get to see much of it as in the later levels the waves are throwing you all over the place making it almost impossible to view anything. I've tried for about 3 months to play it and get into it, to overcome the dreadful control system, but it's not worth it. There isn't much to the game, not many levels, they are rather short and poor, the modes of play are dissapointing. In summary. This game is an absolute abomination. Waverace 64 was Amazing, but they seem to have taken out everything that made it good and created Blue Storm. They have tried to combine the two and not really bothered doing it well. they have lost what actually makes each type of game good. |
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