Gaming Target - Xbox: Wave Rally

Written by Ryan Smotherman on May 17, 2002

First Impressions: Not only does it resemble Wave Race, but it also has an almost identical title.

With the limited amount of information Eidos has revealed on their soon to be released Xbox jet ski racer, Wave Rally, one can't help but assume it will fit the bill of every Xbox owners nightmare. That being a port of a PS2 title that features very little in the form of Xbox related enhancements. Making matters worse is the fact that it's a game that was met with fairly mixed reviews. Although, in all fairness to the developer, Opus, the PS2 version launched in November of last year, while this Xbox iteration isn't scheduled for release till June. Save for the conversion time, we're talking about a good 6-7 months of development time here, plenty of time to add some extra goodies into the mix.

Even though at this juncture nothing is known of the Xbox specific features, Wave Rally is still primed to grace the super system with more competitive Jet Ski racing action than you can shake aЕ well, ummЕ something wet at. Fans of the sport will certainly appreciate the game's authentic nature, most notably the inclusion of the famed Kawasaki brand jet skis. Whether you prefer the sit down or stand up models, or either the one seater or two, the game will have you covered with it's Kawasaki 750SXi Pro and Ultra 150. It even goes as far as to include the Jet Pilot brand name that graces your wetsuit. If that isn't detailed, than I don't know what is.

While the game doesn't feature any big time, real life pros (is there any?), it will include eight different Xtreme characters that, naturally, sport their own strengths and weaknesses. Characters aren't exactly what I'd call well developed, but they do have their own little back-story and place of origin. Of course, it wouldn't be a Jet Ski game without those exceptionally exotic locales to get your race on in. These include the absolutely gorgeous settings of New Zealand, The Venice Canals, and Florida Beach to name only a few. Hopefully we'll also see a few exclusive levels that are usually included in Xbox ports (Tony Hawk 3 and Spider-Man anyone?)

Gameplay is a no-brainer in a game of this type. Just think Wave Race, the undisputed king of Jet Ski racing, or even the popular newbie, Splashdown. You'll take to the tracks packed full of water, waves, and mayhem. While racing against other opponents, bobbing and weaving through markers, is the game's predominate goal, Wave Rally seems to also put a lot of emphasis on pulling off insane freestyle tricks. By utilizing jump ramps or even launching off of huge breakers, you'll be able to pull of a wide range of impressive mid-air maneuvers, such as back flips and 360-degree spins. Opus is also including a few gameplay-changing factors like varying weather effects and different time of day racing, sure to change up the pace so it's not all ways the same song and dance.

Like in any sports related title, Wave Rally is set to include its fare share of different play modes. Though, to be honest there's nothing really out of the ordinary here. The fairly standard modes include Freestyle, Arcade, Time Trial, Championship, and Multiplayer. As such, they're all pretty self-explanatory. Freestyle is your basic run of the mill free roaming mode where you get to practice and master your moves. Arcade will allow you to pick a racer, a ride, and a track, and go at it with no questions asked. Time Trial is where you'll try to beat your best times on each track. Championship is meat and potatoes of the game. It is here that you'll compete in a multitude of events as you attempt to win the gold. And last but definitely not least is the games multiplayer aspect. Here you'll be able to race against a fellow human opponent(s), via split screen. I'd say there's a pretty good chance we'll see the game allow up to four players at once, instead of the PS2's meager two. Like I said, its all some standard fare, but it's good to know nothing is missing.

Even with all the features Wave Rally has to offer, more than likely it will all be overshadowed by the game's remarkable visual pizzazz. At its core, Wave Rally has УPort-o-visionФ written all over it, but do expect a few minimal Xbox related tweaks. Such as higher resolution textures, a rock solid framerate, and just an overall cleaner look. I could sit here and gawk on about the purdy backgrounds and nicely detailed character models, but I know what you want to hear about Ц the water!

This new generation of consoles brought with it a revolution in water related graphics, not to mention physics. And Opus seems has taken it up a notch with their so-called УGZWaveФ water technology. Whether this is just a shameful attempt at a tried and true marketing ploy or not, no one can deny the crystal clarity and realistic motions of Wave Rally's H2O, which features the best wave effects this side of Transworld Surf (just to a lower extent of course).

The sound department is something that needs a little work, most particularly the soundtrack. Here's where they could really step up and make Wave Rally compatible with the Xbox's rip feature. It might not seem like that big a deal, but being able to hear your own soundtrack during a game really ups its appeal (I'm a regular rhyming dictionary).