Gaming Target - GameCube: Wave Race: Blue Storm

Written by Daniel Ekman on May 29, 2001

First Impressions: Taken to new heights

Since the very first steps of the N64 we've been witness to how able Nintendo's teams are at creating realistic, good-looking water, along with a solid physics engine. Wave Race 64 was hailed as a splendid racer, which showed off N64's splendid water-handling abilities. Ever since that time people have been awaiting a sequel, and when it finally appeared at Space World last August, though only in FMV, people went crazy over the seemingly incomparable beauty of the game. As newcomers NST developed the game, however, some people remained sceptics. Having proved itself with a great Ridge Racer port on N64, it seemed as though Nintendo had enough faith in the company to lend out the Wave Race license.

How would it play, and would it look nearly as good as the FMV reel showed at Space World? E3, Los Angeles, promised to be the deliverer of almost everything GameCube, and it was there that we would once again be able to throw ourselves out on the waves to feel if the original had been improved upon.

At the conference held the day before E3, Nintendo showed footage of Wave Race in motion. Many were disappointed with the looks, and claimed that this was not what we had been waiting for. The next day, though, people blessedly could witness that the real game in motion, up close, was something far beyond the previous day's embarrassing video showing. Wave Race looked more beautiful than ever.

While not boasting any innovative new control schemes, the title seems to keep what gave the original that special I'm-flying-over-waves feeling, while having some extras like turbo boost and a few added stunts. The turbo comes into play first after having successfully navigated through some buoys. At first you go really slow, but for every buoy you pass correctly you gain some speed, which shows in a speed-o-meter. When the speed bar is filled up and you're at maximum power, another buoy will add to your turbo reserve. By pressing the Z button you'll gain a healthy boost of speed, but afterwards the speed bar will gradually decrease so use it wisely. To go faster you also have the option of ducking, with the negative side affect of making your jet ski less stable. The Y button will change your perspective, and with the C stick you can do even more stunts.

There were only three courses shown, and somewhat disappointingly all of them were upgrades of old levels from the N64 version: Drake Lake, Marine Fortress, and Southern Island. However, every course sports enough new things to almost make it seem a new experience. Hopefully these courses are only added bonuses to Wave Race fans--kind of like Perfect Dark's Goldeneye multiplayer stages--and after what I've heard the team is aiming to have around eight to eleven courses in the final build.

You will notice that you have the option of changing the weather for the course you choose, and you have everything from calm and sunny to rain and thunder to choose from. The graphical power of this game becomes apparent when trying out the different modes: if one, for example, chooses rainy conditions, falling raindrops will actually create small ripples on impact. At other times, water will splash up on the camera lens to create an effect of the player actually being there himself.

In one course, apparently an upgraded Drake Lake, now named Aspen Lake, you can clearly see the bottom swish by while you're gliding over crystal clear water. Everything is reflected, and to make things even more impressive, your vehicle leaves a small wake as you pass over the still surface. The rippling effect produced alters the reflection on the water to create a stunning visual experience. Another impressive thing about the follow up is that races now are battled out between eight contenders as opposed to four, and in the single-player and two-player modes there are no hitches to be found in the framerate department.

There is also an improved multiplayer mode, and finally we get to challenge up to three of our friends at once. While the four-player mode suffers from a slightly lower framerate and less graphical detail, it's still a highly welcome addition to the game. And who knows, perhaps NST will be able to iron out the small issues that ensue in this mode in time for launch.