Reviewed By Xavier

Wave Race 64 was a hit on the N64 and Wave Race Blue Storm looking to do the same on the Gamecube. The Gamecube’s extra power has been put to good use here in this title from Nintendo. This is a very good launch title from Nintendo just like Wave Race 64 and is an addictive one too.

Visuals

The visuals/graphics in this are some on the best yet on the Gamecube so far. Although on the side of levels you get the same 2D people as usual and the riders of the Jet Ski’s don’t look anything special it’s the water effects that are the best ever. They not only look good they also move like real water does which is important in a game like this since the water plays a big role in the game. Even in 4 player (yes this game has 4 players at the same time) the water looks stunning but the rest gets less detail than one player because the Gamecube has more to load. Examples of this are that they’re no fish underwater like in one player, less detail on riders and levels. This is done in order to keep a good framerate (ermm Perfect Dark) because most 4-player games have lots of slowdown that spoils the game. Overall in the graphics section this game is a winner.

Audio

Well nothing special here. You get your basic Jet Ski engine sounds and roars, some background music (some are catchy) and some coach telling you how to play the game. All these come in very high quality (mostly if you have surround sound or some decent headphones). The coach that talks while you play the game is ok and each character has a different coach so only some coach’s suck. They don’t bother me but when you play this game on the expert difficulty they do because once you crash they tell you to get up and tell you not to crash. Annoying because on expert the CPU is the one making you crash.

Gameplay

This is a true gamers game. Why? Because it will take you forever to master it. You have to follow the arrows floating in the water and these are basic left and right. If you miss 5 you’re out and you must retire the race and the CPU usually pushes you away from these to make things harder. You use L and R on the joypad to get better cornering although I find myself tapping the A button around corners. It takes long to master and as you enter Championship for the first time the CPU you kill you. It will take about 30 mins to get a high rank on the first level. It will take about 1 hour if you’ve never played Wave Race before but in the end it’s worth it.

Xavier’s Bottom Line

Wave Race Blue Storm is to be played only by real gamers. The average gamer will put the game down in 10 mins because of its steep difficulty curve. But this is what makes Wave Race so good, it takes long to master but it rewards the player. Getting in 1^st for the first time makes the player feel as though they earned that rank and was not a lucky win.

Graphics – 88%

They are good and the water is amazing and it all runs at 30 FPS (Frames Per Second) with NO slowdown but they could of pushed the Gamecube a little more.

Audio – 85%

Good high quality voices and background music but it needs catchy tunes like Mario Sunshine. The coaches sometimes take the piss.

Gameplay – 93%

Excellent and challenging for a true gamer but maybe too hard for some normal gamers. (My Dad)

Lifespan – 87%

About 8 tracks and these have different routes depending on the difficulty levels. A 4-player mode is a nice touch and makes the game longer with friends. Once you finish you whole game you will come back and play a quick race.

Final Mark - 90%

Reviewed By Xavier

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