Wave Race: Blue Storm

Nov 16, 2001

The sequel to what was perhaps the best racer on the N64 has arrived for GameCube. Wave Race: Blue Storm premiers as the first racer on Nintendo's next-generation console, and is so well crafted we expect it to stay ahead of the competition for years to come. Developed by NST, Blue Storm has little trouble following in the footsteps of the N64-classic and delivers a deep, rewarding experience to those willing to beat the learning curve.

Features

A full-fledged sequel to the N64 classic, Wave Race 64
Race atop many variations of dynamically changing water
All-new turbo boost for much deeper gameplay strategy
Go head-to-head with one to nine foot waves
Over five different modes of play including Championship, Time Attack, Stunt, Multiplayer, Free Roam, and Tutorial
Choose from eight uniquely balanced characters for amateur to expert control
Become the best, conquering Normal, Hard, and Expert championship modes
Custom forecast your own weather conditions -- calm, foggy, rainy, storm -- for Time Attack racing
Random weather conditions affect water level to reveal unique shortcuts and new track layouts
Multiple track layouts and varying weather conditions provide nearly 100 different track environments
Race against your own ghost in Time Attack to compete for top lap times
Feel the waves with the GameCube controller's built-in rumble motor
Four-player splitscreen multiplayer support
Rock-solid 30 frames per second gameplay, even multiplayer mode
Supports 480p progressive scan HDTVs
Only for Nintendo GameCube

Gameplay
The title of the game Wave Race: Blue Storm almost encapsulates the ideas behind the gameplay. Racing atop a bed of dynamically changing waves, gamers must navigate their way through eight different environments under random weather conditions, including the powerful Storm setting. The concept is simple; it is the execution behind these ideas that makes Blue Storm a knockout title.

At first glance gamers can see many of the same modes that were in the N64 version have returned including Championship, Time Trial, Stunt, Multiplayer, and Free Run. There's even a deep Tutorial mode if you want to learn basic controls and stunts. The biggest single-player attraction is the Championship mode, which offers Normal, Hard, and Expert circuits, and sends you and seven other racers around eight different course environments loaded with buoys. The difficulty ramps up quickly due to buoy placement and is particularly demanding in the last races of Expert mode where the CPU opponents get downright malicious. So, if you want to carelessly flail your arms and bounce haphazardly through an open environment, you'll have to stick to Free Run. Championship mode is not for the faint of heart.

All of this is complemented by an incredible weather system. There are five different conditions:

Clear
Clear, Partly Cloudy
Cloudy, Partly Rainy
Rainy
Storm

Each setting is unique, often for each course, and dynamically affects visibility, wave height, and water level. Lowered visibility of course makes maneuvering around buoys more difficult, increased wave height demands more cautious control, and changing water levels reveal secret shortcuts or harder track layouts. For example, in Aspen Lake, brother to Drake Lake from Wave Race 64, a calm day's water level exposes large rocks and even a shortcut under a dock. During a rainy day a higher water level covers up all but the smooth tops of the large boulders that litter the lake, which would otherwise be dangerous obstacles. Even more impressive is that weather changes over the course of your three laps. A race might begin under heavy rain but clear to a drizzle. In turn new strategies must be formed with each new lap depending on the water level. Wave height varies from one to nine feet depending on conditions. As with the original, you can use the waves to launch your craft over obstacles and dive through larger waves to cut down lap times.

By now you should be getting a sense of just how deep Blue Storm is. It features a total of eight different environments, almost 20 track layouts and five weather conditions apiece. If you do the math, that sets the stage for about 90 unique situations to play under. The difference is often subtle -- foggy versus rainy -- but the impressively responsive control mechanics force players to deal with even the slightest change in water turbulence.

Controlling your racer and taming the waves is the whole challenge behind Blue Storm, a challenge that requires persistence and skill. It's demanding the same way auto racing sims might be. The precise control perfectly matches the friction between your watercraft and the dynamic waterscape beneath it for a rich, challenging gameplay experience. Every bump, rise, and swell of the waves affects your watercraft. Even on a calm day, ripples from a small waterfall can push you away from a buoy.

From a user standpoint controls take a while to master. The analog stick provides plenty of response and even allows players to tip their craft slightly forward or backward. Pulling back on the stick will result in a sharper turn. For bigger adjustments the L and R triggers are used for leaning into turns. The ability to lean is required in later races when buoy placement requires sharper turns or when a big wave is pushing you in a direction you don't want to go. The A-button is used for acceleration and by correctly maneuvering around buoys users can build up turbo boosts, activated with the X button. These play a huge strategy in Blue Storm and vastly intensify the gameplay, especially when compared to the N64 original. Camera viewpoint can be adjusted with the C-stick. Finally, Wave Race experts can use the B button to crouch and lessen the effects of wave turbulence.

By now if you're not impressed with the incredibly deep gameplay, you're probably overwhelmed by it. This is probably our biggest issue with Wave Race: Blue Storm. You are given the ultimatum: master the complicated control mechanics or fail miserably. There is only one exhibition level, Dolphin Park. After you complete the simple, oval track you're thrown into the Normal circuit, which is arguably hard if you've never played Wave Race before. Even Stunt mode requires a lot of skill if you want to get decent scores. NST's sequel almost assumes you've played and mastered the original. So you're going to have to beat the learning curve because Blue Storm is not about taking joyrides.

Multiplayer
Running at a silky smooth 30 frames per second, Blue Storm's multiplayer mode only sacrifices some draw distance and reflection mapping for an outstanding competition mode. As you complete tracks in Championship mode you open them up for multiplayer as well as the weather conditions. Saying the multiplayer mode rules is almost an understatement. If you can gather four competent players on a decent size TV you will surely spend many hours battling for the top spot. However, as indicated, a small TV is hinders the experience for four-player action. The two-player splitscreen is much more accommodating. In addition to the ability to access all tracks and difficulties you will even be able to compete with friends in Stunt mode.

Graphics
Like many other GameCube launch software, Wave Race: Blue Storm is a mixed bag of visual accomplishments. The wavescape is composed of high-polygon counts and features tons of reflections and transparency. Unfortunately without any specularity and proper lighting effects it takes away the sense of depth. At certain times the water is almost too crystal clear. A bright color palette also heavily influences art style. All eight racers, garbed in primary colored clothing, stand in distinct contrast to the more natural surroundings. In addition, characters lack texture effects and are not lit and shadowed.

NST almost makes up for it all with the weather effects. Diverse texture sets and lighting are used to give every condition a unique aura. A course such as Lost Temple Lagoon feels entirely different when it's clear of clouds at sunset versus when flashes of lighting and an ominous green lighting show off the storm setting. Volumetric fog, tons of alpha effects, animated textures, and many other subtleties set the mood perfectly according to the weather condition. Everything is topped off by a rock solid 30 frames per second. The chances of seeing the framerate drop at all are slim. During a few of the fly-by cutscenes you might see a drop, but nearly never in gameplay.

Sound
The soundtrack is absolutely much better than the original Wave Race, featuring 49 different tracks and CD-quality sound. However, many of those 49 tracks are just variations on a core 10-15 songs. Many of the tunes are an eclectic mix of techno beats and earthy, blues-meets-pop-rock beats. At other times songs can be extremely atmosphere and moody, conveying that almost dizzy underwater feeling. Then there are tunes that are downright cheesy, '80s rock ballads with over-distorted guitar. It's hardly a Wipeout soundtrack, but it's pretty enjoyable if it fits your taste. Chances are you'll find yourself turning down the sound effects and narrator in favor of the soundtrack.

Players of Wave Race 64 will remember the annoying, overjoyed narrator who often gushed phrases like, "Ooookay! No problem! Maximum powwwwer!" Needless to say, the last narrator was a little flamboyant. Now all eight characters have their own unique narrators. Sadly, they're only mildly better than the previous announcer. Phrases often get repetitive and annoying after just a few races. Some of the character voice samples are equally mediocre.

The ambient sound effects, such as rain pattering on the water, thunder, birds flapping their wings, and bears roaming in the forest are great and fit perfectly. If it weren't for the announcer (and you can get rid of him in the options) the sound effects are quite impressive. Though, they can be overpowered by the sound of splashing waves and your watercraft motor.