Hydro Thunder Hurricane review

For those who may not recall, Hydro Thunder was a Midway Games sit down style arcade speedboat racing game from 1999.  It also spawned versions for the Dreamcast, N64, Playstation and the PC, though I’m only familiar with the arcade version, which probably still haunts more than one Dave & Busters outlet across North America.  Though I haven’t played it in years, it certainly delivered on over-the-top speedboat racing back in the day.

Now, Vector Unit, a small developer, has resurrected the franchise for Microsoft Game Studios as Hydro Thunder Hurricane, which is the second in Xbox Live’s Summer Of Arcade promotion (the first being the impeccable Limbo).  When it comes to racing games of any stripe, I’m not a huge fan, but when I do play them, I admit that games like Hydro Thunder, which is basically Ridge Racer on the water, is much more my speed than more realistic racing sims like Forza or Gran Turismo.

It’s clear from the outset that Vector Unit were aiming for that over the top arcade experience that the original delivered, and Hurricane certainly delivers.  The gameplay is simple, with steering, acceleration, and the addition of boost power ups that allow you to go into overdrive and make your boat leap out of the water.  In fact, boost collection is a vital part of the game.

The visuals, while serviceable, aren’t anything to write home about.  They certainly have that bold palette of a late 90’s arcade game, but the texturing, lighting and details certainly don’t show off the 360’s hardware capabilities.  Don’t get me wrong.  They’re not bad, but they’re not mindblowing either.  The audio fares a little better, but that’s because there’s a lot going on, from the engines and splashing of the waves to the various distractions and obstacles the tracks throw at you.  What makes the game fun is the variety in the eight tracks, which range from a pretty placid Lake Powell to the lost city of Babylon.  In the Aesgard track, a giant statue of a Norse god comes to life in front of you.  I’m pretty sure it was Thor, but each time I was honestly too busy to look.  Other tracks have police boats, helicopters, giant monsters of various origins and a whole lot more in the way of obstacles, which just makes it entertaining.

Beyond the basic acceleration and boost, another way to get ahead is by riding the wake of opponents who are ahead of you, and even though the water texture may not be the best in class, it’s certainly easy to spot a wake, and ride it until you can boost ahead.  There are two other modes beyond the basic race: Ringmaster, which is a time based water slalom, and Gauntlet, which is the inverse of the Ringmaster.  You’re still racing against the clock, but instead of staying on path, you’re trying to dodge explosive barrels.  The Championship mode combines the three race types on various tracks.

To unlock later tracks, as well as the new race modes and more powerful boats, you earn credits if you win, place or show in any particular course.  The number of points needed to unlock various elements was just enough to keep me saying to myself “If I just win this race in silver, I’ll unlock Paris”.  It’s rare for a racing game of any kind to keep me trying to best my times, and that’s really the testament to the fun factor in games of this nature, and Vector Unit has the formula down pat.

The game also has multiplayer, and thankfully that includes a split screen mode, because these types of games are best enjoyed competitively, and where it will probably get the most replay.  It’s the kind of game that you can pick up for 15 minutes, and get a good few races in.  I didn’t get a chance to take online multiplayer for a spin, since the review game was pre-release.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane may not be my type of game, but given the 1200 MS point cost,  it’s a small investment compared to to a full priced racing title for those who do love them.  Of course, I always recommend checking out the demo first.  Hydro Thunder Hurricane is available on the Xbox Live Arcade as of July 28th 2010.