Wave Race: Blue Storm

Overview

Wave Race: Blue Storm is the sequel to the acclaimed Nintendo 64 game Wave Race 64. It was released as a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube on November 18, 2001 and it was developed by NTS and published by Nintendo.

In this game the player races on jet skis in many courses with diverse weather conditions and realistic water physics. There are several modes of gameplay including championship, Time Attack, Stunt Mode, Multiplayer and Free Roam. There are eight characters in Blue Storm; each character is rated on a scale in five different categories which affect that character's performance, with six being the best.

Gameplay

After the player chooses a character they start racing in one of the several locations of the game. In every course there are buoys of two colours: red and yellow. Red buoys have to be passed on the right and yellow on the left. For every buoy passed correctly the player’s turbo meter builds up; once this meter is full the player can press the Z button to receive boost for a short period of time. Another way to receive boost is by performing stunts. If a buoy is missed the player loses the turbo and missing five of them results in disqualification. There are also boundaries in each course, staying outside of them for five seconds or longer also leads to disqualification.

Every race consists of three laps and there are various shortcuts in every course. During the races (depending on the weather condition) there will be rain and high waves, which can make the race more difficult. The game also makes heavy use of the L and R triggers of the GameCube controller to make sharp turns without losing any speed. The B button is used to crouch and lessen the effect of turbulence and the A button is used for acceleration. The controls take a long time to master, making the game more complicated to casual players.

Water Physics and Weather Effects

Just like its predecessor, Blue Storm features realistic water physics and includes enhanced weather effects, which can affect the wave high and intensity and the course layout. Sometimes the weather changes in the middle of the races as the waves can let up. The water can be transparent on sunny days and they reflect the lighting.

There are five different weather conditions:

• Clear
• Clear, Partly Cloudy
• Cloudy, Partly Rainy
• Rainy
• Storm

Most reviewers praised the physics and effects of the game.

Game Modes

• Championship: Player competes against seven computer player on various courses. There are four circuits: Exhibition, Normal, Hard and Expert. Each circuit consists of seven days and the player is free to choose which course he wants to play. At the end of each race the player is awarded with points based on the position he or she finished in, they need a total of points to beat each course and advance to the next day; if this total is not reached, they have to restart the circuit. The player with most points at the end of the circuit wins.
• Time Attack: Like in most racing games the objective is not to win, but to finish as fast as possible. Ghost data can also be saved so the player can race against his or her own ghost in the form of a small yellow helicopter. The player is free to choose the course and weather type on the course select screen, but only courses unlocked in the championship mode, Dolphin Park is not available.
• Stunt Mode: The goal here is to score as many points as possible by doing stunts; there are three levels of difficulty: Normal, Hard and Expert. Courses are divided into various blocks each with a checkpoint in every course, the player must reach the checkpoint in the time limit and if they don’t they are disqualified. This mode requires precise watercraft control and technique.
• Multiplayer: Up to four players, it can be played like a normal race or stunt mode.
• Free Roam: The player can roam freely through any course with no time limit or buoys.
• Options: To change various settings and view records.

Characters

There are eight characters in the game and as stated above each is rated on a scale of 1-6 in five different categories which determine their strengths and weaknesses. All the characters also have their own crew chiefs, which offers advice to the players while racing; they do not appear in the multiplayer mode though.

Ryota Hayami:

• Nation: Japan

• Age: 18
• Sex: Male
• Crew Chief: His coach, Jack
• Difficulty: For beginners - experts

David Mariner:

• Nation: USA
• Age: 32
• Sex: Male
• Crew Chief: His buddy, Ray
• Difficulty: For experts only

Akari Hayami:

• Nation: Japan
• Age: 17
• Sex: Female
• Crew Chief: Her roommate, Kyoko
• Difficulty: For beginners

Nigel Carver:

• Nation: England
• Age: 28
• Sex: Male
• Crew Chief: His coach, Terrence
• Difficulty: For advances and expert riders

Ayumi Stewart:

• Nation: USA
• Age: 21
• Sex: Female
• Crew Chief: Her coach, Robin
• Difficulty: For beginners – experts

Rob Haywood:

• Nation: USA
• Age: 20
• Sex: Male
• Crew Chief: His friend and coach, Doug
• Difficulty: For experts only

Ricky Winterborn:

• Nation: Canada
• Age: 14
• Sex: Male
• Crew Chief: His uncle, Russ
• Difficulty: For beginners

Serena Del Mar:

• Nation: Brazil
• Age: 19
• Sex: Female
• Crew Chief: Her boyfriend and coach, Luis
• Difficulty: For advanced and expert riders

Courses

• Dolphin Park
• Lost Temple Lagoon
• Southern Island
• Aspen Lake
• Ocean City Harbour
• Artic Bay (unlockable)
• La Razza Canal (unlockable)
• Strongwater Keep (unlockable)

Depending on the difficulty the layout of each course variates