Riding the Virtual Waves

[DocHix]

For some reason, I've been on a kick lately trying to find and play worthwhile water-based racing games, the more arcade/extreme the better. Maybe it's because it's one of the hottest summers on record here and I'm nowhere near any water. I've been replaying and enjoying some of the more obvious titles..."Wave Race 64", "Hydro Thunder" on the Dreamcast, "Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild" on the PS2 and even "Riptide GP" on the Gamestick (don't ask). My question is, does anyone have any other recommendations along these lines for games which may not be well known or even necessarily great but are just fun to play? Thanks!

[VideoGameCritic]

Doc,
What you are talking about are some of my favorite summer games. So maybe somebody can explain to me why they don't seem to make them any more?! I mean, with today's tech they could do some great things. It's been 20 years since Nintendo released a Waverace game. What the hell is going on??
VGC

[ThePixelatedGenocide]

For some reason, I've been on a kick lately trying to find and play worthwhile water-based racing games, the more arcade/extreme the better. Maybe it's because it's one of the hottest summers on record here and I'm nowhere near any water. I've been replaying and enjoying some of the more obvious titles..."Wave Race 64", "Hydro Thunder" on the Dreamcast, "Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild" on the PS2 and even "Riptide GP" on the Gamestick (don't ask). My question is, does anyone have any other recommendations along these lines for games which may not be well known or even necessarily great but are just fun to play? Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alG4wAE5sBA

Like this one?

There's also Hydro Thunder Hurricane on XBox Live.

And if you're especially desperate, the Aqua Moto Racing series.

[jon]

Doc,
What you are talking about are some of my favorite summer games. So maybe somebody can explain to me why they don't seem to make them any more?! I mean, with today's tech they could do some great things. It's been 20 years since Nintendo released a Waverace game. What the hell is going on??
VGC

It’s been very disappointing and highly predictable that certain types of 3d games aren’t being made anymore. The PS4 generation finally got a great draw distance and you could see far in the distance. So with those improved graphics, it would’ve been perfect to go back to some of those games from the early to mid 90’s and do some amazing things with relatively simple 3d games. Shouldn’t there be a company that tries something daring like a monster 2d console or 3d console with early 5th gen type games. Just because technology finally got there doesn’t mean games need to stay overblown and complicated. It’s honestly probably even more bittersweet than the lack of 2d.

[VideoGameCritic]

It seems like the only types of games they make now are either sequels or just clones of other games. You rarely see any one-off titles like jet ski, boat race, or snowmobile games.

Even Nintendo is guilty of this. They can bang out new editions of Kirby, Splatoon, and Mario Party each year, but no Wave Race?

How about Sega? Could we get Golden Axe or After Burner? No but we'll get an annual 3D Sonic that everyone is sure to hate.

The only explanation is that game development has gotten so expensive, these companies will only invest in a proven commodity. Even if it's just some bland first-person shooter.

[SuperiorShark]

It seems like the only types of games they make now are either sequels or just clones of other games.

Or "remasters." How many times has The Last of Us been remastered? Three times? That game's not even a decade year old. Give me break!

[Stalvern]

It seems like the only types of games they make now are either sequels or just clones of other games. You rarely see any one-off titles like jet ski, boat race, or snowmobile games.

Even Nintendo is guilty of this. They can bang out new editions of Kirby, Splatoon, and Mario Party each year, but no Wave Race?

How about Sega? Could we get Golden Axe or After Burner? No but we'll get an annual 3D Sonic that everyone is sure to hate.

The only explanation is that game development has gotten so expensive, these companies will only invest in a proven commodity. Even if it's just some bland first-person shooter.

So your problem isn't that they're making sequels and clones; it's that they aren't making enough sequels and clones of games from 30 years ago.

[DocHix]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alG4wAE5sBA

Like this one?

There's also Hydro Thunder Hurricane on XBox Live.

And if you're especially desperate, the Aqua Moto Racing series.

ThePixelatedGenocide...that is really something! Thanks for the link. I'll look into the Aqua Moto Racing Series, too. I wish one of the specialized gaming companies would release a physical copy of "Hydro Thunder Hurricane" for the PS4...it was a worthy sequel and very fun to play.

[Stalvern]

I didn't know about these until I started digging, but there's also Turbo Prop Racing on the PS1 and Jet X2O on the PS2.

Edit: I left out Carve for the original Xbox at first, but if Aqua Moto Racing is on the table, I don't see why not.

Edit 2: Also Speedboat Attack if you can get it to work on a modern computer.

[DocHix]

Stalvern...great recommendations! Somehow I missed "Turbo Prop Racing" and "Jet X20"...looking forward to running them down!