Wave Race: Blue Storm
Encyclopedia
Wave Race: Blue Storm is a wave runner racing game
released as a launch title
for the Nintendo GameCube
on September 14, 2001. A sequel to the 1996 Nintendo 64
game Wave Race 64
, Wave Race: Blue Storm was developed by Nintendo-owned development studio, NST and published by Nintendo
.
After the selection of a course, gameplay begins. Players begin in a field of eight racers. Position at the beginning of a race is determined by your finish in the previous race, e.g. a player finishing third in one race will begin in the third position before the starting line of the following race. In the first race, players begin in eighth. As the player waits for the race to begin, a stoplight changes from red to yellow to green, indicating the start of the race. If a player times it just right, by pressing the accelerator exactly as the light turns green, he or she will receive a turbo, which can be activated at the player's whim and which significantly boosts the speed of the player's craft for a short time.
The player then begins to navigate the course. In every course, buoys are set up in two colors: red and yellow. Red buoys are supposed to be passed on the right; yellow buoys on the left. Passing buoys correctly builds up your turbo meter. Other than the method mentioned above, which only works at the very beginning of a race, turbos can only be acquired by correctly navigating five of these buoys or by performing a stunt (see Stunt Mode under Game Modes, below). Each stunt, like each buoy, fills one-fifth of the meter. Incorrectly passing a buoy results in the loss of any built-up turbo stages. This leads to some degree of strategy. For example, a player might build up a turbo, then use it to cut off a buoy placed in an awkward manner, or one off a distance to the side, thus eliminating much of the time that would have been used to get to and correctly pass that buoy.
There are other, smaller red buoys which mark the boundaries of each course. Going outside of these buoys is not recommended, as staying outside of them for too long results in a disqualification.
During the race, the player is often bombarded (depending on weather conditions) with waves and rain which can force an inexperienced player off-course, or into obstacles or other riders. Successful navigation of these waves is essential. This is where the game's uniqueness in the genre comes to light. Waves are completely random and are affected by the weather, making for a different experience from that of most other games in the racing genre, such as the PlayStation 2
's Splashdown
.
Every race consists of three laps. Often during a race, shortcuts will be revealed as the player passes each lap. Spotting these shortcuts as they appear can be essential to victory.
At the end of each race, the player is awarded points proportional to the place in which they finished. A player needs a certain point total at the end of each race in order to advance to the next day. If this total is not reached, the player must begin the circuit again.
Victory comes when the player finishes first overall in total points at the end of the circuit.
. Each character is rated on a scale of 1-6 in five different categories which affect that character's performance, with six being the best. Each character also has his or her own crew chief, which is nothing more than a voice offering encouragement and advice to the player.
s from other riders and more all attributed to the overall feel of the game and was usually mentioned as one of the games positives.
Most negative criticism centered around a few factors: difficulty, graphics, and similarity to Wave Race 64. The difficulty of the game was mostly to the controls, which were more twitchy and required a delicate touch on the control stick and proper use of the GameCube controller's L and R buttons. The control system in Wave Race 64, by contrast, was slower and smoother and as a result, less demanding. Graphically, the game was flagged having decidedly low poly
and with uninspired art and character design Some of Wave Race: Blue Storms courses were criticized for being copies or re-designs of courses from Wave Race 64, and as such, the game felt overly-familiar.
as a collectable trophy, with his new look from this game. Several stickers based on Blue Storm can be collected in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
.
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
released as a launch title
Launch title
A launch game, or launch title, is a video game released to consumers synchronously with the release of its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the console's launch. Several of these games are also packaged with the console...
for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
on September 14, 2001. A sequel to the 1996 Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
game Wave Race 64
Wave Race 64
is a racing game for the Nintendo 64 that was released on September 27, 1996 in Japan and on November 5, 1996 in North America. In Wave Race 64 the player races on jet skis in many different weather conditions, on a variety of different courses. The game was sponsored by the Kawasaki Heavy...
, Wave Race: Blue Storm was developed by Nintendo-owned development studio, NST and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
.
Championship mode
Players begin by selecting a character to use for the entire championship. Following this, the player is presented with a screen showing the courses on which they can race and a weather forecast for each day of the circuit. The more difficult the circuit, the more races (and thus, days) the player must complete. Players can select the order in which they wish to race the courses. This decision can be affected by aforementioned forecast. If the player finds a certain course to be more difficult when it is raining, he or she can elect to play that course on a day which is forecast to be sunny.After the selection of a course, gameplay begins. Players begin in a field of eight racers. Position at the beginning of a race is determined by your finish in the previous race, e.g. a player finishing third in one race will begin in the third position before the starting line of the following race. In the first race, players begin in eighth. As the player waits for the race to begin, a stoplight changes from red to yellow to green, indicating the start of the race. If a player times it just right, by pressing the accelerator exactly as the light turns green, he or she will receive a turbo, which can be activated at the player's whim and which significantly boosts the speed of the player's craft for a short time.
The player then begins to navigate the course. In every course, buoys are set up in two colors: red and yellow. Red buoys are supposed to be passed on the right; yellow buoys on the left. Passing buoys correctly builds up your turbo meter. Other than the method mentioned above, which only works at the very beginning of a race, turbos can only be acquired by correctly navigating five of these buoys or by performing a stunt (see Stunt Mode under Game Modes, below). Each stunt, like each buoy, fills one-fifth of the meter. Incorrectly passing a buoy results in the loss of any built-up turbo stages. This leads to some degree of strategy. For example, a player might build up a turbo, then use it to cut off a buoy placed in an awkward manner, or one off a distance to the side, thus eliminating much of the time that would have been used to get to and correctly pass that buoy.
There are other, smaller red buoys which mark the boundaries of each course. Going outside of these buoys is not recommended, as staying outside of them for too long results in a disqualification.
During the race, the player is often bombarded (depending on weather conditions) with waves and rain which can force an inexperienced player off-course, or into obstacles or other riders. Successful navigation of these waves is essential. This is where the game's uniqueness in the genre comes to light. Waves are completely random and are affected by the weather, making for a different experience from that of most other games in the racing genre, such as the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
's Splashdown
Splashdown (video game)
Splashdown is a water racing game for Xbox and PlayStation 2. It can be played by one or two players. Splashdown is quite similar to Nintendo's Wave Race series. Players take control of a personal water-craft as they race against each other on various courses...
.
Every race consists of three laps. Often during a race, shortcuts will be revealed as the player passes each lap. Spotting these shortcuts as they appear can be essential to victory.
At the end of each race, the player is awarded points proportional to the place in which they finished. A player needs a certain point total at the end of each race in order to advance to the next day. If this total is not reached, the player must begin the circuit again.
Victory comes when the player finishes first overall in total points at the end of the circuit.
Other modes
- Time Attack: The player races alone through whichever course he or she wishes, provided that course has been unlocked. The object is not to win, but rather to finish in as fast a time as possible.
- Stunt Mode: The goal of this mode is to achieve high scores by performing stunts. Stunts are performed by executing certain button combinations. Stunts can also be executed in any other mode, and can be used to build up one's turbo meter.
- Multiplayer: For up to four players. Championship Mode and Stunt Mode may be played in this fashion.
- Free Roam: Allows the player to roam freely through any unlocked course, with no time limit or other racers.
Characters
There are eight characters in Blue Storm, three of them from the previous game, and some of the rest from 1080° Snowboarding1080° Snowboarding
, often referred to as just 1080°, is a snowboard racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and first released in Japan on February 28, 1998. It was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2008...
. Each character is rated on a scale of 1-6 in five different categories which affect that character's performance, with six being the best. Each character also has his or her own crew chief, which is nothing more than a voice offering encouragement and advice to the player.
- Ryota Hayami (age: 18 Japan) is the most balanced character, good for beginners and experts alike. Ryota Hayami was also a playable character in Wave Race 64.
- David Mariner, (age: 32 United States) playable in Wave Race 64, has high top speed and a strong grip, but is very difficult to maneuver and has a slow acceloration. He is best for experienced players.
- Akari Hayami, (age: 17 Japan) has a low top speed and a weak grip, but high acceleration and maneuvering. She is recommended for beginners, and was not originally from Wave Race 64, but was available in 1080° Snowboarding.
- Nigel Carver, (age: 28 United Kingdom) although a heavier character, is not as challenging to use as Mariner or Haywood.
- Ayumi Stewart (age: 21 United States) is a fairly balanced character, good for beginners to experts. She was also available in Wave Race 64.
- Rob Haywood (age: 20 United States) is a heavy character, similar to David Mariner in terms of strengths weaknesses. He is also for more experienced players. He is from 1080° Snowboarding.
- Ricky Winterborn (age: 14 Canada) is similar to Akari Hayami, but more stunt orriented. He is a character from 1080° Snowboarding.
- Serena Del Mar, (age: 19 Brazil) not particularly heavy, she is a challenging character to use and is more directed towards advanced players.
Reception
The game was almost universally praised for its water effects, weather effects, and physics. The weather effects in the game, most people agreed, were outstanding. They caused wave height to vary and often came on slowly, or would let up surprisingly in the middle of a race. The weather also affected course layout, adding to the game's variety. Physics in the game were unmatched by any other water-based game at the time. Waves that varied in height and intensity, wakeWake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
s from other riders and more all attributed to the overall feel of the game and was usually mentioned as one of the games positives.
Most negative criticism centered around a few factors: difficulty, graphics, and similarity to Wave Race 64. The difficulty of the game was mostly to the controls, which were more twitchy and required a delicate touch on the control stick and proper use of the GameCube controller's L and R buttons. The control system in Wave Race 64, by contrast, was slower and smoother and as a result, less demanding. Graphically, the game was flagged having decidedly low poly
Low poly
Low poly is a term used to describe a polygon mesh in 3D computer graphics which has a small number of polygons. It is, however, a relative term, usually referring to meshes in real-time applications . That is to contrast them with meshes in animated movies and special effects of the same era...
and with uninspired art and character design Some of Wave Race: Blue Storms courses were criticized for being copies or re-designs of courses from Wave Race 64, and as such, the game felt overly-familiar.
Appearances in other games
Ryota Hayami appears in Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
as a collectable trophy, with his new look from this game. Several stickers based on Blue Storm can be collected in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
.