User Reviews (11 - 21 of 106)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Wave Race Blue Storm!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is wonderful! A year ago my friend got a GameCube, and this was his first game. He let us try it out. After me and my sister played it, we both said: LETS GET A GAMECUBE! Wave Race Blue Storm is truly one of the best games ever made!!! Compared to the N64 version, this is a wonderful improvment. Better graphics,(WAY, WAY BETTER!) especially the water and that beautiful sun! More players to choose from, More stunts and tricks, and more ramps to do the tricks on!! A must buy!!!
P.S. Ricky Winterborn is my favorite player!!!

Fun sun and surf for sports game lovers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: August 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Like fun sports action? Wave Race : Blue Storm brings fun jet-ski wave riding to the Game Cube with gorgeous water graphics.

Sports games on consoles need to draw you into the competition. Wave Racer does this nicely with a variety of characters to choose from and a series of very different race areas. There are fun stunts to do, different race tracks, a variety of environmental conditions. There's fun music, too.

The graphics, as I mentioned, are really amazing. Water is one of the hardest things to code - it's fluid, dynamic, and changes near you affect objects further away (ripples, splashes, etc). Wave races does a phenomonal job with waves, see-through water, and the rest. There are still a few bizarre flaws - try to do a barrel roll over the sand and, when you fall off, you climb up out of the depths of the sand back onto your racer.

A great escapist fantasy of blue waters and warm sands!

It's WaveRace, only better than ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

WaveRace for the N64 had the most perfect wave physics around. The water flowed beautifully, and the four characters offered a good cross-section of control options.

Now there's WaveRace: Blue Storm. I just sat down with it for a number of hours. And it's better than ever. Twice as many characters, all with different control schemes. Some really high speed, with sluggish control. Others with a lower top speed, but the tightest control imaginable - tigher than anything on the N64's version. I don't know what "Jade"'s deal is, but I have a guess -- most likely, he/she was using the wrong character.

The water has improved as well. It's now transparent rather than solid blue, and what you see hovering beneath the waves affects gameplay. Don't run your jetski over a coral reef that's close to the surface, or you'll take a hit and slow down.

Remember the annoying announcer from the N64 version? Gone. And the annoying elevator music? Also gone. The sound is ten times better, with rock tunes replacing the smooth jazz from the old days. Each racer has their own "coach" who does the announcing thing, all with unique comments.

The camera also now gets hit with water droplets while racing behind the characters. Thankfully, they're very tiny, so they don't distract, they just add to the atmosphere even more. And did I mention that you can now control the weather? Choose your wave height/extremity or more... would you like it sunny, overcast, or a torrential downpour in the midst of a thunderstorm? It's your call.

With old and new tracks alike, all more beautiful than ever, it's really, really hard not to love WaveRace: Blue Storm. The stuff that's new is enough to call it a true sequel, even while it's definitely retaining all the elements of the original that made it such a classic. An improvement all around, pick this one up for sure.

If you loved WR64-

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Then you should love Wave Race: Blue Storm. I got a GCN bundle launch weekend with 3 other games, but ended up playing Blue Storm all weekend.

The water GRAPHICS and PHYSICS are absolutely unparalleled, bar none, period, (you get the point!) More than anything I just love the SENSATION of racing and interacting with the water and waves. There are many tracks, and each races differently under different weather conditions. Stormy weather is a BLAST!! (too bad it makes my wife seasick ;-)

The game is a natural evolution of WR64, and has slightly more complex controls (which I guess have put some off.) But after a few hours of playing I've cleared the first level, so it's not that hard to pick up!!

Not as good as Waverace 64

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 27
Date: October 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Let's begin by stating we love the N64 version of Waverace. In our opinion it's the greatest racing game ever made, surpassing even Gran Turismo (and equalling SNES Mario Kart). It has everything, perfect controls, sublime tracks and an unparalleled sense of `being there, doing it'. While Gran Turismo is excellent, the structure of the game becomes tedious, especially when you have a good car and can drive well. The challenge leaves the game and it turns into amassing cash to buy more cars. Waverace 64 requires ultimate and constant skill to negotiate the variety of games involved, whether time trial, stunts, race or multiplayer. In short, it's arguably perfect, and would've easily gained 5/5.

Now, onto the NST Gamecube version. Well, quite simply, it isn't anywhere near as good. It doesn't have the sense of fun the N64 version has. The controls are stiff, unresponsive and sluggish, especially when compared to the previous game. At first we thought it might be a flaw in the design of the Gamecube controller or something getting used to the game would cure, but this isn't the case. While visually and aurally it's great, the game just hasn't got `it'. Another problem, the new courses. They really aren't very good, and are annoying. In Waverace 64 it was as if every inch of each course had been meticulously designed and redesigned, until the perfect form had been found. In Blue Storm it feels as if they've been thrown together after a night out.
The Gamecube now allows 8 racers on screen, but they all have no personality and feel computer controlled, totally unlike the original where you felt you knew the character of each of your opponents, almost to the extent of anticipating the way they would race each track. Along with the lack lustre tracks this makes the single player game a mundane experience. A special gripe has to go out to the commentators who are the dullest, most annoying people on the planet. They are so bad that you have to turn them off. This removes a huge amount of atmosphere from the game, but it does save you smashing up your controller!
The stunt mode in the N64 version was excellent, but left a great opportunity for improvement. We were hoping for Street Fighter type combos and the ability to chain stunts together making new manoeuvres, something NCL said they were interested in if an update was developed, but alas NST have seen fit to downgrade this section. The stunt mode is probably the weakest, and most infuriating, part of the game. Whereas the N64 game allowed you to pull the next stunt on the controller while the first was happening on screen, making it fluid and organic, Blue Storm insists you wait for the stunt to be completed until you begin the next. This is very poor.
The multiplayer game now allows four, but is not much fun to play and soon becomes boring.

Graphics 4/5
Fantastic waves, fluid animation and incredible effects but the game has lost some of the rawness of the N64 version, making you feel like your watching a CGI intro. We never thought we'd be saying this, but it's too slick!

Sound 4/5
Great music and effects, and superb surround sound. But oh, the commentators, they're so bad they're offensive to the ears.

Gameplay 3/5
Not great, and not as good as Waverace 64. Stiff, sluggish controls, poor tracks and unresponsive stunts. The more we play it, the less we like it.

Overall 3/5
Obviously Nintendo (and we mean NCL) are struggling at the moment to get the releases out and are currently heavily developing titles, otherwise they would have updated this game themselves. But that still doesn't give them the excuse to let this onto the market. It's not as good as Waverace 64 and really has no worthy upgrades. Perhaps NCL should have left this title on the back burner, updated it themselves and released it in a couple of years, because we'd have much rather waited than have the memory of one of the greatest games ever spoiled.

Believe it - This is the BEST launch game for GameCube!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Do yourself a favor and ignore those negative reviews below. People are saying that this is "More of the same", but if you've spent any amount of time with the original Wave Race, and I have, this is a much more complete and exciting game. Yes, the controls are a bit touchier than before, but if you just want to be entertained with no effort on your part, then buy a DVD. If, on the other hand, you want to be amazed and addicted at the same time, buy this game. The challenges and many modes of play will keep you coming back for many sleepless nights. The water is simply astounding, and the environments, while not photorealistic (remember boys and girls, this is a GAME) are beautiful and completely believable. The weather effects are something you must experience for yourself. If you listen to these few naysayers here, you'll be missing out on the best launch game for GameCube. Yes, even better than Rogue Squadron. There, I said it!

Give it a chance - you'll be glad you did

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT write this game off after 15 minutes of playing it! I broke this out with some friends on release weekend and they made me take it out after 3 races because nobody could control their jet skis. We were all over the place! Needless to say, "That game stinks, don't put it in" is all I heard for the rest of the day. So, after everyone left I popped it back in to give it another shot.

I'm glad I did.

There's no doubt that Wave Race Blue Storm takes some time to get the hang of. And if you haven't played the first one, it's gonna take longer. However, if you are willing to put the effort in you'll be handsomely rewarded.

The basic premise is to race thru a course against the computer or other players while weaving thru bouys and come in first. 1st obviously gets you more points than second, and so on. You want to rack up enough points to get to the next course in the circuit until you have completed it. Beat the first circuit and you get to the next one, which has more levels and closer buoys, making the turns harder.

As mentioned before, the controls are extremely sensitive but that actually works for you when you get the hang of things. You can change direction on a dime if you need to or gradually turn through the buoys, but you need to know which one to do. It's that simple. Did you stop trying to learn to drive a car when you couldn't parallel park the first time? No. Otherwise you'd still be walking everywhere. Stick with it!

Anyway, once you figure out how to steer yourself thru the courses you get to enjoy the graphical quality of this game. The water is rendered amazingly and with waves ranging from 1 foot to tsunami levels, and the course surroundings run a close second. The frame rate looks good and sound is up to par; plus, they got rid of that annoying "Maximum power!" guy from the first one. Well, for the most part...

But this game is all about the water and here's why.

The game play changes not only for each course, but with weather conditions too. And it's no joke. My first run thru the initial circuit had me in hurricane-type conditions trying to steer thru ocean city. Let's just say I only got thru one lap before I missed the maximum of 5 buoys. Your success really depends on how you adapt to the weather conditions on a particular course. And don't forget, the water is choppier on later laps from the wake created by the jet skis on earlier ones.

You get the idea. It's hard, but fun. There are hidden passages that will cut your lap time down throughout the game, as well as a turbo boost, which can save your hide. Hit it right before you miss a buoy and maximize the potential of a bad situation! But you'll only get a chance to figure out the nuances of the game if you give it a chance - and if you want an unforgiving race game that makes you earn your wins, this is it. But if you want to open the box and immediately win the cup, maybe you should take a pass on this one.

Watch those waves!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wave Race: Blue Storm isn't perfect, but it is a lot of fun. Even after playing the game for the last couple months, I still enjoy firing it up and cruising through the levels. It's very exhilirating just to run around, jump of the ramps, and ride the waves.

A lot has been said about the controls in the game, ie their difficulty, but it's not the controls that are tough, it's the waves. Racing in Aspen Lake on a clear day is a breeze. Your jet ski reacts exactly like you want it to. Turning is extremely easy as is dodging between obstacles. Southern Island with a lot of waves can be quite frustrating; the control is still there but the waves can really affect your direction.In truth, the waves make this game. Every race is different and you cannot always make the perfect turns as with other racing games. This keeps you on your toes and really makes you work for victory.

The normal circuit is relatively easy; you should be able to beat it within a day or two. Hard is a substancial increase in difficulty, but it can still be won. Expert is extremely hard and small errors, or big waves, can ruin your chances of placing. I have yet to beat this mode. The trick mode is also a lot of fun and could be a game unto itself for those who love to pull crazy stunts.

The graphics are quite good although I wish they riders had been given a few more polygons. The backgrounds can be rather flat, but you'll only notice this if someone else is playing or you are watching a replay. Otherwise, the graphics are good. Sound is a bit disappointing. There aren't enough tunes and the voices of the crew teams can be very annoying. I also didn't like the way that some of the racers were a bit too "ethnic". For example, the female latin racer had that "alluring/seductive/sexy" latin look, while her crew chief spoke in very stereotyped english. Not offensive, but I would of liked more realistic racers.

In the end, I would say that Wave Race is a very good game. Even if you don't beat it you will still enjoy racing and exploring the levels, catching waves and feeling the controller vibrate as the waves pound your jet ski and toss you around. It's very difficult to compare this game to other racers games because it has a lot more to offer and enjoy. Wether you like racing games or not you should give it a try.

Even Better than the First One!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Don't listen to all of the other reviews. This game is almost perfect. It has 8 characters (3 from Wave Race 64, 3 from 1080
Snowboarding, and 2 new). There are also 8 courses (Dolphin Park is back and better than ever!), even more sick tricks, amazing graphics (you'll see water and rain splash up onto the screen) and a password that lets you ride a dolphin instead of a jetski!
So, if you like water (there's a lot of it), fast racing, and great stunts, then you should go out and buy this game ASAP!

decent

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have owned Wave Race for N64 since the month that it came out. And that is a great game. But Wave Race: Blue Storm is even better. However, if you do not own Wave Race for N64 I would not reccomend this game to you. It is very difficult to catch on, and if you really want to learn, the tutorial is rather boring. I love the HUGE challenge of this game, and if you are a big racing challenge lover this could be the game for you, even if you do not have it for N64. One major difference is that in this Wave Race, the levels change DRAMATICALLY from one difficulty to the next. Once you unlock hard and expert, I can garentee it will take you a pretty long time to beat it. In terms of graphics, I'm sure you've heard that it's great. In terms of 2 player action, the 2 player stunt is a great addition. Also, if you really want to be good at this game, take advantage of the free roam selection to look around the whole level for secrets with no time limit. After all, without shortcuts, Wave Race: Blue Storm is an average game.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions