GamesRelay

Name: Hydro Thunder Hurricane

Some of you maybe familiar with the Hydro Thunder titles, it was a powerboat racing game originally developed by Midway for the Arcade market and would later see release for the SEGA Dreamcast way back in 1999. It was followed up with versions for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 and proved to be something of a hit at the time. It was part of a whole series of 'Thunder' games which also comprised of Offroad Thunder, 4 Wheel Thunder, and Arctic Thunder.

A sequel to Hydro Thunder was planned, unfortunately however it never came to fruition, until now. So Microsoft have taken the bull by the horns and got developers Vector Unit to bring out a new version of the classic power boating game going by the name of Hydro Thunder Hurricane, all in time for Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade. It's Vector Unit's first title as a developer but it's no light weight, with members of the team having worked on titles such as Spore, Lord of the Rings, Dead Space and The Godfather.

As soon as you load the game you're taken back to a different era of gaming as "HYDRO THUNDER HURRICANE" booms out of the speakers in an over enthusiastic but sincere voice, selecting a track and boat provokes a similar response, it's something that will probably bring a smile to your face if you remember a time when all arcade games used similar tricks to try and get your attention in a saturated market.

The basic principle is to take your Powerboat around a series of tracks, the tracks themselves aren't exactly what you would call normal however, but then what is normal. The tracks feature a number of different themes and variations, one even has statues of Norse Gods that not only look good, but also mean you harm. Of course the tracks are fantasy creations that would have no place in the real world, if for no other reason than the Health and Safety busy bodies would never allow it since the tracks are littered with obstacles that must be avoided, jumps which can be boosted over, shortcuts to take, and waterfalls which can cause your boat to just drop, as the ground, or rather water, is ripped away from beneath it. You'll also come across shots of Nitrous which will refill your boost bar and keys which will open up secret routes for you to take along the way.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is pretty well presented throughout as well, the water effect is fairly good, but nothing outstanding in this day and age, the boats are all reasonably well drawn too, but, the real highlight is the tracks. They're full of bright imagery, as you race through the courses you'll get to see things happening in and around the track such as a plane flying down close to the water as you race round a corner, and again it's all very reminiscent of a past age where such things were common place, especially in the arcade genre.

It wouldn't have been too much of a surprise to find out that SEGA themselves had been behind this remake. Controlling the boat couldn't be easier, just accelerate, boost, and occasionally slow down for a corner, simple arcade fun, just as it should be. Vector Unit have actually done a decent job of making the boats feel as though you're moving on water, common sense dictates that as you speed up and have less contact with the water then you're craft will become less manoeuvrable and that is exactly what happens here. If you find yourself bouncing and skimming along the track then you're not going to be able to turn as easily as you might at lower speeds; it's not verging on a simulation however, so don't worry, you can still hit break neck speeds and it most definitely retains an arcade feeling route, it's just striking how well the game handles. However, sometimes it can get a bit clunky when you crash, or try to avoid crashing. It just gets a bit awkward, particularly if you hit a wall and don't upend your craft. It's not a major complaint though and it can of course be avoided if you don't crash, or try not too.

Although you start out with a simple enough boat, as you win more you'll earn credits which go towards being able to unlock new events and new boats; the events are all based upon racing but with variations on the theme. The Ring Master events are basically a slalom course where you've to negotiate a series of rings floating in the water, they start off pretty big and easy to hit at speed but as you progress and start to go faster you'll find them getting smaller, and the corners needed to hit them at a decent speed tighter.

The Gauntlet events are pretty much slalom based as well, with an explosive element, literally. The rings are still in place and need to be negotiated but you'll find explosive barrels blocking some of the way, and you guessed it, hitting those things is bad for your time, so you'll want to try them at all costs. Finally there is a Championship mode that can entered, these are a mix of events that you compete in back to back from the previous modes, again they start off relatively easy but soon the competition heats up and you have to prove your worth in some heady conditions.

Hydro Thunder also comes packaged with multiplayer support both online and offline and it can be pretty decent with a few friends, or with random players from around the globe. There is also support for asynchronous racing with a leader board displaying your XBL friends times for each course; not quite as good as racing against each other but it adds a further element of competition. Should you prove the best of the bunch against your friends then you'll be displayed scores from the worldwide leaderboards which should help separate the men from the mice when it comes to power busting race times.

For the price point of 1200 Microsoft Points you can't really ask for more, Vector Unit have done a great job in bringing the title to the next generation. They've managed to retain the fun and frolics of the original game yet make it appealing to a newer crowd. If you're looking for something different than the standard four wheeled racing game then this title isn't a bad way to go. As always with Xbox Live Arcade, if you're not sure about the title then you can always take a peek at the game by downloading the demo and checking it out before a purchase.