Hydro Thunder

"This is a racing game?"

I played the Hydro Thunder Arcade version, and I really liked the game. Since I already played it, I went to buy the game for the Dream Cast instead of renting it. I should have kept playing the Arcade version if I knew that you could get tired of this game in a week.

Graphics 7/10
The boats look very realistic, and some tracks too, but in some places, the water look like sand or paper. Also, some tracks are so dark you can barely see anything, and you will have to use the radar to take the turns, because it is very dark, and to make it harder only the hardest tracks are dark. Besides from that the game looks great.

Control 6/10
Some boats are too fast, others are too slow. When you collect boosts the boats are hard to control. And unlike most other games, the first obats you get are the bests, because the first ones are the easy difficulty, and then you will get boats that are medium and hard difficulty, and they are very hard to control. There are also some bonus boats, but the control for those boats is still bad. The first boats you get at the begginning are the best, the rest are useless.

Gameplay 2/10
If you want to get to the end in first place, you will probably have to collect almost every single boost and shortcut, and if you want to even get to the end, first place or not, you will still have to collect a lot of boosts. There aren\'t many sharp turns, all you do is run from side to sides of the tracks just to collect some boosts. Some boosts are very hard to get, and if you miss a 9-second boost you probably won\'t get to first place. I like hard games, and this game is hard, but more annoying that hard.

Music 10/10
The songs fit the tracks, and the boats when they hit each other and when you activate a boost sound very realistic, and the announcer, and the songs are great. No complaints here.

Replayability 3/10
The are four bonus tracks and four bonus boats, and there\'s a 2 player mode...and that\'s about it. After you finish all the tracks, the only thing that you have left is to get better highscores, nothing else. Gets boring fast.

Overall 4/10
Don\'t get this game. If you really want a racing game for the Dream Cast, rent this before buying. Otherwise, don\'t even rent it.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 08/08/03