Hydro Thunder

"If your looking for a fast paced speed boat racer then Hydro Thunder is the game for you."

For all the people that have played this game in the arcade know what I mean when I say that this game blew me right out of the water. When I got news that Hydro Thunder was coming to the Dreamcast I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. And when I finally played it in my own living room I was amazed at how perfect the game had been ported. This game was identical to the arcade, in all aspects. When you start up the game you have a choice of three boats to choose from. Then off you go to race on one of three tracks that you choose. The way the game works is that you have to place third or better in the easy tracks to unlock the medium tracks. Place second or better in the medium tracks to unlock the hard tracks. Place first in the hard tracks to unlock bonus tracks and so on. Also each category easy, medium, and hard have their own boats you can choose from. Now this is where the game gets good. They made it to where each boat handles completely different than the next. Some are slim and fast, while others are bulky and a bit slower but handle real well. Then they have boats that look like flying saucers that just tear up the water going at mind boggling speeds. In other words they have a bouat for every type of racer. Aside from the great boats and tracks you can choose from another great feature about this game is the two player mode. This has got to be one of the games best options. The framerate is good and the races themselves are awesome. Hours of fun will be awarded to anyone willing to play a single or two player game.

Hydro thunder is a solid game for racing fans of all sorts. One great thing that I found is that this game is well loved by the female gameplayers. I find myself waiting for a turn when my girl and her girlfriends are over. So this game goes both ways, like I said it has boats for beginners and for experts.

I know this is a first generation game but there are a few things that the game was missing that would have just put the icing on the cake for me. One being a race replay feature. Some people like that, others don't, But I for one would have loved to see a cinemagraphic replay of my last race. Another thing that would have added some real long lasting replay value would have been some sort of a season or endurance mode where the winner gets a bid prize at the end of a long season. But like I said there is still time for bigger and better games.

But all in all if racing really fast through some of the coolest places I've ever seen like the arctic, or china town, or even NY city after a big war then strap onto your dreamcast controller and take a plunge in one of the greatest boat racers (not to mention the crazy 500ft. jumps that you will pull off) ever made, then Hydro Thunder will be one game you will be sorry you missed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99