Retro Review: Wave Race (N64).

Sports video games tend to be little recognized by the public, and this is because they dont have good publicity, since companies are dedicated to show the "heavy" videogames and smaller scale (or sports) are usually left side. In addition, players prefer to invest their hours of play in another genre of video games (RPG, adventure, shooter, etc.).

Maybe for many people talking about sports video games is talking about FIFA or NBA 2k, but really this genre is much more than that. There are several sports titles that are quite entertaining and fun, easy to understand but with a game system that requires a lot of practice to be able to master them perfectly. Several generations ago of consoles, there were many sports titles that were really attractive to all audiences, either from extreme sports videogames (Tony Hawk or Excitebike 64) even sports races, as in the case of Wave Race 64, an unconventional racing game, where the participants compete in their water bikes, whose goal was to reach the finish line before our rivals .

Wave Race 64 doesn't have a story to give, but it is a very funny video game. It's a fairly simple game in terms of what it offers us and what we can do inside it. Previously, many people rated games as "good" or "bad" depending on their graphics and the way they were visually worked, and under that premise, it must be said that this particular game it's elaborated in an incredible and impeccable way. Wave Race is divided into 4 game systems, each one with its particularity that differentiates it from the other and in 9 quite vivid and colorful scenarios.

The modalities of games are:

• Championship: This is the main mode. Here we will have to compete against our three rivals, with the objective of reach the goal before them. Depending on the difficulty we select (Normal, Hard, Expert) we will cross a number of circuits (6 on the Normal difficulty, 7 the Difficult difficulty and 8 on the Expert difficulty). To advance, it will be necessary to comply with a minimum number of points that we will obtain depending on the position we achieve during the races.

In the races there are also buoys that are located in the sea, and we can see them in two colors: yellow (indicate the left side) or red (indicate the right side right). Its functions are to guide the player during his career, showing him where he should go to progress legally. If we do not pass through the side indicated by the buoy, it will be marked as failed. In total, we have 5 failures, and adding one more is cause for expulsion and disqualification. In addition, to promote compliance with the rules in the game, to pass correctly through the buoys has its benefits and rewards, since that will make our charges of power rise. Once we have the full charge, we can use the turbo.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

• Timetrials: As is usual in racing games, this mode allows us to play individually in any track we have available in order to exceed them in the best time. The rules of the buoys is maintained in this mode, it will be essential to comply with the rules so as not to be disqualified. The objective is to achieve the best laps in the best time, to have the best possible records.

• Stunt Mode: What extreme sport is not linked to extreme pirouettes? Stunt Mode is a modality where the main objective is to accumulate the most points by performing stunts on our water bike or going through the hoops that are presented to us on the tracks. Although it will be necessary to arrive at the checkpoints before the time runs out to get extra seconds and be able to finish the circuits. This is a very original and fun way, separated a bit from the competitiveness generated by the races.

     

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• 2P Vs: Multiplayer is the place where two people meet in a race to show who is the best. The rules are the same as those in the Timetrials mode.

There is a mode called Warm Up, equal to a training mode. His objetive is to get us to know the controls and the mechanics of the game. The map selected for this function is Dolphin Park (which in my opinion, is the most beautiful circuit of the game).

The circuits are:

• Dolphin Park (not available for championship mode).
• Southern Island.
• Drake Lake.
• Twilight City.
• Marine Fortress.
• Sunset Bay.
• Sunny Beach.
• Port Blue.
• Glacier Coast.

Drake Lake.
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Sunset Bay.
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Twilight City.
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Port Blue.
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Sunny Beach.
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The game has four competitors, each with different characteristics, and they are:

• Ryota Hayami (Japanese): It is the most balanced character, and in my opinion, the indicated to learn to play.

• David Mariner (American): I could say that he is the fastest runner, although he is not the most expert to maneuver.

• Ayumi Stewart (American): She is the slowest runner, although she has good maneuvers and an excellent acceleration.

• Miles Jeter (Canadian): It is the best maneuvering, although it has the worst stability. Its other characteristics are balanced.

The sea plays an important role in this title, and it does so with incredible realism. Beyond knowing our characters, knowing how to attack the waves will be crucial and decisive so that they dont interfere in our path. The controls are very simple and intuitive but maneuvering in the sea is really a challenge, since the realism is in the movement of the waves, had different patterns and rarely repetitive. Once we have notion of the game and its mechanics, the enjoyment is assured. At the beginning Wave Race 64 can be a little frustrating and difficult (in the Championship) because it really requires practice time to achieve good technique and handling of water bikes.

Visually, this game looks great. Nintendo worked well in each of the graphic and aesthetic details to make it a great work. And I'm not just talking about the character design or jet ski, also of all that we see during the races. Everything here feels very real, from the graphic recreations with the jumping dolphins that accompany us in our careers to the sun, the breeze and the sand, becoming a magnificent complement for our enjoyment. The sea is the main protagonist of Wave Rave 64, and seeing how our Jet Ski navigate on the surface of the sea or how they jump through the ramps is a delight for our eyes.

And to complement what visually gives us, we have a soundtrack that helps the game in the best way. Each one of the melodies is adapted to what the game wants to transmit. All the tracks have a main theme, so they will give us different experiences. The sounds are well worked (from the sound of jet skis to the sound of the waves and the narrator of the game) and clearly express what they mean. Here I leave a sample of it.