For quite some time, Xbox Live Arcade has been ignoring the arcade portion of it’s name. Instead of releasing actual arcade games, the platform has been treating gamers to a mix of indie games and low-budget big-studio titles. And, while many of these games have been excellent and inexpensive releases, there are those of us who have been pining for more true arcade titles. With the release of Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Microsoft is bringing to their console a well known arcade series that, if successful, may help bring even more arcade franchises back to the service. Furthermore, Hydro Thunder has the privilege of being the first true cockpit-style game on the service (suck on that Outrun!). If Hydro Thunder sells a boatload then all of the studios with cockpit franchises in their portfolio will perk up. If this game sinks faster than you can say “Space Giraffe”, then XBLA will move along as if nothing had just happened. Such is life when boating puns rule the roost.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane is simply a boat-based arcade racer. Players take the keys to multiple variants of speed boats as they attempt four different race types: race, ring challenge, gauntlet, and championship. None of these game types feature weaponry; so, don’t pick this game up expecting a battle-racer. The only important pick-up in Hydro Thunder is turbo. The simple gist of this game and the gametypes is to have the opportunity to drive a speedboat down a bunch of bodies of water.
Overall, I did not enjoy my time with this game. While I appreciated the attempt to revive a now dormant genre into the modern era, I don’t think that Hydro Thunder was the right franchise to choose. There are several other cockpit games that would have made much better franchises to revisit. The core problem I had with Hydro Thunder was the driving mechanics. When it comes to racing games I am very meticulous with what I like. I either need the game to commit to 100% racing realism or to comic racing exaggeration. Anything in-between strikes me as indecision. That’s exactly where Hydro Thunder falls in my mind. The game has wacky physics and loose controls but a difficulty curve that is far too inflexible. No thanks.
When looking at how the game plays, Hydro Thunder makes some interesting choices. The physics of racing on the water are incredibly elastic. The water effects are amazing to behold and appear true to the game’s reality; however, that doesn’t mean that I enjoyed racing in it. My experience from playing in the physics of this game was pure frustration. When a game is asking me to navigate a series of rings in a certain time span and I can’t get the vehicle under control, then I am turned off. And, yes, this is absolutely my personal qualm with the game. If you love driving a vehicle with incredibly loose physics and edge-of-your-seats handling, Hydro Thunder is probably your cup of tea. But, if you’re the type of player that wants more control over your vehicle, you will feel the same pain as I did.
The graphics in Hydro Thunder Hurricane look decidedly modern compared to the look of the original games in this series. The surroundings and the water look impressive. And, thankfully, the fluidity and framerate were smooth and did not hinder gameplay at all. Overall, the graphics in Hydro Thunder are better than most XBLA titles but not as good as a typically full-release title for the console.
There are multiplayer options with this game that should increase the fun of the experience. I found the robot AI not very interesting and mostly just a collection of checkpoints that I had to navigate past. Since there are no weapons, there was no need to fear the AI attacking me while I passed.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane is not a game I would recommend buying except for the die-hard fans of the arcade series. If you lumped a ton of quarters in the machine way back when I think you might have a good time with this. Unfortunately, for me I just don’t derive too much fun from a game that is punishing while trying to be wacky.
