A Drift, At Seas.

We have a new console generation on the horizon and that means there are some extremely impressive looking racing games on their way! The new Forza and something called Drive Club look to show us how next gen (or not so next gen) these new pieces of entertainment center hardware render multi colored blurs. Car simulations have been extremely popular since the PS1 era, but sometimes you just want to drive an unrealistic power boat through an unrealistic track and love every second. Today we fight Hyper Realism!

With respect for the new arrivals we look at another racing launch title. Do you remember where you were on 9.9.99? Probably in line to buy Final Fantasy VIII looking over at the stack of brand new Dreamcasts wishing you had an extra $199 to buy one. C’mon, Sonic Adventure was still part of the “Cool Sonic” golden age. Then you remember that awesome racer with boats you played last time you were at the mall, no way could it be ported to a home system but the Dreamcast can do it!

I probably seem like I’m phoning this one in; but seriously, what’s there to hate about Hydro Thunder? You get exactly what you see. Everything is bonkers, but in such a fun way. From the crazy time based boosts that double as a battering ram to wreck other racers and impressive water that doesn’t quite meet Wave Race standards; Hydro Thunder is the premier power boat racer.

Sure, the polygonal graphics on a 14 year old game are pretty dated. The visuals occupy that place somewhere between the Playstation and Playstation 2’s capability expected with the hardware. There’s no real career mode other than finishing races in the top 3 to unlock more boats and tracks with a decent for the time total of 13 tracks and 13 boats. At its core there is only a bare bones arcade racer, and for some that may not be enough.

Next time you’re driving across country and decide that you’re tired of driving a car, drive ultra unrealistic power boats instead. You know you’ve seen plenty of these arcade cabinets at truck stops the nation over. Hydro Thunder is giant pile of stupid fun that should be played, even if your butt is already numb from sitting too long.