Wave Race: Blue Storm

Did You Know?

• In 2009, Nintendo Software Technology pitched a Wave Race game for the Wii that would use the Wii Remote held sideways and the Balance Board, but concerns with motion controls led to the project being turned down.
• In April 2018, series producer Shinya Takahashi teased a revival of the series at the BAFTA Games Awards, stating, 'You may see that game again.

Gameplay

Players begin by selecting a character for the entire championship. They are then shown the courses available and a weather forecast for each day of the circuit; more difficult circuits require more races and days. The player can choose the order in which to race the courses, a decision influenced by the forecast—for instance, a course that is harder in rain can be scheduled on a sunny day. After course selection, the race begins with eight racers. Starting position is determined by the previous race's finish; in the first race, the player starts in eighth. A stoplight changes from red to yellow to green; pressing the accelerator exactly as it turns green grants a turbo boost that can be activated later. Players navigate courses marked by red and yellow buoys: red buoys must be passed on the right, yellow on the left. Correctly passing buoys fills a turbo meter; five correct passes or performing a stunt (which fills one-fifth to three-fifths of the meter depending on the stunt) earns a turbo. Incorrectly passing a buoy resets any built-up turbo stages. This allows strategy, such as using a turbo to skip an awkwardly placed buoy. Smaller red buoys mark course boundaries; staying outside them too long results in disqualification.

Reception

Wave Race: Blue Storm received favorable reviews according to Metacritic. Critics praised the water effects, weather effects, and physics. The weather effects were widely considered outstanding, causing wave height to vary and often arriving or subsiding mid-race, and also affecting course layout. The physics were unmatched by any other water-based game at the time, with varying wave height and intensity, wakes from other riders, and other elements contributing to the feel. Negative criticism focused on difficulty, graphics, and similarity to Wave Race 64. Difficulty stemmed from twitchy controls requiring delicate stick input and proper use of the L and R buttons, unlike the slower, smoother controls of Wave Race 64. Graphically, the game was noted for low-poly visuals and uninspired art and character design. Some courses were criticized as copies or redesigns from Wave Race 64, making the game feel overly familiar. In Japan, Famitsu gave scores of eight, nine, eight, and seven. Blue Storm sold 62,003 units in Japan and was the third best-selling launch title for the GameCube in North America, behind Luigi's Mansion and Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. It won GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 award for Best In-Game Water and was nominated for Best Driving Game, which went to Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec.