Addicting Arcade Racers

[Anonymous No.8271164]

Anyone else love Wave Race 64? Got any retro recommendations for games like it? Is the sequel any good?

[Anonymous No.8271205]

>>8271164
Wave Race 64 is my favorite game of all fucking time. Not even joking. I can't really think of any games that are truly like it, but there are some other jetski games out there like Splashdown that I've not played. As for the sequel, it's alright. The OST isn't as good, but it has more playable characters and Gamecube graphics. The physics also seem off to me whenever I play Blue Storm. Blue Storm is one of those games I only play like once every three months when I'm like really bored. Wave Race 64 I come back to at least once every two weeks when I have time to kill. If you're looking for arcade racers in a more broad sense, OutRun 2 and the Ridge Racer series are my personal favorites. Sorry for the GIANT FUCKING PARAGRAPH, I just really fucking love Wave Race 64.

[Anonymous No.8271206]

Wave Rally for ps2

[Anonymous No.8271256]

>>8271205
dude, no need to apologize. I literally only picked up this game a couple days ago and already it has blown my mind enough that I had to make a thread about it. I’m glad someobody else shares an enthusiasm for it.

the music is electrifying, the water physics are somehow both confounding and captivating, and the action is so very satisfying. it has that specual kind of atmosphere that seemes to live only in mid-90s Nintendo games; a day-glo sunrise set to soaring synths and full of intangible smiling emotions.

damn good shit. just beat the championship on hard and I’m gonna start shooting for expert tomorrow - gotta get the stunts down too, I barely know them.

[Anonymous No.8271265]

>>8271164
https://youtu.be/7BA4Lhngdrc

STRAP ON THAT SEAHORSE
AND RIDE

[Anonymous No.8271267]

HYDRO THUNDER > AQUA JET > WAVERUNNER > WAVE RACE > JET WAVE SHARK

[Anonymous No.8271270]

>>8271206
thank you for the recommendation, I’ll give it a shot!

gonna post Wave Race content; here’s the controller guide that came with the game’s Japanese release.

[Anonymous No.8271274]

>>8271265
beat me to it

[Anonymous No.8271279]

>>8271256
That's exactly how I felt when I first tried it out on one random afternoon. The music and the water graphics are just so fucking nice. It's like the main reason I love tropical/beach settings in games so much. The gameplay is also great, with the buoys providing an objective and a challenge beyond just getting to the finish line first. I FUCKING LOVE THIS GAME. Good luck with the expert championship, brother.

[Anonymous No.8271285]

>>8271164
WAVE RACE

FOLLOW THAT DOLPHIN

Legit one of the first games I ever played and I still love it to this day.

[Anonymous No.8271304]

>>8271267
>Aqua Jet
Holy shit, how have I not heard of this? I love 90s Namco games and water racing games. I need to play this immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4TZAxQI2hA

[Anonymous No.8271324]

If you want something like Wave Race, but with more SSX DNA, try Jet X2O on PS2, or Carve on Xbox.

[Anonymous No.8271327]

>>8271324
I see Jet X2O a lot while I'm out looking for games, I'll pick it up next time I see it.

[Anonymous No.8271373]

>>8271279
amen, my man. if this thread’s still up I’ll post how I’m doing. I feel like the difficulty is gonna SPIKE big time. I already have a lot of trouble with Port Blue and Marine Fortress, but it’ll be worth it just to try out a new track.

Speaking of tracks, the opening bar of Sunny Beach never fails to feel like the perfect start off.

https://youtu.be/dzlJUQCTHB0

[Anonymous No.8271376]

>>8271373
Nice, I'll check this thread again in the morning when I wake up. Marine Fortress is easily my most difficult track, and Port Blue isn't easy either. I agree about the start of Sunny Beach, no matter how many times I play it, it never gets old. Good luck and good night, fellow Wave Race anon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JirodGOn4tE

[Anonymous No.8271380]

>>8271373
HELL YEAH BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY HELL YEAH

[Anonymous No.8271381]

Wave Race is amazing shit. HOW did they make it work? And not only does it function near perfectly for what it is, they pulled it off before having years of experience as devs on the 64. Sure Nintendo knew the most about the system's secrets but still, the water and physics of the game are astounding.
All that running on pic related in 1996. For fuck's sake. Wizardry.

[Anonymous No.8271392]

>>8271164
This game looks like shit.

[Anonymous No.8271403]

Truly, you are the game of games.

[Anonymous No.8271520]

>>8271164

[Anonymous No.8271571]

>>8271285
>>8271380
>>8271381
>>8271520
based Wave Race crew coming out of the waterworks

>>8271376
I gave Expert a shot here - blasted Sunny Beach, then hit 3rd place across the board before getting 4th on Port Blue and getting booted. Got the best lap time for PB on the cart, though, beat whoever punched in TIT all those watery moons again. Gonna go back and spend some more time grinding hard mode because I can’t even perfect clear it yet. Stay frosty and don’t forgot to pop the waves, Wave Race bro.

[Anonymous No.8271640]

Wave Race 64 threads are always so positive.

[Anonymous No.8271671]

>>8271164
Apart from the tide changing the courses it's not that great of a racer.

[Anonymous No.8271692]

>>8271164
I remember renting this game when I was a kid, must have been in first or second grade. A friend was staying over that night. We played Wave Race, ate potato chips, and watched Oddville, MTV. Also since it was a rental copy the characters were all renamed to funny things like SUGARTITS or ASSMAN. Very nostalgic game, love its atmosphere and aesthetic.

[Anonymous No.8271947]

>>8271571
>Gonna go back and spend some more time grinding hard mode because I can’t even perfect clear it yet.
That's what I've been doing, I need to be able to clear hard mode perfectly consistently. I could probably do normal mode with my eyes closed at this point.

[Anonymous No.8272002]

The atmosphere of it is absolutely 100% top notch. It's such a positive game that makes me smile every time I play it.

[Anonymous No.8272397]

>>8271267
HYDROOOO THUNDERRRR

[Anonymous No.8272593]

https://youtu.be/Hl6MZqhjt84

Here’s a teaser reel from Shoshinkai (Space World) 1995 with a bunch of early versions of N64 games, including Wave Race, which shows up at around 0:46 seconds. It looks like it was some kind of boat racing game - clearly, the wave generation functionality of the N64’s chipset was the drive behind the creation of this game as a whole. I’m glad they shifted to jetski racing - the game on display here looks bland and everyday in comparison, but I suppose I’m biased. I’m sure some people already feel that way about the game we actually got, but I sure don’t.

[Anonymous No.8272625]

>>8271274
This is how the remastered n64 games should look but Nintendo insists on dodgy emulators and roms.

[Anonymous No.8272695]

>>8272397
DAMN THE TOR PEDOS

[Anonymous No.8272702]

did yall fucks know about the rumble pak version that was japanese exclusive

[Anonymous No.8272712]

>>8272702
It's the best version. It has a few different sound effects, two slightly remixed music tracks and a pink dolphin representing your ghost in time trials.

[Anonymous No.8272758]

>>8272712
>>8272702
damn, I feel like this game was made for the Rumble Pak. The crashing waves throwing you all over the place, the powerful, constantly revving engine your character is practically sitting directly on top of. Ghost functionality would make time trials even more fun too. Definitely gotta pick it up.

[Anonymous No.8272772]

>>8271164
Obvious answer would be to give hydro thunder a go.

[Anonymous No.8272824]

>>8272593
>I’m glad they shifted to jetski racing
I like wave race, but that hydrothunder rip off looks goat, I'd have loved to play it. Too bad we couldn't get both.

[Anonymous No.8272990]

https://youtu.be/FwO-OVAJwxc This guy on YouTube does remixes and covers of game tracks using the original soundfonts and this one of the Wave Race theme is awesome. Highly recommended

[Anonymous No.8273010]

Is there a single genre that benefited more from the sprite-to-polygon shift than racing games? Waverace 64 was revolutionary at the time

[Anonymous No.8273057]

>>8273010
It’s gotta be racing games, fighting games and platformer for sure. I definitely think there’s an argument to be made for Wave Race 64 being a somewhat comparable leap into 3D for racing games just as Super Mario 64 was a leap into 3D for platformers. While Wave Race was certainly nowhere near as influential as Super Mario 64, the two games worked in tandem as excellent tech demos that helped cement the N64 as THE console for fast, immersive and (most importantly) NEW game experiences that were only possible thanks to the third dimension. Just like SM64, Wave Race is a game that feels perfectly and uniquely designed for its time, platform, and, maybe most importantly, its controller.

[Anonymous No.8273084]

Honestly, Sonic R. Just turn on a stopwatch and 100% complete the game, then keep track of your high score. Played like this, it becomes an arcadey experience. It's only about 30 minutes even for a novice which is something you can just pick up and play now and then and see if you can do it better

[Anonymous No.8273087]

>>8273010
Racing games might as well not have existed at all until 3D graphics arrived.

[Anonymous No.8273096]

>>8273084
it’s funny you mention Sonic R, because playing so much Wave Race has made me think of it. Maybe since it’s another 3D racer from that era with a cheesy synthrock soundtrack and low-detail palm trees against orange sunsets? I’ve been a Sonic R soundtrack apologist but I only ever played it a little on one of those Sonic Gems collections, I’ll definitely grab it if I ever pick up a Saturn. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Anonymous No.8273470]

>>8271164
One of my favorite games ever.

[Anonymous No.8273509]

>>8271270
Nice. Here are the trick controls for Wave Rally which are never explained in-game. They copied the same tricks as WR64.

[Anonymous No.8273529]

>>8271164
I was playing this game a lot this summer. I was even listening to the OST at work. Game is such a blast, even 25 years later.

[Anonymous No.8273537]

>>8271205
It's not my favorite game ever, but I have the fondest memories of playing that game with my neighbor, who owned it. We played it together so much

[Anonymous No.8273604]

>>8271164
W A V E R A C E !
Got this game with an N64 and SM64 for Christmas 97 and its always held a special place in my heart. The little crystal arpeggio thing right in the theme puts a smile on my face every time nearly a quarter century later. https://youtu.be/rz9eYvuZOYg

Move on to the next round!

[Anonymous No.8273616]

>>8273604
>when the beat drops in

[Anonymous No.8274090]

I loved Blue Storm, though i haven't really played the first one.

[Anonymous No.8274105]

>>8271381
because it only runs at 20fps

[Anonymous No.8274141]

>>8274105
yet it still feels so playable to me. I never even played it back in the day and even coming to it new with the frame chugging it’s a blast. it can be hard to keep track of the action, though when it gets choppy. definitely would benefit from a 60fps hack.

[Anonymous No.8274229]

>>8273057
I love Wave Race but Daytona USA was the real gamechanger for 3D racing.

[Anonymous No.8274248]

Got my best results yet grinding Championship on Hard mode - first on every track except Marine Fortress (4th place, nasty wipeout) and Souther Island (2nd, another gnarly wipeout) to finish at 40 points. I’m truly getting better! Thanks to all the Wave Race bros for sharing their memories of and love for the game. Can’t believe it took me so long to play it but I am certifiably hooked now.

YOU ARE THE CHAMPIONS! CONGRATULATIONS!

[Anonymous No.8274253]

>>8274229
absolutely agree, not at all saying that Wave Race was THE gamechanger for 3D racing in general - but for the N64 and console gaming, it was very important for its use of phsyics, the sheer novelty of the wave mechanic and as a technical showpiece for the Nintendo 64. Games like Namco’s Winning Run and Virtua Racing walked so Daytona could fucking sprint to the tune of tuturutututututu tureeeee DAYYYYTOOOONNAAAAAAA!

[Anonymous No.8275617]

>>8274248
Marine Fortress is tricky when you're just learning the Hard layouts. Mess up the jump/dive in the first sector and you're playing catch up for the rest of the race.

[Anonymous No.8275631]

>>8274253
Yeah, the wave effects were unbelievable for 1996. And the fact that a fucking launch title felt like an arcade quality game. That said, the Saturn port of Sega Rally had very impressive physics almost a year earlier.

[Anonymous No.8276039]

[Anonymous No.8276093]

>>8271164
It's one of my favorite games, Blue Storm was awesome too. It's a shame that Nintendo didn't go for these sports game anymore. 1080 was great too.

[Anonymous No.8276102]

>>8276093
wave race and 1080 get the fzero treatment. Nintendo likes to refer to them here and there, but fuck actually making a game.

[Anonymous No.8276262]

>>8275617
absolutely - I found the wave jump over the concrete barrier was a lot less reliable in the second lap but after giving it a few more go’s I realized that you really have to dampen that first wave that comes out so you can use the second one to shoot up above the barrier. actually ended up getting first place in every race on hard last night so expert here I come.

>>8276039
thanks for the recommendation, will absolutely give this a shot. I’ve been putting a list together.

>>8276093
>>8276102
yea, I honestly was surprised they didn’t even include Wave Race 64 or 1080 in the N64 releases for Switch Online. It’s probably for the best as the emulation seems to be subpar, but both of those games always seemed to embody the N64 spirit and are well-loved, it would be nice to get a nod at least. I’ve actually never played 1080; if it’s got that same extreme sports feel I’ll have to try it out.

[Anonymous No.8276281]

>>8276262
1080 is awesome, most maps happen in the wilderness, you go through forests and cities, really great level design, god tier atmosphere, fun unlockables/bosses.
Also the physics are the best a snowboarding game ever had and it's still unequaled to this day. Best not as in realistic, but as in how fluid it handles, you'll surprise yourself trying to slide along walls in the most difficult levels.

[Anonymous No.8276469]

The Crusin' games are great fun.

[Anonymous No.8276471]

I'll literally jerk off when they make a Wave Race level Editors

The ONLY bad thing is it's only got 9 tracks.

[Anonymous No.8276475]

>>8271256
You haven't beaten the game unless you do it with the girl (she has the lowest top speed cus she's a icky girl)

[Anonymous No.8276484]

[Anonymous No.8276524]

>>8276281
fuck yea, I’ll pick it up ASAP. sounds exactly like the kind of game I’ll be looking for once I 100% complete Wave Race. thanks for the recommendation!

>>8276471
this would be so fucking cool. imagine how insane those tracks would get with the bizarre and indefatigable energy of the internet and the few of us obsessed with this 25yo x-treme sports game.

>>8276475
I used the first guy and didn’t change the watercraft settings at all, so that will definitely be a challenge. but it’ll be a welcome one.

[Anonymous No.8276545]

It's a shame that there's literally no reason to jump off the ramps as it's faster to just drive past them. Doing a trick should give a little speed boost like Mario kart or something

[Anonymous No.8276695]

Miles Jeter is my main man

[Anonymous No.8276696]

>>8276695
based as fuck

[Anonymous No.8276698]

>>8276545
1080 snowboarding has the same issue. The jumps are cool and there's this whole fun trick system but there's never any reason to use it outside of the trick modes.

[Anonymous No.8276919]

>>8276262
>expert here I come
Get ready to rage, expert Port Blue is the biggest filter in the game imo. Pure memorization with no room for error.

>>8276471
WR64 doesn't need more tracks, just add the weather settings from Blue Storm and call it a day. Those were the best feature in the game by far.

[Anonymous No.8277683]

>>8276695
Ryota Hayami or bust

[Anonymous No.8277703]

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nwrj/index3.html Was doing some searching for Wave Race images and it looks like the Japanese site is still up. Definitely gonna run some of this text thru a translator. I even found this accessories list site too: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/option/index.html#CONTROLLER_PACK

Damn, the old internet is so cool. Pic unrelated

[Anonymous No.8278457]

>>8276262
I remember I had a Jet Ski LEGO small set, I used to Wave Race with it. That was pretty cool.

>>8276262
The main problem I've got with this game and Blue storm is that the speed/acceleration/top speed/stunt are dependent on the character you are playing when it should be dependent on the Jet Ski itself. Each character could have a default ski, but if you customized it you could change the Jet Ski to the way you wanted. I like some characters more then others.

>>8276545
I think that there should be a time punishment if you bumped into other jet skis, just like a real racing. Maybe it could be done in the expert mode.

>>8276484
This game is so beautiful up to this day. It aged really, really well.

[Anonymous No.8278558]

>>8276484
kino

[Anonymous No.8278837]

Imagine a mode where you get points based on -

Position you place in the race
Tricks performed
Deducted points for crashing and bumping into others racers
Some other stuff

Then you total it all up and the most points wins. So someone who just races straight to 1st might not get as many points as someone who came second but did a lot of cool tricks

[Anonymous No.8278851]

>>8278837
You wouldn't have intense races in this mode. The meta would favor tricks.

[Anonymous No.8278871]

>>8277703
damn the fatty is only 16. I thought he'd be in his 40s.

[Anonymous No.8278882]

>>8278871
Everyone had a theory about this asshole. I always thought he wears a suit 5-6 sizes too small so he can fit on the jet ski and blobs out when he tries to take it off

[Anonymous No.8278887]

>>8273010
>>8273087
Choppy N64 games just can't compete with the silky scrolling and draw distance of the real classics

[Anonymous No.8278934]

Picked up Splashdown and 1080 Snowboarding based on some of the recs in this thread, excited to give them a shot later! Also got Jimmy White’s Cueball 2 for shits.

Definitely gonna try to pick up Blue Storm this weekend, I know a store in town that has a copy. Excited to soak in the xtreme early 2000s rays and bask in the glory of those resplendent realtime water reflections from 20 years ago.

[Anonymous No.8278943]

>>8278934
>Definitely gonna try to pick up Blue Storm this weekend, I know a store in town that has a copy
How much? I've been tracking online prices for weeks, trying to find a good one.

[Anonymous No.8279079]

>>8278943
like 12 bucks I think? Case, manual and all.

[Anonymous No.8279108]

>>8279079
Fuck me, best I can get is like 15 bucks. Would be 10 if not for shipping.

[Anonymous No.8279254]

>>8276469
Cruisin’ USA was so much fun. I loved wrecking out and taking my friends with me. The game obviously looks terrible today but still has that quick, arcade-style feel.

[Anonymous No.8279272]

Wave Race is one of those games that when I hear or see or get reminded of it I HAVE to play it. It can be beaten (expert+reverse) in like 40 minutes so it's always fun .

I have that craving now but my Switch, which I use for my main emulation, is broken right now :(

[Anonymous No.8279529]

>>8271164
Blue Storm is good too.

[Anonymous No.8280539]

>>8276469
>>8279254
This game's ultra responsive controls when set to max sensitivity make it really fun to play.