Hydro Thunder Hurricane - Review

The first official sequel to the Midway classic Hydro Thunder is back, and man is it good. Packed with a new game engine, HD graphics, and some of the best water I've seen in an Xbox Live Arcade release, Hydro Thunder Hurricane really represents what the franchise should be. Hydro Thunder is an arcade speedboat racing series that takes place in the water, and is quite the refreshing change from all of the land vehicle racing titles out there.

Gameplay / Controls [|||||] (4 / 5) - Right from the start, you notice the controls follow the standard gas/break configuration with the left trigger for the break, and the right trigger for the throttle. You have the usual look behind button on the bumper, and the face buttons controlling the turbo mode called boost, boost jump, and the camera view. The camera can be configured to be in third person, or driver's seat view either with the front of your boat visible or none of it showing to give you a complete view of the course.


The controls are tight and responsive, and handle like an arcade racer should. You'll be speeding around corners, drafting behind competitors for a speed advantage, dodging exploding barrels, and finding hidden (and not so hidden) shortcuts with ease and precision. When you jump off of cliffs and launch off of ramps, you're able to control your boat in the air with your available boost to help steer your boat in the right direction.

You'll be relieved to know that there is no rubber-banding in this game. If you're way in the lead, the AI is not going to mysteriously catch up. You're free to continue increasing that gap between you and 2nd place and not having to worry about the game magically allowing for a "competitive" race.


Graphics [|||||] (4 / 5) - The HD visuals in the game are amazing. The water being the major component of the track looks great. Water splashes jump up on your screen and you really get that feeling of being part of the race. If that's not enough, there is haze from the waterfalls and cliffs that add just the right atmosphere to the environment, but when you jump off of these cliffs from hundreds of feet in the air, you really get blown away in the moment.

Sound [|||||] (4 / 5) - Every sound in the game is fitting. From every splash, to the wildlife you hear while speeding through a track, the sounds heard make every area unique. On certain occasions, security boats activate their sirens adding that much more to the races. There are also epic moments when areas come alive and you hear, for example, a giant creature rise from the water and the thrills of the race are increased once again.


Replay Value / Multiplayer [|||||] (3 / 5) - The game progresses and you unlock new tracks, boats, and events by earning credits. By placing at least third in single and multiplayer modes you earn credit towards these unlocks. What's nice is the fact that you don't necessarily have to use the more advanced boats in the harder difficulty levels to get credits. You could race in just a few of the single player modes, even those you've already completed, or multiplayer modes and get credits to unlock more of the game. The game focuses more on the grand total of credits you have earned, rather than how well you do in every race as you progress. Don't worry, you never lose credits, so doing poorly in any mode won't cost you any credits. Also, there is no guesswork involved, as the locked levels and boats can be highlighted in the selection screen and the description below them tells you exactly what is required to unlock it.


The grind to unlock everything in the game isn't that long, as there are only 8 tracks, 9 boats, and 50 events to burn through once unlocked in the single player game. Completionists will have the task of getting in-game trophies in each of the 50 events, while also being on the hunt for 10 hidden Hydro Thunder Hurricane logos on each track and meeting requirements to unlock different skins for each of the boats. Beyond the in-game rewards, there are also a couple of avatar awards and gamer pictures, that you'll probably unlock roughly half of the way through progressing in the game with enough credits.

The multiplayer offering also falls a little short with just 2 modes to compete in. You can take part in traditional racing against up to 7 other players (8 total), with 4 local split-screen players able to compete over Xbox Live. You also have the rubber ducky mode where a racer on each team chooses to race as the rubber ducky, while their teammates do everything they can to stop the other team's duck from crossing the finish line first.


Entertainment [|||||] (4 / 5) - No matter how you look at it, this is a great speedboat arcade racer. Whether you're racing against 15 other boats in the single player races, testing your skill in the ring master or gauntlet races and passing through targets or avoiding exploding barrels, or competing in the championship or online in the multiplayer, this game does not disappoint fans of the series. Each boat has its own look and feel, but once you find the right boat for a particular track, you won't want to put your controller down. There's just something satisfying and exciting about using your boost, then a boost jump, and launching yourself in the air and landing with a huge splash and knowing you just leaped over several competitors and taken the lead.

REVIEW SCORE : (3.8 out of 5)

NoSkill'O'Meter : Arcade speedboat racing and rubber duckies! Nuff said.
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* Title : Hydro Thunder Hurricane
* Format : XBLA (Xbox 360)
* Developer : Vector Unit
* Publisher : Microsoft Game Studios
* Release Date : 07/28/10

*Vector Unit provided SlimGamer.com with a promo code for a review copy.

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