It’s been a little over 10 years since Hydro Thunder was released in arcades and on consoles and that, is a long-ass time. I was a huge fan of the original, as it was one of the more creative racers out at the time aside from Rush 2049. While a direct sequel to Hydro Thunder was canned, the next best thing is set to arrive on XBLA this Wednesday and we’ve had plenty of time with the final game to give you the lowdown on whether or not Hydro Thunder Hurricane is worth the $15 entry fee. Hurricane is by and large an HD sequel/remake with adjustments to the game here and there, but for the most part, this is the Hydro Thunder you knew and loved. There are 8 tracks total, each of which progressively changes through each event. If you at all remember the first game, players have to rely heavily on the secret paths throughout each course, of which there are many. These hidden paths are essentially the key to winning the race events within the game especially towards the end of the campaign as well as when you are playing with others who know these routes in the multiplayer.
Along with standard races, you have the ever frustrating “ring” events along with the “Gauntlet” which has you race to the end of a track while avoiding explosive barrels. All of which are labeled as novice, pro or expert. On top of these modes, there are championship events that compile a variety of differing events into one event. These are by far the most challenging events in the game as they require you to be good at each type of event to place in the top three. Every event that you place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in will nab you some career points which unlock more events, boats, and skins for your boats. There is a lot to unlock throughout the course of the game, which definitely motivates to players to continue racing the fast and loose seas. The campaign really shines with the straight-up races, and bottoms out with the ring events which require multiple attempts to just memorize the order of rings located throughout the track. If feel like exploring each track, there are 10 hidden “packages” located throughout each track some in plain sight, others a little tougher to find, 80 total.
You also have access to a fairly extensive leaderboard for each event, and 2nd attempts at a specific event will have a time to beat in the corner of the screen. This time is the time it took the person one spot ahead of you on the leaderboard. So throughout replays, you’ll be fighting to beat that time. All in all, the campaign maintains the awesome, arcade feel of the original but the feeling is short lived even with plenty of stuff to unlock. On top of the lengthy campaign there are 2 multiplayer modes that extend the value of Hurricane a tad, but it doesn’t seem like these modes give the game lasting power. The first is a standard “Race” mode, which places you and 7 others on any of the 8 tracks available in the game, pretty simple, standard stuff. The other mode “Rubber Ducky” mode breaks racers into two teams; each team has a player that is driving a rubber duck boat and each team must help their respective rubber ducky cross the finish line before the other team’s duck. This mode is fairly entertaining, but again, the game feels so arcade-y that quickly wears out its welcome.
However, the game’s updated look is a HUGE improvement over the original, as everything has been overhauled while still maintaining and even improving the environmental changes that occur on each new lap of a track. The water looks great for an Arcade title, but I do wish there were more possible changes to the environment on each track, especially the ones that only have 1 lap. Hydro Thunder Hurricane stays true to the original to a fault, all that has been truly updated are the along with the tracks that have been revamped, but keep some of the same themes as the original. The $15 dollar tag keeps Hurricane from being a day one purchase. The multiplayer lacks meat and while the campaign is fun, the fact that shortcuts become the only way of obtaining victory near the end makes some parts of the game frustrating. I definitely suggest vets of the original check out Hurricane as the nostalgia factor paired with the updated visuals make Hurricane a blast to play. While Hydro Thunder Hurricane will most likely be the weakest link in the Summer of Arcade lineup, that doesn’t keep it from being a racer that allows fans of the original to get their feet wet one more time.
