Hydro Thunder Hurricane

It is hard to imagine a time where outrageous and unbelievable video games were as standard as balding space marines are in this generation of games. Hydro Thunder Hurricane reminds me of those days. It should; the franchise was born in the waning years of video games forcing gamers to seriously suspend disbelief.

The Hydro Thunder games were published by the now-defunct Midway Games. The game focuses on boat racing, with an extreme twist. The boats are more like intercontinental missiles with buoyancy, and nitro boosting power is just as common as the liquid running underneath the sleek boat hulls. Hydro Thunder Hurricane was picked up by Microsoft after Midway had to sell all of its assets and is now a feature on the Summer of Arcade. This game coming out of Microsoft was a shock to a lot of people since the old intellectual properties Midway owned were scattered across the land and gamers are still finding out where those morsels of gaming’s history went.

The arcade roots aren’t lost on Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The sense of speed and carefully doled out unlockable content peg this game as a quarter muncher, and Hydro Thunder Hurricane never looks back. The drawback that Hydro Thunder Hurricane can never really escape is this game is something lifted from the time period it was released, design sensibilities and all. There is simply too much focus on topping the last unbelievable moment that the resulting “extreme” visuals can be tacky. A giant sea monster rising from a forgotten lagoon is just one of the cheap thrills to be found in the game. With timing being everything, Hydro Thunder Hurricane was wise to release during the months where the overdone visuals fit in with the frivolity of summertime.

While the visuals might have been a little heavy handed in spots, the gameplay is still spot on. Courses are well put together and the driving mechanics feel great. Each boat has their own strengths and weaknesses, and the differences are felt once players are behind the captain’s wheels. Hydro Thunder Hurricane incorporates waves to add to the unpredictability of the races. There are scripted moments that will bring chaos to the second-to-second rankings and the dynamic wake trailing from boats that cause minor disturbances that can catalyze disastrous chain reactions. Add a huge helping of speed and each race will be full of jockeying for first place in the middle of madness.

Hydro Thunder H