Hydro Thunder for Dreamcast

Hydro Thunder

You've never seen anything like it! Hydro Thunder is a high-speed, 3D super boat racer that uses Newtonian physics to emulate the feel of real thunder boat racing. Players actually feel the boats respond to waves, wild terrain and roadblocks with a realism unmatched in any other game. Hydro Thunder includes ten vividly rendered tracks and 9 unique boats. Each track contains short-cuts, ramps and turbo-boost icons that give players a burst of speed and invulnerability. The incredible graphics are not to be believed and a split-screen mode allows head-to-head competitive play. Afraid of the water? Get over it. Release is currently scheduled for 09/09/1999 (subject to change).

Hydro Thunder

As the first boat racing game on the Dreamcast, Hydro Thunder takes full advantage of the advanced processing power of this 128-bit machine. You'll steer one of 13 different boats through 14 fast and furious racing environments. As with the arcade version, you'll race against the clock and numerous other boats in a quest to reach the finish line first. The spectacular graphics and detailed race environments make this a most atypical racing game. In fact, there are times when you might find it difficult to concentrate on the racing because there is so much peripheral eye candy. We were most impressed by the New York Disaster, Far East, and Arctic Circle racing areas. Many of the best elements of Hydro Thunder are likely to be completely bypassed by casual gamers, since there are numerous hidden tracks, boats, and other elements to be uncovered in this game. However, persistent racers will be well-rewarded, since some of the best tracks can only be unlocked after winning several races. --Brett Atwood Pros: Detailed race environments Numerous hidden game elements Cons: Difficulty level will challenge beginning gamers