Wave Rally Preview
Take to the waves in Eidos' latest game.
Very few games have managed to replicate the realistic sensation of racing on water since the release of the original Wave Race back in 1996. Wave Race's realistic waves and racing mechanics delivered an experience unmatched by any other racing game involving water. In an attempt to take the Jet Ski racing crown away from Nintendo and its Wave Race series, Eidos and the development team at Opus360 are diligently working on a Jet Ski racing game for the PlayStation 2 called Wave Rally. The game follows the same basic gameplay recipe as the Wave Race series and will have you turning in and out of buoys on various courses and in different weather conditions. However, Wave Rally also has a number of interesting features, including the option to select from two different types of watercraft.
Wave Rally features five different modes where you can test your Jet Ski driving skills. In the arcade mode, you compete against the clock on five different courses. When you reach a checkpoint, more time is added to the clock, but if you happen to miss any buoys--by passing them on the incorrect side--while you're out on the course, then time is taken off the clock, which makes it much more difficult to finish a race before time runs out. In any case, you want to finish the race in first place to accumulate the most points at the end of the race, because the competitor with the highest point total at the end of the five rounds wins.
The championship mode is similar to the arcade mode, except there's no time limit and there are 11 rounds instead of five--you'll race on the same series of tracks multiple times but in different weather conditions or at different times of the day. In addition, the championship mode uses the same point system as the arcade mode, though you cannot progress to later tracks if you haven't accumulated a certain number of points.
The time-trial mode essentially functions as Wave Rally's practice mode. In this mode you can select from any one of the courses that you've already completed in the other two modes and simply race on the track alone. Whereas in the arcade and championship modes you can miss four or five buoys and still be in the race, the time-attack mode lets you miss only one before forcing you to retire. But you can take it slow and find the position of every buoy since there isn't any competition to worry about.
The freestyle mode offers a slight departure from the rigors of competitive racing--you'll be placed in a large circular course for the purpose of performing a routine of tricks. This routine will then be judged according to a series of categories that include appeal, composition, technical value, and artistic value. Unfortunately, in the current build of the game, there doesn't seem to be much value to this mode other than to show off, but hopefully the final build will yield some reward.
Wave Rally also includes a two-player split-screen mode where you can compete against a human opponent on any of the tracks unlocked in the arcade and championship modes.
Wave Rally Quick Links
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- Eidos Interactive
- Opus
- Snow / Water Racing
- Release: Nov 26, 2001 »
- ESRB: Everyone
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