Wave Race 64 marks a new era of interactivity in the racing genre by incorporating an ever-shifting race surface.
Wave Race 64's brash, bold presentation gives the game a light, arcade feel. Indeed, everything about Wave Race 64 is cheery and positive, from the announcer's hyperexcited cries of "You're way out in front!" to the cheesy, Van Halen-sound of the distinctly '80s theme tune. Once the rolling demo/intro sequence has wowed and set the tone (which it does perfectly), there are decisions to be made.
First up, there is a choice of four racers, each with their own unique jet-skis. The range of racers is typically clichéd: the fat guy who can't turn but has the best top speed, the easy-to-control but sluggish female, the all-rounder, and one guy who is neither here nor there, the black sheep if you will.
There are several modes from which to choose. Championship is a four-tier romp through the available courses, with the difficulty level shifting up a gear on completion of each championship. Stunt mode, meanwhile, involves not only pulling tricks and generally showing off, but also riding through hoops and making the finish with time to spare -- a circus mode of sorts. Then there's time trial mode, which, as its name suggests, requires that players shave fractions of seconds of their lap and track records. Versus mode is a simple affair that lets two players compete in a race to the finish, unfortunately without CPU-controlled racers alongside them. Needless to say that there is plenty here, certainly enough to ensure a couple of years' worth of replay value.
What is here is greatly enjoyable too. The selection of tracks (of which there are nine in total) makes for varied racing. Races are closely competed, thanks to the computer-controlled racers' well-programmed AI. What really propels Wave Race 64 into great status, though, is its gameplay. Minute inputs make all the difference: controlling a jet-ski in Wave Race 64 is an art as well as a precise science, but it's fun too.