“HYDRO THUNDER!!” shouts the announcer when you first start up the second title in Xbox‘s “Summer of Arcade.” If those words sound familiar from the ghosts of arcades past — or even if they don’t — let them usher you into the fast-paced world of high-speed boat racing.
As Xbox Arcade titles go, Hydro Thunder Hurricane looks and plays every bit as good as any off-the-shelf title, with gorgeous visuals, detailed maps, and tremendous replay value.
As you play and win points, you’ll be rewarded with tons of power-ups in the form of more powerful boats and new maps to race through. There are eight maps in all, but a wide variety of ways of playing them, from standard head-to-head Races to Ring Matches where you try to steer through dozens of giant hoops. There’s also Gauntlet mode, where you race through the levels while trying to avoid red barrels floating in the water that explode on impact. Finally, Championship mode pits you against other racers in multi-level events that test all of your skills in tandem.
The key to Hydro Thunder, just like in the classic arcade game, is Boost. Only by nailing these floating orbs will you ever win a race. The orbs are placed all throughout the levels in strategic spots, and once you run into them, your boat transforms, with bigger, more powerful engines popping out. Trigger your Boost with the “A” button and you’ll go wildly faster than you did before, or you can tap the “X” button to give yourself a short “Boost jump” into the air, which can be helpful in acquiring various items. “Novice,” “Pro,” and “Expert” boats and races become available as you increase your skills.
The game’s designers really let their imaginations fly with the eight levels, which take you through both realistic locations like the canals of Paris or the rivers of Babylon, to fanciful locales like the waters of Asgard (complete with a ginormous Thor that tries to destroy you with his hammer during one memorable moment). Man-made race tracks in Tokyo and Seoul provide extra challenges due to their short lengths; it can be demanding to advance from 16th place to medal position with such a short track.
If the game has a downside, it’s undoubtedly your incessantly chatty radio coach who announces when Boost is ready for use, or when you’re “in the draft” of another boat (which increases your speed). Unfortunately, he also gives snarky commentary when you fare poorly, of which there are only a handful of recorded phrases. It gets old really, really fast. An option for turning this audio commentary off would have been welcome.
Special badges and other goodies are spread liberally throughout the levels for you explorers to find. There are also tunnels and secret passages aplenty, some of which you’ll need some imagination to spot.
Multiplayer is a blast because the action is lighthearted, lightning fast, and crazy fun, thanks to matches that last only a few minutes at a time.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a very solid arcade title that’s well worth every penny, and it definitely gets my recommendation. It perfectly balances “challenging gameplay” with “easy to play,” resulting in victories that feel rewardingly hard-won. If Xbox keeps up this level of quality with all of its “Summer Arcade” titles, gamers might find precious few reasons to shell out the big bucks for in-store games.
