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Wave Race

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For the Australian musician, see Wave Racer.
Wave Race
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD
Pax Softnica
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Masayuki Kameyama
Producer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Programmer(s)Masayuki Hirashima
Yoshiaki Hoshino
Artist(s)Hideo Kon
Composer(s)Taisuke Araki
SeriesWave Race
Platform(s)Game Boy
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Wave Race is a 1992 racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first game in the Wave Race series. The player controls a jet skier competing against AI opponents or up to three friends (using the GameBoy multiplayer link cable accessory) in two different racing modes across sixteen tracks.

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot

The game contains two gameplay modes:

Slalom - the goal is to take posts by racing through pairs of posts across the track. Each post a racer passes through increases their score by one point. The racer with the most points once all posts have been taken wins.

Race - players must proceed through certain checkpoints and complete each lap in a set time limit. Two on track powerups are available. The dolphin powerup gives the player increased turning ability, while the octopus powerup allows the recipient to steal from opponents.

There are eight tracks for each mode (a combined total of sixteen tracks).[citation needed] In both modes, racers have to navigate a variety of on track obstacles (buoys, pylons, shallow water, whirlpools) and jumps.

Players begin at a slower class of watercraft and graduate to faster engines.

Players can also use a limited turbo boost.

The game features four-player multiplayer.[2]

Development and release

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Reception

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Wave Race on the Game Boy garnered average reception from critics.[16][17][18] Nintendo Power's George Sinfield and Rob Noel wrote that the game successfully emulated the feel of watercraft racing. They praised the effect of skidding around corners, and recommended the four-player multiplayer experience.[2] A writer for German magazine Mega Fun commended the game's audiovisual presentation, playability and multiplayer mode.[7] Joystick's Olivier Karali gave the game favorable remarks for its "exemplary" playability, particularly the controls.[6] N-Force's Nick Roberts and Carl Rowley considered it a mediocre and frustrating racing game. While they found the visuals to be well detailed and the soundtrack average, they felt its gameplay lacked depth.[13]

Consolemania's Alessandro Rossetto praised the game's realistic controls, sound, and playability, but criticized the graphics for their lack of variety.[12] Selby Bateman of Game Players Nintendo Guide noted the solid feel the personal watercrafts have when turning in the water. Bateman also commended the game's graphical department, multiplayer mode, and auto-save feature.[3] Video Games' Michael Paul highlighted the game's controls and difficulty level, stating that "If you're looking for a multi-player game that's also fun to play solo, Wave Race is the right wave for you".[11] Total!'s Thomas Hellwig and Sandra Alter found it to be a thrilling title, citing its intelligent opponents and tracks, but saw the poor collision detection and constant flickering as shortcomings.[9][10]

Hobby Consolas criticized Wave Race on the Game Boy for its weak visuals and poor playability.[4] Nintendo Acción's Juan Carlos García faulted the game's mediocre graphics, repetitive tracks, and viewing perspective.[14] Power Unlimited recommended the game for "speed enthusiasts who love the Game Boy".[15] Joypad's Kendy Ty panned its slow scrolling, and labelled it as a "poor man's Micro Machines".[5] Player One's Stéphane Pilet lauded its audiovisual department, playability, and multiplayer.[8] Writing for Retro Gamer, Clarance Frank regarded it as "A nice start to the Wave Race franchise which, while differing greatly from its later console counterparts, contained plenty of ideas that transferred successfully into the 3-D versions".[19] In a series retrospective, Jon Partridge of Red Bull Games celebrated its fresh take on the racing genre, tight controls, gameplay, unique setting, and multiplayer.[20]

Legacy

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Wave Race sold well enough that it was eventually added to Nintendo's Player's Choice marketing label (a marketing label that promoted a lineup of the best selling Nintendo games). It was later followed by two sequels: Wave Race 64 and Wave Race: Blue Storm. Unlike the first game, Wave Race 64 and Wave Race: Blue Storm were also released in Japan.

References

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  1. ^ "Game Boy (original) Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Sinfield, George; Noel, Rob (July 1992). "Now Playing - Wave Race (Game Boy)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 38. Nintendo of America. pp. 103, 105.
  3. ^ a b Bateman, Selby (March 1993). "Review: Wave Race — Nintendo brings the top-speed action of jet-skiing to Game Boy". Game Players Nintendo Guide. Vol. 6, no. 3. Signal Research. p. 72.
  4. ^ a b "Novedades - Game Boy: Wave Race — ¡Hola, nueva ola!". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 69. Hobby Press. June 1997. p. 104.
  5. ^ a b Ty, Kendy (January 1998). "Test - Zapping Europe: Wave Race (Game Boy)". Joypad [fr] (in French). No. 71. Hachette Disney Presse. pp. 127–128.
  6. ^ a b Karali, Olivier (September 1992). "Consoles News - Game Boy: Wave Race". Joystick (in French). No. 30. Sipress. p. 189.
  7. ^ a b "Spieletest - Game Boy: Wave Race". Mega Fun [de] (in German). No. 3. Computec. August 1992. p. 40.
  8. ^ a b Pilet, Stéphane (February 1998). "Tests - Game Boy: Wave Race". Player One [fr] (in French). No. 83. Média Système Édition [fr]. p. 84.
  9. ^ a b Hellwig, Thomas (June 1996). "Test - GB (Import Corner): Wave Race". Total! (in German). No. 36. X-Plain-Verlag. p. 57. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Alter, Sandra (May 1997). "Test - GB: Wave Race". Total! (in German). No. 47. X-Plain-Verlag. p. 54. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Paul, Michael (March 1993). "Rom Check - Game Boy: Wilde Reiter — Wave Race". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 16. Markt & Technik. p. 105.
  12. ^ a b Rossetto, Alessandro (December 1992). "Wave Race (Game Boy)". Consolemania [it] (in Italian). Vol. 2, no. 14. Xenia Edizioni. p. 63.
  13. ^ a b Roberts, Nick; Rowley, Carl (October 1992). "Reviewed! - Game Boy: Wave Race". N-Force. No. 4. Europress Impact. p. 55.
  14. ^ a b García, Juan Carlos (June 1997). "Super Stars - Game Boy: Wave Race — Enredos de familia". Nintendo Acción (in Spanish). No. 55. Hobby Press. pp. 56–57.
  15. ^ a b "Review: Wave Race (Game Boy)". Power Unlimited (in Dutch). No. 51. VNU Media. September 1997.
  16. ^ Weitz, Volker (April 1993). "Videospiele / Tests: Wave Race (Game Boy)". Power Play [de] (in German). No. 61. Markt & Technik. p. 132.
  17. ^ "Test Nintendo Game Boy: Wave Race". Zzap! [it] (in Italian). Vol. 7, no. 73. Xenia Edizioni. December 1992. pp. 68–69.
  18. ^ McComb, Dave (May 1997). "Review - Game Boy: Wave Race". Nintendo Magazine System. No. 56. EMAP. pp. 68–71.
  19. ^ "Wave Race". Retro Gamer. Imagine Publishing. December 21, 2008. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  20. ^ Partridge, Jon (July 27, 2016). "Throwback Thursday: Wave Race — How Nintendo walked on water with the jet ski game to end all jet ski games". Red Bull Games. Red Bull GmbH. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
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