Wave Race 64 and Wave Race: Blue Storm
ウエーブレース64 / ウェーブレース ブルーストーム
I’m Cory Roberts. Are you ready to get wet this month?
We’re talking about two video games made by Nintendo, one for the N64 and the other for the GameCube. Japan is the birthplace of Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Bandai Namco… and wow, Japan has a massive catalog of video game companies!
Wave Race 64 was released in 1996 for the N64, as this game has product placement: Kawasaki Jet Skis (as you’ve seen the jet skis in the first three RollerCoaster Tycoon games). This post also marks the 50th birthday of the Kawasaki Jet Ski watercraft — and yes, personal watercraft (jet skis) are expensive! Kazumi Totaka is the game’s composer, most notably known for voicing Yoshi, a green dinosaur from the Mario series. The game has the following playable characters:
Ryota Hayami (18 years old (23 years old in Blue Storm)/Male/Japan) is the poster boy of this video game who also made a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. DX (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX, Dai Rantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Derakkusu)/Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube) as a trophy. He is the older brother of 1080° Snowboarding’s Akari Hayami.
Ayumi Stewart (21 years old (26 years old in Blue Storm)/Female/America) (the only female playable character before Wave Race: Blue Storm was released on the GameCube)
Miles Jeter (24 years old/Male/Canada) — He does not appear in Blue Storm
Dave Mariner (or David Mariner) (32 years old (37 years old in Blue Storm)/Male/America)
This N64 racing video game in which players race on personal watercraft in different weather conditions and on a variety of courses. The game features three single-player modes (Championship, Time Trials, and Stunt Mode) as well as a multiplayer mode for competitive play. In the Championship mode, the player must race opponents through a series of courses and win the first place. Up to four levels of difficulty can be chosen: Normal, Hard, Expert, and Reverse, the latter being Expert with the tracks oriented backwards. Hard, Expert, and Reverse must be unlocked by completing an earlier difficulty. The difficulty also determines the number of courses played: six in Normal, seven in Hard, and eight in Expert/Reverse. When the player completes a course, points are awarded based on the rank they finished. If the required quantity is not met, the player will be disqualified and the game will be over.
The HUD’s speed is in either MPH (NA release, though Canada still uses metric units) or KPH (Original JP and EU releases). While racing opponents, the player must successfully maneuver the Jet Ski around various buoys. There are two types of buoys: red-colored, which must be passed on the right side, and yellow buoys, which must be passed on the left side. Each time a buoy is correctly passed, a power arrow in the game’s HUD will light, allowing the player’s watercraft to gain speed. Up to five power arrows can be lit in order to obtain maximum power. Therefore, maintaining this process will allow the player to maintain a high speed. Failure to correctly pass a single buoy will result in the loss of all the player’s accumulated power (though the power arrows can be lit again one by one), and missing five buoys over the course of a race will result in disqualification. Leaving the course area limited by pink buoys for more than five seconds will also result in disqualification.
On August 6, 2007, the game was released on the Wii’s Virtual Console. Unlike the Nintendo 64 version, the Virtual Console release does not feature the Kawasaki banners due to expired licensing deals. These were later replaced with banners featuring the Wii and Nintendo DS. When the game was released on the Wii U’s Virtual Console in 2016, the Kawasaki banners were restored. The game was re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on August 19, 2022, once again with the Kawasaki banners restored. The Virtual Console versions of the game were generally very well received, with reviewers considering the game to be just as much fun as it was on the Nintendo 64.
Wave Race: Blue Storm was released in late 2001 and is the sequel to the 1996 Nintendo 64 game Wave Race 64. It has the same gameplay mechanics, but there are indeed some differences. Shigeki Yamashiro directed (and also produced with Minoru Arakawa and Shigeru Miyamoto) the game; the game’s composers are Lawrence Schwedler and James Phillipsen, and Raymond Yan is the game’s artist, who left Nintendo Software Technology (the game’s developer) two years later. Four new characters are introduced to the game as follows:
Akari Hayami (21 years old/Female/Japan) has a low top speed and a weak grip, but high acceleration and maneuvering, making her recommended for beginners. She was not originally from Wave Race 64, but rather from 1080° Snowboarding. Ryota Hayami is her older brother.
Nigel Carver (28 years old/Male/Great Britain) is one of the heavier characters, but he is easy enough to control.
Rob Haywood (24 years old/Male/USA) is a heavy character, similar to David Mariner in terms of strengths and weaknesses, best for the more experienced players. He was originally from 1080° Snowboarding.
Ricky Winterborn (18 years old/Male/Canada) is similar to Akari Hayami, but more stunt-oriented. He was originally from 1080° Snowboarding.
Serena Del Mar (19 years old/Female/Brazil) is not particularly heavy, but she is challenging enough to control and is more directed towards advanced players.
Unlike the first game, this game does not have the Kawasaki banners. Instead, this game has the Slim Jim logo on some of the racers’ jet skis. I never owned this video game, nor the first game. I also never owned or rode on a personal watercraft, and as stated earlier, boating can be an expensive hobby. Please remember to have a jet ski license in your US state or Canadian province if you’re going to ride the waves. That’s it for the two games on Substack. See you later! BANZAI!!!
