Soapbox: Wave Race 64 is now 25 and still rules

Let’s put the controversial initial opinion aside, so any fork wearer can start sharpening their implements right away – many of the Nintendo 64 games haven’t aged very well. Of course they haven’t, because it was a console in which Nintendo was at the forefront of 3D graphics technology, a bold move that made its mark in history as the company offered home console experiences that define the game. genre they just hadn’t. been possible before. In terms of consoles, it was a system with games that set the 3D standards on platformers, first-person shooter, action-adventure games, you name it. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and even good old 007 blew their minds in the late 90s.

I was 12 years old and all usual the classics excited me a lot. However, one of my most played games at the time was Wave Race 64, a jet ski racer and sequel to a Game Boy title that I had never heard of, and yes, dear readers, it has aged very well.

In the past, it was one of the most arcade games I’d ever seen on a console; remember this is an era where small arms games and SEGA Rally on Saturn they were tremendously impressive, yes, simpler times. I didn’t live in a city with an actual arcade, so every time I saw coin machines on a trip, I became obsessed with playing them (much to my parents’ chagrin).

The game would throw you in and let you know that you must respect the elements.

Wave Race 64 had that vibe, to me, and it had that water. It might not seem too wild nowadays when we have the likes of Sea of ​​Thieves recreating the sea in astonishing detail, but the idea of ​​a game with realistic waves and matching physics seemed fanciful at the time. However, that is what the game achieved. You weren’t running a jet ski like a car on a flat surface; the game would throw you in and let you know that you must respect the elements.

Of course, as top sprinting players and runners know, the waves opened up some pretty fancy jumps and shortcuts, which feel deliberate. I’d be lucky enough to get through a race on ‘normal’ difficulty, but I’d just sit back and watch my older brother tackle the harder CPU AI and take every shortcut on offer. It’s a game that gets really tough if you’re up to the challenge, so even today there is good replay value. You can be trash like me, or Really Get acquainted with the mechanics and master – the development team did an admirable job.