Wave Race 64

Wave Race 64
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Nintendo 64 Virtual Console
Release Date	Nintendo 64 JP September 27, 1996 US November 5, 1996 EU April 29, 1997 CH November 2003 Virtual Console JP July 31, 2007 US August 6, 2007 EU August 18, 2007
Rating	ESRB: K-A

Wave Race 64 is a jet-ski racing game. The game featured Kawasaki brand jet skis.

Originally, Wave Race 64 was going to feature ships that changed shape as they turned. The concept was considered too similar to F-Zero X, so they decided to use jet-skis.

The game is one of the most advanced games for the Nintendo 64. Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the game uses 80% of the Nintendo 64, largely due to the game's difficult wave physics.

Gameplay

The game not only required the player to beat the opponents, but they also had to go pass buoys in a slalom-like style. Each time the player passed a buoy, they gained more speed. Missing a buoy resulted in the player losing speed and missing five resulted in disqualification. Also, if the player left the area marked with pink buoys for more than ten seconds, they were also disqualified.

The game had several different modes. Championship pitted the player against computer opponents on a number of different tracks. Time Trial had the player trying to beat a track's best time. In Stunt Mode, the player tried to achieve a high score by performing tricks. In 2P Mode, two players race each other.

Legacy

Ryota Hayami is available as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Also, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 featured a jet-ski mode because the games creator was a great fan of Wave Race 64.

Ports and Remakes

• In 2007, Wave Race 64 was made available for download over the Wii's Virtual Console.

Sequels

In 2004, Wave Race: Blue Storm was released for the Gamecube.