Wave Race 64 Kawasaki Jet Ski

Jet skis, driven by Mighty Morphin-type characters, are the vehicles of choice in this silky smooth slalom race; the first thing you'll notice are the waves, which have never looked as realistic in any 32-bit or PC title. The game's easy learning curve, complete with a practice level, inspires instant addiction. Hotdogging isn't essential to winning, but you won't rest until you've mastered handstands and flips on your watercraft.

Even without an ultra-hip hook like Wipeout XL's high-tech sheen, Wave Race's phenomenally fun, addictive jet-ski racing will captivate gamers with in-depth, challenging gameplay. The two-player split-screen action rocks, too.

With a game like this, the good outweighs the bad to such a degree that every minor weakness is forgivable, and the gameplay, control, replay value, and graphics are superb examples of Shigeru Miyamoto and team's enormous ability to create great games in every category they choose. Simply put, Wave Race 64 stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Wipeout XL and Sega Rally in the pantheon as one of the best racers ever.

I've been an avid participant in the sport of jet skiing for a few years now, so I certainly fell in love with Wave Race for it's attention to realism. But placed next to the myriad racing games out on the market, subjectivity aside, racing games do not get any better than this. Even if you aren't a big fan of racing games, Wave Race really is something different, and should definitely be experienced by even the most casual gamer.

Wave Race 64 revolutionized the racing genre with its graphics, physics, and gameplay. The lush graphics and unmatched controls help to make this an easy classic for the Nintendo 64. Of course, its accessibility is another factor in the success that it achieved as well.

There are far too many racing games on the N64. It has always been an overkilled genre on the console. Yet if someone had only one racing game they wanted to purchase for their N64 library, it shouldn't be 1080 Snowboarding, Extreme-G, a Cruis'n title, or even Mario Kart 64. Wave Race 64 should be the choice. Even four years later, the game remains a graphic marvel and is perfectly balanced in terms of gameplay.

The main problem with Wave Race 64 is its annoying announcer, who never has anything interesting to say, and will not shut up. Get used to hearing him shout the same words over and over: "Good!! Nice!! O-kay!! Okay!! Maximum Power!! Okay!!" Despite having a full options menu, there's no way to shut up that frickin' idiot. Despite this unfortunate audio flaw, Wave Race is a fantastic water racer and a must-have for all serious Nintendo 64 fans.

It's strange playing a game more than a decade old with DS adverts in it, but it doesn't detract from our enjoyment of what is still one of the best racing games on any Nintendo console. Highly recommended.

Classic. Unparalleled. Fun. Three words that best describe Wave Race 64. It has the whole package, and the fact that I can say this more than a year later is astounding. I anticipate the next Wave Race type game, 1080 Degrees Snowboarding, with greasy fingers, but for now... Wave Race 64 suffices. Well done, Nintendo.

Wave Race 64 se convirtió por méritos propios en uno de los mejores dentro del catálogo de Nintendo 64. Fresco, veloz y divertido, el hecho de recrear con tanta perfección las carreras en el mar ya merece una mención especial. El control y las sensaciones que transmite al competir son los grandes aliados de un título que todavía hoy tiene pocos rivales con los que medirse, su única continuación en GameCube no alcanzó las espectativas puestas en él y no ha destacado tanto frente a los lanzamiento de su misma generación, aunque netamente sea superior en todos los sentidos.

For a launch window game to not only remain one of the finest games on that system, but to retain the crown in its sub-genre is quite phenomenal, but that is the power of Shigeru Miyamoto and his team of experts. Wave Race 64 is the pinnacle of water-based racing and a contender for the Top 10 best racers ever, full stop! Do not be put off by its lacklustre GameCube successor...

What is here is greatly enjoyable too. The selection of tracks (of which there are nine in total) makes for varied racing. Races are closely competed, thanks to the computer-controlled racers' well-programmed AI. What really propels Wave Race 64 into great status, though, is its gameplay. Minute inputs make all the difference: controlling a jet-ski in Wave Race 64 is an art as well as a precise science, but it's fun too.

When you get the core of a game just right, everything else flows naturally. Wave Race 64's technical achievement in water effects was so spot-on that the racing gameplay taking place upon those waves had to be spectacular – and it was. This game was a blast to play back in the earliest days of the N64's life cycle, and it's still just as fun today on the Wii. You'd be well served to invest 1000 Wii Points to download Wave Race 64 – and let's hope sales of this title end up being high enough to catch Nintendo's notice. With the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wiimote and the innovations sure to be introduced by the recently revealed Wii Balance Board, a new-generation update of the franchise would be exciting to see.

Owners of imported Nintendo 64s have had a long, long wait since the release of the machine back at the end of June. They may have invested in the world’s most controversial videogames system – but they’ve only had four games available (and that’s even if you take into consideration a dodgy Japanese chess and ported PC puzzler Endorfun re-titled Cu On Pa). Carts may be thin on the ground but N64 owners have been taking solace from the ranks of potential classics being assembled in the Kyoto firm’s headquarters. If all the new games are all of the calibre of WaveRace 64 the wait will have been more than worth it.

Wave Race 64 is the first in what is sure to be a series of superior N64 titles. The graphics are better than what you'll find in 95 percent of games, and the analog stick makes play control a breeze. With the release of the N64, gamers everywhere are salivating in anticipation of getting their hands on each succulent title as it hits the shelves. Delays are causing a number of titles to be pushed back, and gamers may be frustrated that so few titles are coming out. To combat that hunger, buy Wave Race - it will satisfy your appetite nicely.

You really won't be disappointed with this title. It's a great addition to the Nintendo 64 library, and is probably going to be one of its classics. It is also a solid racing game. Considering how poor some of the other new titles on the system are - buying Wave Race may not be a bad bet at all.

Wave Race 64 is the first Nintendo 64 game I ever played, so I hold it close to me; but I think others would like it, too. The controls aren't complicated, the music keeps a beat going, and the harder levels provide a challenge. Setting records in the time trials is a fun competition with friends. Wave Race 64 is definitely a great multiplayer game, and it has a lot of replay value.