Just about everything I know after playing the new Hydro Thunder is what you knew if you read today's news about the Xbox-exclusive sequel to Midway's speedboating series. I can add at least one thing: It feels good.
Aside from Wave Race: Blue Storm and Wii Sports Resort's jet-skiiing there haven't been many chances in the past.. 10 years!... to play a new racing game set upon tracks made of virtual video game water. With the return of Hydro Thunder, high-tech speedboat racing is back. Today at PAX East in Boston, I tore through a few laps of Hydro Thunder Hurricane and got a feel for what a modern video game system can do for a water-bound racing game.
Austin writes, "So, you’ve downloaded all the free games Xbox Live has to offer, but you still feel you’re missing something. You have gotten a small taste of the Xbox Live Arcade, and now you’re ready to dive right in."
Nice top 5 list but there are a lot of really good games. My top 5 in no order -
1. Trails HD (soon to be Trails Evolution)
2. Battlefield 1943
3. From Dust
4. Monday Night Combat
5. Hydrophobia
Top 10 -
6. Shadow Complex
7. Lara Croft : GOL
8. Black light: Tango Down
9. Perfect Dark (Classic)
10.Castle Crashers
There are PLENTY more such as Limbo, Hydrothunder which i JUST downloaded today ironically enough and Death Tank. (highly underated) Also can't wait for MINECRAFT ON XBOX! WOO HOO!
NIce list but with one big omission, well two actually
BRAID!! highest rated indie game ever and one of the best games of all time
my top 10 would be
1. BRAID
2. Shadow Complex
3. Limbo
4. Bastion
5. Outland
6. Castle Crashers
7. Loaca Croft: GOL
8. Battlefield 1942
9. Rez
10. Trials
seriously though Braid is the best XBLA game ever
Thunderbolt writes: "There’s a certain disappointment that comes packaged with Hydro Thunder Hurricane before you even play it: Why isn’t it a full release? Arcade racers are becoming rare lately and with the introduction of services like PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade these games have been relegated almost exclusively to downloadable form. That’s not to say that this is entirely a bad thing; after all, it’s good to see such games getting a new lease of life in a somewhat less risky environment. Yet Hydro Thunder Hurricane typifies a key issue when dealing with more ambitious titles in a downloadable environment: content."
PlayDevil has posted a XBLA review of "Hydro Thunder Hurricane".
Will this HD classic game blow you away?
Here's a snippet from the review:
"Hydro Thunder has four main gameplay modes, all of which evoke classic arcade gameplay. There is the standard race mode, ring mode has you driving through rings in a time-trial style mode, gauntlet is similar, but you have to avoid exploding barrels, whilst championship puts multiple stages together for the hardcore racers out there."
Ah, nice, it's a sequel. Thought it was just gonna be an HD port of the original.
I remember what XBLA games looked like a few years ago. The servicce has really come along way in providing loads of great games.
was expecting more physics
like Fatal Interia and Waverace had a baby. Also.. the first few seconds made my think of Bloodwake
Looks good though if is for cheap money
This game was my freaking passion back in the arcade. Lets hope for some even more intense/trippy stages like the original.
Man, XBLA has two games I really want now: Raiden 4 and now this.