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The Hydro Thunder Hurricane |OT|

TheOddOne

Member
fenners said:
Since when? Warner owns the IP (bought in the Midway fire sale) & MS sublicenced it from them for this game.
Actually Microsoft bought it.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane Impressions: Bouncy
I raced Matt Small, creative director of Vector Unit, the two-year old company that has worked with Microsoft to bring water-based racing to gamers again. A year ago, Small said, Microsoft obtained the Hydro Thunder license from Midway, and the game certainly looks like its namesake — a boat-racing game set on exaggerated theme-park-style tracks, full of speed boosts power-ups, jumps and statues of angry gods.
 

fenners

Member
TheOddOne said:

Actually, Microsoft didn't.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...rting_A_Studio_And_Reviving_Hydro_Thunder.php

Microsoft licenced the property originally from Midway. Licenced - not bought. When Midway went under, Warner Brothers bought up their IP, including Hydro Thunder. Microsoft still has a licence to that IP, now with Warner.

MS don't own Hydro Thunder, they're just licencing the brand. Go check the trademark database even.
 
The IGN Review seems a bit harsh and maybe too critical. It seems like the reviewer docked off some points because he didn't like the fantasy stuff in the game more than the game itself.

I'd take notice and be concerned if only the other reviews on Metacritic weren't the complete opposite of IGN's review. When nine other reviews give it a pretty good score but one review comes in and butchers it, who do you listen to?

The other nine, right?
 
see5harp said:
Do you really think that more people are saying "well it's only 30 fps on 360, so I'm holding out for a GWL version"?

No, what I'm saying is that no PC gamer is going to buy a 360 for a sub 30fps version of Hydro Thunder. They may be happy to buy a superior form of the game on another Microsoft platform they already own of course and in the process Microsoft can increase the install base of their DD platform. The costs to port something like this to the PC would be trivial and if doing so means increasing the marketshare of your DD platform then why not. I don't mind waiting a few months. Anyway, I've said my piece, I expected this game to disappoint, so no surprises here.
 

aegies

Member
Neuromancer said:
Bummer, it's Arthur Gies too and not the usual horrendous IGN people.

I'm holding out for the authoritative 3DJuegos review.

Aw thanks... I think.

I didn't like it, and I didn't think it was fun, and I volunteered to review it. But we're in a sort of mini-indian summer of a renaissance of arcade racers right now, and Hurricane falls way short in every regard.

The nice thing, though, is that it has a demo. You can try it before you commit, and you should.
 
I don't know, maybe the game is a disappointment. Maybe I'm just bummed out because I was looking forward to it.

Is it that bad?

Now I'm having second thoughts. I don't want to pay $15 for this if it turns out bad.

I bet Monday Night Combat will be a letdown as well. And I have a feeling Castlevania will disappoint also because it's a multiplayer game with a timer.
 

see5harp

Member
brain_stew said:
No, what I'm saying is that no PC gamer is going to buy a 360 for a sub 30fps version of Hydro Thunder. They may be happy to buy a superior form of the game on another Microsoft platform they already own of course and in the process Microsoft can increase the install base of their DD platform. The costs to port something like this to the PC would be trivial and if doing so means increasing the marketshare of your DD platform then why not. I don't mind waiting a few months. Anyway, I've said my piece, I expected this game to disappoint, so no surprises here.

I just can't believe a Hydro Thunder redux would be what tips the scales for anyone at this point.
 

Gowans

Member
This is looking like a but of a bummer from the impressions.

XBLA really needs a kart/wipout style racer and I was hoping this was it, especially knowing the quality of titles saved for summer of arcade.

But my tastes normally fall inline with GiantBomb & Arthur Gies and so far it's not looking too hot for my.

Atleast there's a demo but it's the online that will make or break grabbing it for me.
 

TheOddOne

Member
brain_stew said:
No, what I'm saying is that no PC gamer is going to buy a 360 for a sub 30fps version of Hydro Thunder. They may be happy to buy a superior form of the game on another Microsoft platform they already own of course and in the process Microsoft can increase the install base of their DD platform. The costs to port something like this to the PC would be trivial and if doing so means increasing the marketshare of your DD platform then why not. I don't mind waiting a few months. Anyway, I've said my piece, I expected this game to disappoint, so no surprises here.
No PC gamer was going to buy a 360 for a perfect 60fps XBLA version of this Hydro Thunder game either at this point.

Anyway, I get people's hangups over performance, but if the game is fun a few framerate drops aren't going to stop me (I'm not really ocd like that). I'll have to check out the demo.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Seems like H2Overdrive is a much better game than this.

Hopefully that game sees a console release at some point.

Anyway, I get people's hangups over performance, but if the game is fun a few framerate drops aren't going to stop me (I'm not really ocd like that). I'll have to check out the demo.
Sounds like the game itself isn't that hot either. A smooth 60 fps framerate could definitely have improved the feeling of playing the game. That sensation is very important for an arcade game, I believe.
 

N.A

Banned
For anyone worrying, the game is great fun. The IGN review is completely wrong, it just sounded like the reviewer sucked at the game.
 

Vorg

Banned
I'm still gonna buy it. Old school arcade racers such as this one are rare and when one comes along I can't just ignore it. Please Microsoft gimme moar arcade racers on live. I would kill for a Daytona 2 port.
 

SuperPac

Member
JRW said:
Only a 5.5 rating from IGN: http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/110/1108468p1.html

Was hoping they didnt screw this one up... Figures.

While I'll withhold judgement until I actually play Hurricane, I do wonder sometimes if memories of the arcade game are a little rosier than the game actually was. Especially when reviewers start out their critique by praising the original then goes onto knock things in this update that were there to begin with.

The original had a touchy physics system, annoying omnipresent announcer, mediocre music (mostly drowned out by the other sound effects) and the later courses were longer and often tough to tell where you had to go. The sense of speed in the original arcade game wasn't that great either - mostly off jumps or in shortcuts (like the arctic circle ice tunnel). I'd say the blown-out subwoofer in most of those machines made you think you were going faster. :)
 

Shurs

Member
N.A said:
For anyone worrying, the game is great fun. The IGN review is completely wrong, it just sounded like the reviewer sucked at the game.

How can a reviewer's opinion be wrong? It's not like he's talking about the frame rate or anything. He didn't like the game and, thusly, he rated it according to his interpretation of the IGN scale.

I liked the game a good bit more than Arthur did, and my review will reflect that, but that doesn't mean that I think he's wrong or he lacks credibility.
 

JRW

Member
SuperPac said:
The original had a touchy physics system, annoying omnipresent announcer, mediocre music (mostly drowned out by the other sound effects) and the later courses were longer and often tough to tell where you had to go. The sense of speed in the original arcade game wasn't that great either - mostly off jumps or in shortcuts (like the arctic circle ice tunnel). I'd say the blown-out subwoofer in most of those machines made you think you were going faster. :)

Judging from Dreamcast version (which I played a lot) I thought the music was decent.
 

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
Personally, this seems to fit in line with my Sega-Born "Fast Arcadey games full of Cheese and WIN" desires.

I know it's not a Sega game!

The shortcuts look well implimented, the tracks look well designed, the Music is classic arcadey "buttrock", and the scale of track mutations and such seems epic.

I wasn't a huge HT fan in the past, but I can imagine throwing this particular game in between bouts of Outrun and Afterburner seamlessly.
 

fernoca

Member
Back then, wasn't like the game was perfect..but still was fun..plus the arcade cabinet/design and the controls...made it even better.

Now seems, that controlling the game..with traditional controllers..makes people notice problems ..that were already there.

At the same time, many would've expected updates to those problem..small fixes..but seems they prefered to not toy with the game that much, just in case.

In any case, I already have my 1200 points there..waiting ..so..they better bring Artic Thunder next. :D
 

Shurs

Member
fernoca said:
Back then, wasn't like the game was perfect..but still was fun..plus the arcade cabinet/design and the controls...made it even better.

Now seems, that controlling the game..with traditional controllers..makes people notice problems ..that were already there.

At the same time, many would've expected updates to those problem..small fixes..but seems they prefered to not toy with the game that much, just in case.

In any case, I already have my 1200 points there..waiting ..so..they better bring Artic Thunder next. :D

Ellipsis
 

JRW

Member
Im hoping there's a track in Hurricane thats as epic as the Nile Adventure bonus track in DC version.

ShapeGSX said:

Nice looks like ill be definately checking it out.

Just a small error I noticed in their review:

"Value is another of Hydro Thunder Hurricane’s strong points. There are 8 tracks in total (compared to 9 standard tracks in the original game)."

The Arcade version had 11 tracks total if you count the 2 bonus tracks, Dreamcast version had 13 tracks total.
 
Here's 1up's review: B+

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3180584

Many games get called "arcadey," but Hydro Thunder Hurricane is the very definition of the word. It's not nearly as robust at what you'd expect from a current-gen racing title, but, at 15 dollars, Hydro Thunder Hurricane's blast of late-arcade-era nostalgia is a perfect match for Xbox Live Arcade.

Reading through more reviews that are good, I'm feeling less worried about it now.

But I still need to check out the demo of course. But it looks really fun.
 

Gong

Member
This part of the IGN review caught my eye:

Plagued by convoluted menus and awful load times, getting to the game parts of Hydro Thunder Hurricane can be painful.

What utter tripe, loading up a game and restarting is super-quick.
 

JaxJag

Banned
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
The IGN Review seems a bit harsh and maybe too critical. It seems like the reviewer docked off some points because he didn't like the fantasy stuff in the game more than the game itself.

I'd take notice and be concerned if only the other reviews on Metacritic weren't the complete opposite of IGN's review. When nine other reviews give it a pretty good score but one review comes in and butchers it, who do you listen to?

The other nine, right?
it is Arthur Gies, who I personally never agree with.

I mean, Transformers a 9? Really?

Here's JoyStiq's review...

This is a great, content-rich title that truly puts the "arcade" in Xbox Live Arcade -- there are better retail racers, but Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a dynamite download.

4 out of 5
 

Haunted

Member
With the mixed impressions, it looks like I have to try this one out for myself.

Ah, who am I kidding, I never trust reviews anyway. :p

fernoca said:
What.....are..you...talking...about......?..........................Shurs..?..........?
I love you fernoca, but goddamn, he's right. You're really going overboard sometimes. If you want to denote a breather in your comments, just use a comma or a period. That's what they're there for!
 

Shurs

Member
N.A said:
-30 fps with frequent drops.

Just to clarify, this guy is wrong. It's clearly a higher framerate than 30 fps. Is it 60? Sometimes, but I'm not really a frame-rate expert, so I can't say for sure. But definitely better than 30.
 

fernoca

Member
Haunted said:
I love you fernoca, but goddamn, he's right. You're really going overboard sometimes. If you want to denote a breather in your comments, just use a comma or a period. That's what they're there for!
I'm working in that actually; sometimes is just automatic. :lol :lol
Wait; you love me? :O!
 
Haunted said:
With the mixed impressions, it looks like I have to try this one out for myself.

Ah, who am I kidding, I never trust reviews anyway. :p


I love you fernoca, but goddamn, he's right. You're really going overboard sometimes. If you want to denote a breather in your comments, just use a comma or a period. That's what they're there for!
I don't know if it's mixed impressions or reviews. If you look at Metacritic, it seems like most reviews really like it.
 

EagleEyes

Member
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
I don't know if it's mixed impressions or reviews. If you look at Metacritic, it seems like most reviews really like it.
This is Gaf, one or two bad reviews overshadow all the positive ones. Hence the mixed reviews. ;)
 

N.A

Banned
Shurs said:
How can a reviewer's opinion be wrong? It's not like he's talking about the frame rate or anything. He didn't like the game and, thusly, he rated it according to his interpretation of the IGN scale.

He states the loading times are awful. I've just done several tests. It takes around 4-5 seconds to load any track with any mode. Restarting and returning to the menu are near instant. Maybe he was playing off a USB drive that doesn't meet the 360's performance reccomendation?
 

mozfan12

Banned
Can anyone vouch for the muddy visuals complaint in the ign review. It almost sounds like N64 levels of crapulence, but I haven't seen the same complaints in the other reviews.

I find it kinda humorous, that some sites are stating that this game has a huge wealth of content, while other outlets contradict this same statement. Whom to believe? Looks like I will have to do a test run before dropping some Allards.
 

Rlan

Member
I've also got a code -- personally I kind of go with IGN's review -- I don't feel it's particularly amazing, feels kind of dull all around. Never played the original.
 

burgerdog

Member
Rlan said:
I've also got a code -- personally I kind of go with IGN's review -- I don't feel it's particularly amazing, feels kind of dull all around. Never played the original.
Code to give away? :D
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
mozfan12 said:
Can anyone vouch for the muddy visuals complaint in the ign review.
I've complained about that since I saw the first videos of the game. It's got a weird washed out, hazy sort of look.
 
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