![]() uhh, whatever language they speak in Venice in New York, you'll hear the police speak with a New York accent (you just know the Midway designers were hoping to make this guy swear like a madman). It will persue you for a quarter of the track, shouting out culturally appropriate threats in Venice, for instance, the police speaks. Each track actually has a police boat which appears about midway through the race. The music is, with exception to a few memorable pieces, somewhat indistinct, but the soundeffects and voices are top notch. One of the coolest things regarding the tracks is the audio. And if your jaw doesn't drop when your boat leaps off its first cliff enroute to a splashdown hundreds of feet below, I don't know what kind of games you've been playing, but I'd like to see 'em! The little bits of slowdown here and there aren't even worth mentioning, as they do little to detract from the overall graphical splendor. If the large ocean-liner near the Statue of Liberty in New York Disaster is supposed to be the Titanic, then James Cameron himself would be proud. You'll see the most beautiful water since Wave Race 64, with buildings and cars submerged beneath, along with huge mountainsides, giant sheets of ice, and unbelievably detailed trackside objects. There's plenty of detail in the tracks, and the Dreamcast handles it all with little apparent trouble. You happen to be racing through the city on your speed boats, and you'll notice street signs and submerged taxi cabs you'll go through subway tunnels, and end up near the base of a collapsed Statue of Liberty. For instance, my favorite track would have to be New York Disaster, which imagines what would happen if New York City were flooded with water. All the tracks are filled with twists, turns, shortcuts, and ramps, and all are designed with realism taken over the top. Nope, their graphics designers worked overtime, creating such diverse environments as Thunder Park, a race through an amusement park in San Diego, California, and The Arctic Circle, which starts you off in a small fisher's village and ends up in the ocean, near a passenger ocean liner. Midway apparently wasn't content with merely taking one environment and creating a bunch of different paths through it. ![]() What's surprising is that these tracks are all unique, differing both in graphical style, and layout. Do the math, and you'll discover no less than thirteen tracks, and nine boats. ![]() Place first in these three super-difficult tracks, and you'll race on four bonus tracks. Placing second in these three tracks will gain you access to three even harder tracks and three even more powerful boats. Placing third in all three tracks will gain you access to three harder tracks, and three more powerful boats. ![]() In Hydro Thunder, you select from one of three tracks, select from one of three speed boats, and head out to race. Hydro Thunder is not only one of the best looking Dreamcast games I've seen thus far, but it's also one of the most enjoyable, longest lasting titles in the Dreamcast's launch lineup. That's right, you'd be purchasing Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, NFL2K, PowerStone, and Ready 2 Rumble, and maybe something alternative, like Tokyo Xtreme Racer. You probably had your Dreamcast lineup all planned out for 9/9/99.
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