1080 and Wave Race:

[tapedeck]

Thought a thread based around these two games would be good as I'd love to see Nintendo bring these beauties back on WiiU.

 

Wave Race 64:

 

A total stunner of a game and up-there with Mario64 for me. I remember seeing this on an N64 Mag Video and thinking it looked like THE greatest game ever.

I played it in GAME on the N64 demo pod at launch and it was slow as hell and was so squashed it was like looking through a letterbox.

But man, what a game! I eventually bought it with a blue N64 controller (naturally) and never looked back. It took time to master, the tracks were sublime (simple enough yet had those little nuances and short-cuts that made it fun) and well, it was perfect IMO. Who could ever forget playing Drake Lake when the mist lifted and experienced mastering the controls and waves to such a degree that it just "felt" perfect.

 

1080:

 

I was late to the party on this one as I was encompassed by other N64 games (Zelda if memory serves me) so when I did get it I was pretty shocked by how good it was. Again, it took time to master the controls (landing was a bitch at first), but DAMN, what a game. I was pretty shocked by Nintendo's ability to blow other titles out of the water (and snow) so hoped this was a new direction/racing legacy we would see. The tracks were great and the atmosphere was superb.

 

Wave Race: Blue Storm.

 

Got this with the GC upon launch (naturally) and nerdgasmed over the waves but it just didn't click like the N64 version had. It was definitely more arcadey and absolutely rattled along but for some reason I just didn't hold it in the same regard as the N64 version. I've been playing it recently too and, although (as others have said) it still holds up - for me I'll always prefer the N64 version with its somewhat "calmer" nature behind it. (Perhaps Bluestorm was too "Americanised" if that makes sense.)

 

1080: Avalanche (White Storm?)

 

Again, I picked this up on launch day (think I was the only one in my city to do so) and, having come off the back of the SSX series I was, initially disappointed. However, once I got used to the shoulder button mechanism (where crouching SEVERELY limits movement (more than the original)) I fell in love with it for the pure racer it is. The OTT Americanisation seemed to fit the title more than Waverace and I actually ended up loving the soundtrack. (Seether's Fine Again is still etched in my head to this day).

I still play this game regularly enjoying the time trial/short course focus over the crazy tricks and long tracks seen in the SSX series. (Both are excellent in their own ways.)

 

 

So that's my opinion of these stellar racers. I hold them all in such high regard and, as graphically impressive titles, it is perhaps fitting that Nintendo chose not to release them on the Wii when the HD twins were lurking. Shame though!

Now...for a WiiU release please!

 

Some of my favourite moments from all the games:

 

Seether song from 1080 Avalanche:

 

	Audio

 

Intro for Wave Race 64:

 

 

A look at 1080 on the N64 (love the first track!)

 

[nekunando]

Awesome games : peace:

 

I'm a BIG fan of both franchises and while it was a shame that we didn't get a version of any of them on Wii, in some ways I can see that they maybe wouldn't have been able to expand much on what went before given the hardware. With Wii U on the horizon, I'm salivating at the prospect of new entries for 1080 Snowboarding and Wave Race

 

I'll probably go into more detail later about why I love each individual game so much but I'll let others express their views first All I will say now, however, is basically highlighting something that I have said on N-Europe in the past. Nintendo consoles have got some bad press about not having any killer racing titles, such as Gran Turismo and Forza, but 1080, Wave Race, F-Zero and Excitebike 64 are, for me, all more enjoyable games and I could almost throw my favourite racer this generation, Excite Truck, into a similar bracket.

[pratty]

I haven't played either franchise, as I'm not into either of those sports, though the high regard the N64 versions are held in has made me curious about trying the GC versions.

 

Never say never, but I wouldn't be too hopeful of Wii-U versions, it seems the GC games didn't live up to the originals and that's probably dampened the mainstream's interest for sequels. Plus 1080 has serious competition with SSX which seems to to be the go-to snowboarding game, as Fifa is to football.

 

Ninty fans like us can't wait for updates of old favourites, but a lot of gamers just groan and roll their eyes when Nintendo make a sequel, no matter how good it might be. And since the Wii Nintendo will want to make sequels for popular new franchise like Sports Resort and Wii Fit etc. So Nintendo are probably going to have to balance fan-service with economic decisions.

 

I think if Nintendo are going to bring back a racing franchise that skipped the Wii it would most likely be F-Zero, it just seems like a safer bet. But then again as I say, you can never say never, I never thought we'd see another Punch Out, so who knows....

[Mandalore]

I really enjoyed the games from both series, especially Wave Race Blue Storm on Gamecube launch day.

 

I'm kind of glad they skipped the Wii, I think I'd have probably hated any motion controls they tacked on. Hopefully some Wii U sequels are planned though. My only concern with new games would be Nintendo going OTT and trying to appeal to the SSX crowd. The N64 originals had a purity to them that their Gamecube sequels lacked a bit. Both Avalanche and Blue Storm made the trick system integral to going faster, this is the one element of those games I liked less.

 

Having only played the original 1080 very briefly on the N64, I bought it on the Virtual Console quite recently. After completing it I started making some time trial videos:

 

Edited May 10, 2012 by Mandalore

[Mokong]

I still love teh GC versions of both games.

 

In fact I ended up buying 3 albums from listening to the soundtrack on 1080: Avalanche (Cauterize, Seether and Finger Eleven)

[nekunando]

Hopefully some Wii U sequels are planned though. My only concern with new games would be Nintendo going OTT and trying to appeal to the SSX crowd..

 

I'd worry about this too SSX 3 was certainly decent, but for a game so heavily focused on insane tricks, the trick system in 1080 Avalanche felt so much more satisfying! It's just a shame the game didn't feature the excellent 'Contest' mode of the original

 

The N64 originals had a purity to them that their Gamecube sequels lacked a bit. Both Avalanche and Blue Storm made the trick system integral to going faster, this is the one element of those games I liked less

 

I'm not sure I agree about the trick systems being integral to going faster. I actually never really got to grips with the tricks in Blue Storm but they weren't necessary at all in the 'Championship' mode.. all you had to do was pass a few buoys and you were up to full speed

 

As for 1080 Avalanche, the tricks built up your power meter so that you could take a hit when it was full and not fall over..

 

I'm still not ready to go into more detail about my admiration of the games but I will say that I prefer 1080 Snowboarding (N64) to 1080 Avalanche (GC) but prefer Wave Race: Blue Storm (GC) to Wave Race 64 (N64) In both cases, I prefer the version I played first so that may be a potential factor

[Mandalore]

I'm not sure I agree about the trick systems being integral to going faster. I actually never really got to grips with the tricks in Blue Storm but they weren't necessary at all in the 'Championship' mode.. all you had to do was pass a few buoys and you were up to full speed

 

I guess I'm talking more in terms of getting the best possible times in Time Trial. Once you hit 5 buoys in Wave Race Blue Storm it allowed you to use a boost. But doing certain stunts also allowed you to increase the meter to 5. So cramming as many stunts as possible whilst racing gave more boosts. But yeah, it is not needed at all for just beating Championship mode.

 

I'm not so sure about 1080 Avalanche now, but I've seen Time Trial videos where people use lots of stunts to boost the meter. I'm just thinking why bother if it doesn't help get a quicker time.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I have to agree with you TeeDee that Wave Race 64 is much more calmer than Blue Storm. But, Blue Storm blew me away when I first played it. I preferred the feel of the controls when using the GC pad and those water effects had me salivating from every orifice.

 

The multiplayer was a bit shit though and it just didn't really seem to work, I found. The game isn't very new-gamer-friendly, so trying to play it with your younger siblings or friends who have never played it before is quite difficult. It's too hard for some. If you invest the time, it pays off big time.

 

Avalanche seems good but it didn't grab me in the way that Blue Storm did. I made a mistake by playing it after playing F Zero GX, and I found Avalanche too slow. I found real life too slow after GX.

 

Not really sure if it's true or not, but the frame rate seemed quite suspect at times in Avalanche. Might be my memory serving me wrong.

[pfarth]

Wave Race on the N64, made me barf from sea sickness.. It was the first true 'sick' game!

 

1080? I dont know if thats a game that stood out on the console. My dad bought me shaun white, and that was pretty cool.. 1080 just wasnt a good game by snow boarding standards..

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

You can kind of bet your Bottom dollar that if these games do appear on Wii U it'll be online - and it will be the online that will make these brands Nintendo classics into the future...

 

That plus HD and Dolby Digital - a quality experience I'm sure.

[tapedeck]

Great feedback and glad to see I'm not the only lover of these nintendo franchises.

I do think if Nintendo are going after the core gamers again, we will see these franchises return. Both titles are synonymous with quality and core gamers love racing games.

With the recent success of SSX on the HD twins, (it's pretty good but, at times, too "out there") I think there is more scope for a snowboarding game again. Waverace always does well and Nintendo will have some stats on what sold on the VC I'm sure.

 

I'd like to see Giles Goddard get involved again. He practically coded 1080 on the N64 in around 8 months and really helped on Wave Race (after creating Mario's stretchable face in Mario64). The guy is a genius and although he has recently finished up Steel Diver and has a couple of puzzlers on the back burner, I'd love to see him get involved in a AAA title again. I also think NST could do another good job here as they are always great with tech and are an accomplished studio. Perhaps Monster Games could be doing something since finishing with the Excite franchise as well.

 

It seems there are plenty of racing developers out there whom Nintendo have close at hand to produce something. I'd say these titles are a shoe in to return in this next gen.

[Magnus]

Sequels in either series should take place solely on Wuhu Island.

 

The big feature Nintendo would advertise would be that you can use Miis as you race down Wuhu Mountain/in the waters around Wuhu Island.

 

They'd sell millions of copies.

[tapedeck]

Sequels in either series should take place solely on Wuhu Island.

 

The big feature Nintendo would advertise would be that you can use Miis as you race down Wuhu Mountain/in the waters around Wuhu Island.

 

They'd sell millions of copies.

 

I think Wuhu is a great idea (and place) but it has been done to death now. Gamers know the place like the back of their hands so a new Island would be needed. The cartoony style would also clash with the realism 1080 and Wave Race offer. Not a good fit IMHO.

Wii Sports Resort practically had Wave Race right there so I don't think they would release a full game based around that idea.

 

No, I'd rather Nintendo did what they did on the previous iterations where they created fictional courses based around global backdrops. Although the real-life settings in SSX are pretty cool in the new version.

[nekunando]

I played Wave Race: Blue Storm again this weekend.. and it's still unbelievably good

[Beaneth007]

Ah guys i truly loved Wave Race Blue Storm..I imported a Japanese Gamecube bundle with Jap versions of Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race...Gotta say, I was totally blown away by both games but wave race had me quite hooked and the effects were lovely. I do agree about the treicks feeling unimportant though, i barely bothered with them!

 

Wave Race 64 was great too, i seem to remember being crazily impresed by the water effects back in the day, all shiney and gloopy looking...oh and the theme song when you switch it on, great synths.

 

I can't say Im a fan of 1080 though, hated the n64 one, feklt really slow and cripplingly dull for me, but i know friends who loved it dearly so maybe it just didnt connect with me, which in turn had me never really want to play it's sequel.