The shift from Hydro Thunder on a console being an arcade port to being a console entry first and foremost means that timed checkpoints are gone and the method of unlocking boats and tracks is now based on points instead of being completely reliant on track positioning. The controls are tighter than before, and drafting has been added so you can increase your speed without running low on boost, the Hydro Jump is also now mapped to just one button instead of requiring two to activate and makes a huge difference in the heat of battle now because it’s so much easier to time. Boost containers are also good for more than one use, which is one thing that makes this more intense than the original. The menus are cleaner and easier to read, and you can now check the stats on the speedboats to see which one suits your style. This might sound bad, but it isn’t - it really encourages you to not only learn on the fly, but also learn track layouts quickly.Little things have been enhanced that make a surprisingly big difference. And the nuttiest thing is that those are only the first tracks - later on, you’ll deal with screen-filling wheels that you have to dodge and weave and false turns that can throw you off. You’ve always got to be on your toes in Hydro Thunder Hurricane - far more here than in any other water-based racing game I can remember. After that, you get a track with thunder, lightning, axes falling on you, and THOR ATTACKING YOU WITH A GIANT AXE. Now, instead of the relatively tame version of that track in the first, you now get a version with sirens, hanging wires, lowering ceilings, and other craziness going on. New takes on original stages, like Lake Powell, are offered up and are completely insane. You’ll run through relatively complex tracks that are full of shortcuts you have to take advantage of, along with proper boosting, to not only beat your opponents, but top the leaderboards as well. The core gameplay is the same as the original, only more intense.

A few years ago, some of the key development people created a spiritual successor in H2Overdrive, and now, after the death of Midway and the acquisition of the Hydro Thunder license, the series has been resurrected on the Xbox Live Arcade with what is by far the best racer on the service and the best arcade-style racer on the system. Eleven years ago, Hydro Thunder received rave reviews in arcades and on the Dreamcast for providing incredibly fun, fast-paced racing thrills that rewarded players who replayed the tracks over and over with new paths and shortcuts to dominate the in-game competition and leader boards.

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