Wave Race 64

Developer: Nintendo EAD Publisher: Nintendo

Released: November 4, 1996 Rated: E 7/10

The release window of a console is, by its nature, always bound to be populated by some titles that resemble little more than tech demos with a bit of window dressing. But Nintendo has a knack for taking games like that and, via charm and ingenuity that comes so naturally to the company as a whole, makes them some of the most beloved in the console’s whole library. And while I don’t think Wave Race 64 is quite as beloved as a game like Wii Sports, somewhere in between that game and Mario’s Tennis for the Virtual Boy lies the blend of thrill-seeking enthusiasm and technical proficiency of Wave Race 64.

Originally intended to be much more exotic and, well, video game-y, boasting high-powered transforming boats racing across the water at exorbitant speeds, the final product of Wave Race 64 that sees jet-ski piloting players bouncing and bopping across the rolling waves doesn’t wow you with anything as imaginative as “F-Zero on water.” Rather, it knows exactly what it’s trying to simulate and does it with an infectious gusto and the technological capabilities to make you see and feel the racing it’s presenting with hardly any sacrifices. Laid atop a set of water physics that look and feel great even by today’s standards, racers fight the waves and each other along every lap while the PA announcer narrates the action like the one your brain conjures up for a day at the auto track – the one who wants to “welcome race fans to a great day of speed and adrenaline!” A synth-laden soundtrack with the feel of a late-’80s beach resort’s promotional VHS rounds out the action along a small but still diverse array of tracks and even smaller but still diverse cast of riders with their own differently behaving waverunners, which can also have their stats tweaked to your liking.

You might pop in Wave Race 64 and see all it has to offer you in a day or two. Unless you’re content to keep going until you take home gold on the hardest difficulties, you’ll get the hang of things and be through all eight courses in relatively little time. But while you’re there, you’ll almost certainly find yourself smiling, as such a simple game just feels good to play, listen to, and look at. To think it was only the third title released in North America certainly helps to command a lot of reverence for a game that gets the job done like Wave Race 64 does, but to still be fun to come back to for a spell and be able to line up and groove with the way it does is all the more lovely. And best of all, it really set the tone for the N64 and the way it approached these types of titles, leading to a really consistent level of quality for the eventual N64 Sports brand.

Continuing Legacy

Like its cousin, 1080 Snowboarding, Wave Race received a sequel on the GameCube that was certainly competent, but not as revered as its predecessor. Wave Race 64, however, can be played on the Nintendo Switch Online service, and I’m glad to see that other contemporary reviews still hold it in high regard, even without the brand recognition of Mario, Goldeneye, and others on the service.