Hydro Thunder Hurricane
Encyclopedia
Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a boat racing
video game developed by Vector Unit
and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox Live Arcade
. The game was released on July 28, 2010 as part of Microsoft's Xbox Live
Summer of Arcade promotion. It is the sequel to Hydro Thunder
, originally an arcade
game and part of the Thunder series.
Gameplay in Hurricane involves players selecting one of nine boats to race through over-the-top scenarios. Players can collect boost powerups throughout a course which are used to increase the speed of the boat, jump over obstacles, or unlock shortcuts. The game comes with three single player and two multiplayer modes, some of which are new to the series.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane received fairly positive reviews, averaging 78.87% at GameRankings and 75 out of 100 at Metacritic
, two video game aggregate
sites. Critics generally praised the varied qualities of the different boats, the diverse arcade-style courses, and the game's overall replay value. The game has sold over 130,000 copies as of November 2010, with end-of-year 2010 totals exceeding 160,000 units. Sales have continued to be strong, with over 53,000 units being sold the first week of 2011.
boat racing game
, and the sequel to Hydro Thunder
. Gameplay involves players selecting one of nine boats to race through one of eight courses. The primary mode of gameplay involves a sixteen competitor race to the finish line. As with Hydro Thunder, players can collect boost powerups throughout a course which physically transform the boat into a more aggressive-looking form. Once transformed, players can use acquired boost to increase the speed of the boat temporarily, or to jump over obstacles.
Hurricane continues the Thunder series tradition of hidden shortcuts and alternate routes in courses. Some routes can be found by simply driving towards them or smashing through an obstacle, while others require the player to drive over green powerups which lower gates or raise ramps. Players earn credits by winning races. These credits serve as points which automatically unlock additional gameplay elements, such as boats, skins, new courses and game modes. Players can choose to race a given mode and track additional times to earn more credits.
The game also adds three additional single-player game modes in which to compete. 'Ring Master' removes all AI racing competitors and places a sequence of rings throughout a given course. The objective is to drive through as many rings as possible in the shortest amount of time. 'Gauntlet' also removes AI competitors, but replaces the rings with explosive barrels littered throughout the water. Players must complete the course as quickly as possible while avoiding the barrels. 'Championship' mode is also new to the series, and pits the player in a mixture of tracks and modes.
Hurricane also features a number of multiplayer scenarios. Up to four players can complete via splitscreen
against each other and twelve AI competitors. Players can also use any combination of splitscreen and Xbox Live
players to play online with up to eight players. Track times are recorded on leaderboard
s for players to compete against. In addition one multiplayer-exclusive mode was added, 'Rubber Ducky
'. In this mode one player on each team pilots a boat in the shape of a rubber duck. The remaining boats on each team try to protect their team's duck while keeping the other team's at bay, with the winning team being first to get their duck across the finish line. Multiplayer races feature a "loser helper" powerup system. Instead of "1X" and "4X" boost powerups, muliplayer races feature only one type of boost powerup. This powerup is dynamic, awarding players leading the race with less boost, while those in the rear are awarded more boost. This is to create a more aggressive race, and to allow those with less skill to enjoy racing along with more competitive players. Vector Unit explained the decision further on their blog. "If players -- especially new players -- are too easily frustrated, they just say screw this and drop out, which reduces the number of players and the number of available online games."
's Iron Man of Gaming. Hydro Thunder Hurricane was released as part of the third annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade along with titles such as Monday Night Combat
and Limbo
. The water for the game was programmed for the game using several different techniques. Fresnel reflections, normal mapping
, ray-traced depth fogging and depth-based foam and an adaptive LOD
system were built to handle the visuals. The physics system that controls the water allows multiple types of waves such as wake
s and whirlpool
s, and also adapts to handle different boat hulls and other objects in the water. V-hulled boats
cut through waves, flat-bottomed boats hydroplane across the water, and multi-hulled boats
have greater grip in the water. An external audio contractor, Robb Mills, was called upon to compose the game's music. Developers also provided support for the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel
. A premium theme for the Xbox 360's New Xbox Experience dashboard was also released on July 15, 2010 as part of the game's promotion.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane did not start life as a Thunder franchise title. "The first game demo we made was an original speedboat racing game" says Matt Small, creative director for the game. "The demo showed off the game's controls and our new fluid dynamic system." Vector Unit co-founders Matt Small and Ralf Knoesel had both previously worked on Blood Wake
, a boat combat title for the original Xbox
. They took lessons from Blood Wake, altering and updating the physics to be not only realistic, but to "make a game which a Novice player can easily pick up and learn." The team began development on their own I.P.
boat racing game, code-named Barracuda. "The basic idea was speedboats meets Supercross in a futuristic post-global-warming flooded Earth" stated Vector Unit.
After six months a working prototype was pitched to several publishers. Microsoft Studios was one of three publishers interested in Barracuda, and talks began for publishing the game. "There was this one producer at Microsoft Game Studios who kept talking about how with a few tweaks Barracuda would make an awesome Hydro Thunder sequel. At first we were like, yeah right, that'll happen. But the more we all talked about it, the more it started to make sense." The decision was made to turn the game into a Hydro Thunder sequel and Microsoft Studios acquired the rights to the Hydro Thunder name shortly before publisher Midway Games
was bought by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane was developed using a combination of proprietary and third-party tools. 3D models were created in Maya
. Co-founder and Lead Programmer Ralf Knoesel created a plugin which integrated with Maya that allowed artists to see what the boat would look like in-game. The engine was built from the ground up, and unitizes FMOD
for sound and Bullet Physics Library
as part of the game's physics system. Level construction and placement of props was done in BarracudaEditor, the team's level design tool. During the development process Vector Unit maintained a PC build of the game which allowed artists and other team members to test their assets in-game without moving to a Xbox 360 Debug Kit. A team of seven people worked to create the game; two programmers, four artists, and one sound designer. The game took fourteen months from initial prototype to final build to complete.
Vector Unit had contemplated simply porting the original Hydro Thunder to the Xbox 360, as they had been given the source code to the original game. They felt that given they would have to update all of the assets and that they had already built the water system the decision was made to continue building the title from the ground up. The original source code was used for reference, and the Vector Unit "played the heck out of the original game to refresh our memories." The boats and environments were redesigned, taking cues from the original, but accommodating the new physics system and updated graphics engine. The developers contemplated things such as boat customization and user-generated tracks, but in "ultimately we felt that it was more important to present an accessible, hand-crafted experience that players can just jump into and have fun with."
port of the game, the company stated "People ask us this all the time, and unfortunately the answer is no. Microsoft Studios licensed the game from Warner, and as you can imagine Microsoft is not generally all that gung-ho about making games for the PlayStation."
Vector Unit held a contest from August 14 to August 23, 2010 allowing consumers to design a skin
for their favorite boat. On August 25, 2010 two winners were chosen to have their designs placed into the game. As a consolation prize, everyone who entered a design was notified that they would receive a code to download the content for free once released. Additional boats and tracks were also confirmed on August 9, 2010 in an interview with Small.
An official announcement of the downloadable content, dubbed the Tempest Pack, was made via Vector Unit's website on September 21, 2010. Three tracks were announced, Atlantis, Bermuda Triangle, and Castle Von Boom, each with Race, Ring Master and Gauntlet game types. Two new boats will also be included, Whiplash and Psyclone. Vector Unit also announced that each original boat will receive multiple skins, and that special Expert versions of the Novice and Pro boats will be included, allowing players to be competitive with those boats in multiplayer races. The downloadable content will also add three new achievements to the game.
Players who have not purchased the pack can download a free addon that will enable them to see the new boats in multiplayer, and view any races on new tracks as a spectator. This was done to keep multiplayer compatibility and to entice more sales of the content. The Tempest Pack was released on October 27, 2010. Vector Unit stated that if sales of Hydro Thunder Hurricane and the Tempest Pack are high enough there may be additional downloadable content. "We'd love to do more; we have all kinds of ideas for new boats, new tracks, the whole shebang. But the first part of your question hits the nail on the head: it's all about the sales" they stated in reply to a fan's question.
, two video game aggregate
sites. As of November 2010, Hydro Thunder Hurricane has sold over 130,000 copies. Total sales for 2010 were in excess of 160,000 units. Sales have continued to be strong, with over 53,000 units being sold the first week of 2011. Reviewers were mostly unified on the overall quality for the price of the game. 1UP.com
's Bob Mackey called it "a perfect match for Xbox Live Arcade" and the reviewer from GameTrailers
said the game "looks sharp for a $15 release." Ludwig Kietzmann of Joystiq
called it a "dynamite download" and Dakota Grabowski of GameZone
stated it is "the must-have arcade racer of 2010." GamePro
echoed these comments, calling Hydro Thunder Hurricane "a perfect throwback to the 'high production' arcade games of yesteryear." PALGN
also enjoyed the game, stating Hurricane "is an extremely accessible and entertaining arcade racing game."
Reviewers generally praised the boat selection, praising their uniqueness and selection of alternate skins. Course design also received acclaim. 1UP's Bob Mackey called the over-the-top course design "like rides at Disneyland." In its preview of the game at PAX East, the reporter from Critical Gamer called the course design "really smart" and said that there were a "good balance of safe paths, risky shortcuts, and chains of boost power-ups." Official Xbox Magazine UK
s reviewer cited "there's a brilliant playfulness to the level design." They further noted the usefulness of the Ring Master mode in guiding the player to some of the game's shortcuts. Critics enjoyed the longevity of the game, noting that between the courses and game types the replay value is greatly increased. Noble McKinley of GamePro praised the game's graphics, calling the scenery "downright gorgeous" and further went on to call the lighting and water effects "quite impressive." GameSpot
's Justin Calvert felt the game's leaderboard system was a great asset to the game.
Elements of the game's visuals were also criticized. Arthur Gies of IGN
cited the vibrant colors of the original Hydro Thunder, then criticized Hurricanes visuals, calling them "muted." They also disliked the sounds of the game calling the music forgettable, the announcer obnoxious, and the sound effects "straight from 1994." Simon Parkin of Eurogamer
also stated the game had "absence of personality and flourish" and that "perhaps comes from a general lack of nuance or innovation." IGN also noted that Hurricane was "plagued by convoluted menus and awful load times." Eurogamer Spain's Xavi Robles felt that the gameplay was too repetitious, pointing out that the different modes must be played repeatedly on the courses.
The Tempest Pack downloadable content received high praise from critics. In its first week of release it the Tempest Pack has sold over 5,300 copies. Jim Cook of Gamers Daily News gave the pack an 8/10. He praised the new course design, stating it was a major draw for Hurricane players. He also gave high marks to the game's two new boats, as well as the addition of refitted Expert class versions of the game's Novice and Pro boats. Cook was critical of the high unlock points of these boats, stating that "[they] may take a while to unlock unless you’ve been very active with the game." John Laster of XBLAfans gave the Tempest Pack a "Buy" rating and called the content a great value for fans of the game. He also felt the courses were exceptional, stating they were "on par, if not better than the tracks released with the game." He stated that the two new boats were well matched with the other expert boats, and that the upgraded Expert versions of the Novice and Pro boats were "a necessity and something we wish had been included in the original game."
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video game developed by Vector Unit
Vector Unit
Vector Unit is a video game developer founded in December 2007 by Ralf Knoesel and Matt Small. They are best known for their title, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, released on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2010.-History:...
and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. The game was released on July 28, 2010 as part of Microsoft's Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
Summer of Arcade promotion. It is the sequel to Hydro Thunder
Hydro Thunder
Hydro Thunder is a powerboat racing sub-series game, originally an arcade game and later released for the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title in 1999. It was also released for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in early 2000. This game is part of Midway's 'Thunder' series of racing games, which includes...
, originally an arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
game and part of the Thunder series.
Gameplay in Hurricane involves players selecting one of nine boats to race through over-the-top scenarios. Players can collect boost powerups throughout a course which are used to increase the speed of the boat, jump over obstacles, or unlock shortcuts. The game comes with three single player and two multiplayer modes, some of which are new to the series.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane received fairly positive reviews, averaging 78.87% at GameRankings and 75 out of 100 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, two video game aggregate
Aggregate data
In statistics, aggregate data describes data combined from several measurements.In economics, aggregate data or data aggregates describes high-level data that is composed of a multitude or combination of other more individual data....
sites. Critics generally praised the varied qualities of the different boats, the diverse arcade-style courses, and the game's overall replay value. The game has sold over 130,000 copies as of November 2010, with end-of-year 2010 totals exceeding 160,000 units. Sales have continued to be strong, with over 53,000 units being sold the first week of 2011.
Gameplay
Hydro Thunder Hurricane is an arcade-styleArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
boat racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
, and the sequel to Hydro Thunder
Hydro Thunder
Hydro Thunder is a powerboat racing sub-series game, originally an arcade game and later released for the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title in 1999. It was also released for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in early 2000. This game is part of Midway's 'Thunder' series of racing games, which includes...
. Gameplay involves players selecting one of nine boats to race through one of eight courses. The primary mode of gameplay involves a sixteen competitor race to the finish line. As with Hydro Thunder, players can collect boost powerups throughout a course which physically transform the boat into a more aggressive-looking form. Once transformed, players can use acquired boost to increase the speed of the boat temporarily, or to jump over obstacles.
Hurricane continues the Thunder series tradition of hidden shortcuts and alternate routes in courses. Some routes can be found by simply driving towards them or smashing through an obstacle, while others require the player to drive over green powerups which lower gates or raise ramps. Players earn credits by winning races. These credits serve as points which automatically unlock additional gameplay elements, such as boats, skins, new courses and game modes. Players can choose to race a given mode and track additional times to earn more credits.
The game also adds three additional single-player game modes in which to compete. 'Ring Master' removes all AI racing competitors and places a sequence of rings throughout a given course. The objective is to drive through as many rings as possible in the shortest amount of time. 'Gauntlet' also removes AI competitors, but replaces the rings with explosive barrels littered throughout the water. Players must complete the course as quickly as possible while avoiding the barrels. 'Championship' mode is also new to the series, and pits the player in a mixture of tracks and modes.
Hurricane also features a number of multiplayer scenarios. Up to four players can complete via splitscreen
Split screen (computer graphics)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of related graphical and textual information on a computer...
against each other and twelve AI competitors. Players can also use any combination of splitscreen and Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
players to play online with up to eight players. Track times are recorded on leaderboard
Game ladder
A ladder tournament is a form of tournament for games and sports. It is an extended tournament, which can potentially go on indefinitely. In a ladder tournament, players are listed as if on the rungs of a ladder. The objective for a player is to reach the highest rung of the ladder...
s for players to compete against. In addition one multiplayer-exclusive mode was added, 'Rubber Ducky
Rubber duck
A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylised Yellow-billed Duck , and is generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic...
'. In this mode one player on each team pilots a boat in the shape of a rubber duck. The remaining boats on each team try to protect their team's duck while keeping the other team's at bay, with the winning team being first to get their duck across the finish line. Multiplayer races feature a "loser helper" powerup system. Instead of "1X" and "4X" boost powerups, muliplayer races feature only one type of boost powerup. This powerup is dynamic, awarding players leading the race with less boost, while those in the rear are awarded more boost. This is to create a more aggressive race, and to allow those with less skill to enjoy racing along with more competitive players. Vector Unit explained the decision further on their blog. "If players -- especially new players -- are too easily frustrated, they just say screw this and drop out, which reduces the number of players and the number of available online games."
Development and marketing
Hydro Thunder Hurricane was first unveiled at PAX East on March 26, 2010. It was then used as one of two mystery games ScrewAttackScrewAttack
ScrewAttack . is a video game-related website that showcases original entertainment for an audience of video game enthusiasts. Its content is also shown on GameTrailers and IGN...
's Iron Man of Gaming. Hydro Thunder Hurricane was released as part of the third annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade along with titles such as Monday Night Combat
Monday Night Combat
Monday Night Combat is a downloadable third-person shooter video game developed by Uber Entertainment. It was published by Microsoft Game Studios on the Xbox 360 and by Uber Entertainment and Valve Software for Microsoft Windows...
and Limbo
Limbo (video game)
Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game and the premiere title of independent Danish game developer Playdead. The game was released in July 2010 as a platform exclusive title on Xbox Live Arcade, and was later re-released as part of a retail game pack along with Trials HD and Splosion Man in April...
. The water for the game was programmed for the game using several different techniques. Fresnel reflections, normal mapping
Normal mapping
In 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or "Dot3 bump mapping", is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents. It is used to add details without using more polygons. A common use of this technique is to greatly enhance the appearance and details of a low polygon model by...
, ray-traced depth fogging and depth-based foam and an adaptive LOD
Level of detail
In computer graphics, accounting for level of detail involves decreasing the complexity of a 3D object representation as it moves away from the viewer or according other metrics such as object importance, eye-space speed or position....
system were built to handle the visuals. The physics system that controls the water allows multiple types of waves such as wake
Wake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
s and whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
s, and also adapts to handle different boat hulls and other objects in the water. V-hulled boats
V-hull (boat)
A V-hull, is the shape of a boat or ship in which the contours of the hull come in a straight line to the keel. V-hull designs are usually used in smaller boats and are useful in providing space for ballast inside the boat....
cut through waves, flat-bottomed boats hydroplane across the water, and multi-hulled boats
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
have greater grip in the water. An external audio contractor, Robb Mills, was called upon to compose the game's music. Developers also provided support for the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel
Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel
The Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel was developed by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 and was introduced at E3 2006. Released in November 2006, the force feedback steering wheel controller includes the standard gamepad buttons along with floor-mounted accelerator and brake pedals...
. A premium theme for the Xbox 360's New Xbox Experience dashboard was also released on July 15, 2010 as part of the game's promotion.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane did not start life as a Thunder franchise title. "The first game demo we made was an original speedboat racing game" says Matt Small, creative director for the game. "The demo showed off the game's controls and our new fluid dynamic system." Vector Unit co-founders Matt Small and Ralf Knoesel had both previously worked on Blood Wake
Blood Wake
Blood Wake is a naval combat video game that was released in 2001 on the Xbox as part of Microsoft's initial wave of Xbox launch titles. The game was developed by Stormfront Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios....
, a boat combat title for the original Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. They took lessons from Blood Wake, altering and updating the physics to be not only realistic, but to "make a game which a Novice player can easily pick up and learn." The team began development on their own I.P.
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
boat racing game, code-named Barracuda. "The basic idea was speedboats meets Supercross in a futuristic post-global-warming flooded Earth" stated Vector Unit.
After six months a working prototype was pitched to several publishers. Microsoft Studios was one of three publishers interested in Barracuda, and talks began for publishing the game. "There was this one producer at Microsoft Game Studios who kept talking about how with a few tweaks Barracuda would make an awesome Hydro Thunder sequel. At first we were like, yeah right, that'll happen. But the more we all talked about it, the more it started to make sense." The decision was made to turn the game into a Hydro Thunder sequel and Microsoft Studios acquired the rights to the Hydro Thunder name shortly before publisher Midway Games
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
was bought by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane was developed using a combination of proprietary and third-party tools. 3D models were created in Maya
Maya (software)
Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...
. Co-founder and Lead Programmer Ralf Knoesel created a plugin which integrated with Maya that allowed artists to see what the boat would look like in-game. The engine was built from the ground up, and unitizes FMOD
FMOD
FMOD is a proprietary audio library made by Firelight Technologies that plays music files of diverse formats on many different operating system platforms, used in games and software applications to provide audio functionality....
for sound and Bullet Physics Library
Bullet (software)
Bullet is an open source physics engine featuring 3D collision detection, soft body dynamics, and rigid body dynamics. It is used in games, and in visual effects in movies. The Bullet physics library is published under the zlib license. Erwin Coumans, its main author, worked for Sony Computer...
as part of the game's physics system. Level construction and placement of props was done in BarracudaEditor, the team's level design tool. During the development process Vector Unit maintained a PC build of the game which allowed artists and other team members to test their assets in-game without moving to a Xbox 360 Debug Kit. A team of seven people worked to create the game; two programmers, four artists, and one sound designer. The game took fourteen months from initial prototype to final build to complete.
Vector Unit had contemplated simply porting the original Hydro Thunder to the Xbox 360, as they had been given the source code to the original game. They felt that given they would have to update all of the assets and that they had already built the water system the decision was made to continue building the title from the ground up. The original source code was used for reference, and the Vector Unit "played the heck out of the original game to refresh our memories." The boats and environments were redesigned, taking cues from the original, but accommodating the new physics system and updated graphics engine. The developers contemplated things such as boat customization and user-generated tracks, but in "ultimately we felt that it was more important to present an accessible, hand-crafted experience that players can just jump into and have fun with."
Updates and downloadable content
A patch was released September 9, 2010 to fix issues in the game. Players can no longer use collision glitches with the world geometry to find ways to cheat on the game's leaderboards. Additionally the patch adds an audible beep to players who sit idle in multiplayer lobbies, prompting them to set their status to "ready". The patch also decreases the amount of time to wait on players who do not finish multiplayer races. Vector Unit later removed glitched times from the game's leaderboards in November 2010. When asked about the possibility of a PlayStation 3PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
port of the game, the company stated "People ask us this all the time, and unfortunately the answer is no. Microsoft Studios licensed the game from Warner, and as you can imagine Microsoft is not generally all that gung-ho about making games for the PlayStation."
Vector Unit held a contest from August 14 to August 23, 2010 allowing consumers to design a skin
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
for their favorite boat. On August 25, 2010 two winners were chosen to have their designs placed into the game. As a consolation prize, everyone who entered a design was notified that they would receive a code to download the content for free once released. Additional boats and tracks were also confirmed on August 9, 2010 in an interview with Small.
An official announcement of the downloadable content, dubbed the Tempest Pack, was made via Vector Unit's website on September 21, 2010. Three tracks were announced, Atlantis, Bermuda Triangle, and Castle Von Boom, each with Race, Ring Master and Gauntlet game types. Two new boats will also be included, Whiplash and Psyclone. Vector Unit also announced that each original boat will receive multiple skins, and that special Expert versions of the Novice and Pro boats will be included, allowing players to be competitive with those boats in multiplayer races. The downloadable content will also add three new achievements to the game.
Players who have not purchased the pack can download a free addon that will enable them to see the new boats in multiplayer, and view any races on new tracks as a spectator. This was done to keep multiplayer compatibility and to entice more sales of the content. The Tempest Pack was released on October 27, 2010. Vector Unit stated that if sales of Hydro Thunder Hurricane and the Tempest Pack are high enough there may be additional downloadable content. "We'd love to do more; we have all kinds of ideas for new boats, new tracks, the whole shebang. But the first part of your question hits the nail on the head: it's all about the sales" they stated in reply to a fan's question.
Reception
Hydro Thunder Hurricane received fairly positive reviews, averaging 78.87% at GameRankings and 75 out of 100 at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, two video game aggregate
Aggregate data
In statistics, aggregate data describes data combined from several measurements.In economics, aggregate data or data aggregates describes high-level data that is composed of a multitude or combination of other more individual data....
sites. As of November 2010, Hydro Thunder Hurricane has sold over 130,000 copies. Total sales for 2010 were in excess of 160,000 units. Sales have continued to be strong, with over 53,000 units being sold the first week of 2011. Reviewers were mostly unified on the overall quality for the price of the game. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Bob Mackey called it "a perfect match for Xbox Live Arcade" and the reviewer from GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
said the game "looks sharp for a $15 release." Ludwig Kietzmann of Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
called it a "dynamite download" and Dakota Grabowski of GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
stated it is "the must-have arcade racer of 2010." GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
echoed these comments, calling Hydro Thunder Hurricane "a perfect throwback to the 'high production' arcade games of yesteryear." PALGN
PALGN
The PAL Gaming Network is an Australian based video game news and reviews website that focuses on the videogame industry and culture in PAL territories, particularly Australia and the UK. It was launched in 2003 by a group of PAL forum members on the IGN message boards who were disenfranchised by...
also enjoyed the game, stating Hurricane "is an extremely accessible and entertaining arcade racing game."
Reviewers generally praised the boat selection, praising their uniqueness and selection of alternate skins. Course design also received acclaim. 1UP's Bob Mackey called the over-the-top course design "like rides at Disneyland." In its preview of the game at PAX East, the reporter from Critical Gamer called the course design "really smart" and said that there were a "good balance of safe paths, risky shortcuts, and chains of boost power-ups." Official Xbox Magazine UK
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
s reviewer cited "there's a brilliant playfulness to the level design." They further noted the usefulness of the Ring Master mode in guiding the player to some of the game's shortcuts. Critics enjoyed the longevity of the game, noting that between the courses and game types the replay value is greatly increased. Noble McKinley of GamePro praised the game's graphics, calling the scenery "downright gorgeous" and further went on to call the lighting and water effects "quite impressive." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Justin Calvert felt the game's leaderboard system was a great asset to the game.
Elements of the game's visuals were also criticized. Arthur Gies of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
cited the vibrant colors of the original Hydro Thunder, then criticized Hurricanes visuals, calling them "muted." They also disliked the sounds of the game calling the music forgettable, the announcer obnoxious, and the sound effects "straight from 1994." Simon Parkin of Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
also stated the game had "absence of personality and flourish" and that "perhaps comes from a general lack of nuance or innovation." IGN also noted that Hurricane was "plagued by convoluted menus and awful load times." Eurogamer Spain's Xavi Robles felt that the gameplay was too repetitious, pointing out that the different modes must be played repeatedly on the courses.
The Tempest Pack downloadable content received high praise from critics. In its first week of release it the Tempest Pack has sold over 5,300 copies. Jim Cook of Gamers Daily News gave the pack an 8/10. He praised the new course design, stating it was a major draw for Hurricane players. He also gave high marks to the game's two new boats, as well as the addition of refitted Expert class versions of the game's Novice and Pro boats. Cook was critical of the high unlock points of these boats, stating that "[they] may take a while to unlock unless you’ve been very active with the game." John Laster of XBLAfans gave the Tempest Pack a "Buy" rating and called the content a great value for fans of the game. He also felt the courses were exceptional, stating they were "on par, if not better than the tracks released with the game." He stated that the two new boats were well matched with the other expert boats, and that the upgraded Expert versions of the Novice and Pro boats were "a necessity and something we wish had been included in the original game."