Line #19 VideoGame/WaveRace


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wave_race64.png]]
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3	''Wave Race'' is a series of jet ski racing games by Creator/{{Nintendo}}, first originating on the Platform/GameBoy in 1992. ''Wave Race 64'', released for the Platform/Nintendo64 in 1996 (and later on the Platform/{{Wii}} Virtual Console in 2007), is the best known and most well-loved of the lot of them. ''Wave Race: Blue Storm'', released as a launch title for the Platform/NintendoGameCube in 2001, is the final release to date.
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5	''64'' was notable in its use of very realistic wave physics, which use up approximately 80 percent of the system's power. It was also the first game to utilize the Controller Pak for exchanging vehicle settings and time tables between cartridges.[[note]]Most third-party games, however, used the Controller Pak to save game progress instead of on the cartridge itself as a cost-cutting measure while Nintendo themselves seldom used it outside of [[VideoGame/MarioKart64 two more]] [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing games.]][[/note]] ''Blue Storm'' is known for its waves being affected by the constantly changing weather, adding more depth to its races.
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7	''64'' was re-released in 2007 on the Wii's Platform/VirtualConsole service, and was later released on the Wii U in 2016. In August 2022, it was added to Nintendo Switch Online's library of Nintendo 64 games. To date, the series has lied dormant for over two decades. Ryota appears in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' as a spirit, and a disc of ''Blue Storm'' is a collectible treasure in ''VideoGame/Pikmin4'', which is the series' latest reference in any Nintendo game. The series also gets a passing mention in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie''.
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9	!!''Wave Race'' contains examples of:
10	* BorderPatrol: Going outside of the boundary buoys or going out of the water will trigger a countdown. Fail to get back in bounds in time and you will get disqualified (and, if you're playing Championship Mode, a zero for the course).
11	* DolphinsDolphinsEverywhere: They serve as power ups that help you steer better, make you immune to whirlpools and let you more easily move through shallow water.
12	* FriendlyPlayfulDolphin: There are dolphins appearing in certain courses, most notably in Dolphin Park, in which the tutorial consists of following a dolphin. A code allows you to ''ride a dolphin'' in that course.
13	* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt: The arrows, even though they don't look like it.
14	* NoPlotNoProblem: Want to know the details of your racer, the league, the circuit, the machines used? Too bad.
15	* RampJump: Not always the best thing to do but there are lots of opportunities to do so. The problem is it increases your speed but since you can't turn in air and have no breaks that can be bad. Trying to adjust the length of your jump can also make you lose control.
16	* ScoringPoints: The point of Slalom mode is to go through the most check points to win the most points.
17	* TopDownView: Some things will be floating on their sides to be more easily identified.
18	* WackyRacing: More than the sequels, better get used to ramming other racers, especially on narrow water ways. You think a jet-ski race would be pretty standard, but the racers constantly bump into each other due to some narrow areas. Moreover, [[FriendlyPlayfulDolphin dolphins]] and octopi serve as power-ups.
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20	!!''Wave Race 64'' contains examples of:
21	* AnnouncerChatter: The game has one announcer that will always make a commentary in case you blow past the competition, fall behind, or get knocked off your jet ski.
22	* BalancePowerSkillGimmick: Ryota is balanced, Ayumi has low speed but high acceleration (FragileSpeedster), Dave has high speed but low acceleration (MightyGlacier), Miles has medium stats but extremely high turning (gimmick).
23	* BorderPatrol: Going outside of the boundary buoys or beaching your craft will trigger a 10-second countdown. Failure to get back in bounds will trigger a retire.
24	* ButNotTooForeign: Ayumi Stewart is Japanese-American.
25	* CosmeticAward: Perform well enough in Championship Mode and you'll see whales on the final course.
26	* FlawlessVictory: The game rewards players finishing in first with no penalties for steering on the wrong side of the speed buoys with the [[LargeHam the announcer]] screaming "Banzai!" as they cross the finish line.
27	* FriendlyPlayfulDolphin: On the practice track Dolphin Park.
28	* GeoEffects: The wave patterns are essential to know to make the track work in your advantage.
29	* JackOfAllStats: Ryota Hayami.
30	* LevelInReverse: The final unlocked difficulty has you racing each track in reverse.
31	* MadLibsDialogue: The game does this under two circumstances:
32	** The track introductions...
33	--->''"Welcome to [track name]."''
34	** ...and the occasional notification how much of a time gap is between the player and an opponent after each lap.
35	--->''"You're about [number] seconds [ahead/behind]."''
36	* MightyGlacier: Dave Mariner, who is very fast for his size yet has poor handling, grip, and acceleration to go along with it. Best recommended for advanced players.
37	* OminousFog: Drake Lake, though it does clear up eventually.
38	* ProductPlacement: Kawasaki and Fanta soft drink sponsor this game, and their ads appear nearly everywhere.
39	* ProductDisplacement: Zig-zagged. There are ads for Kawasaki plastered all over the game (and Fanta Orange Soda in the Japanese version, which was replaced with the Platform/Nintendo64 logo on the international release). Due to the licensing agreement between them and Creator/{{Nintendo}} having expired in the interim, Nintendo had to replace the Kawasaki banners with ones advertising [[Platform/Nintendo64 various]] [[Platform/NintendoDS Nintendo]] [[Platform/{{Wii}} consoles]] when the game was re-released on the Wii's Platform/VirtualConsole. Then when the game was re-released on Platform/WiiU and Platform/NintendoSwitch, Nintendo had renewed their license and had the Kawasaki branding reinserted.
40	* SlippySlideyIceWorld: Glacier coast
41	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Ayumi Stewart is the only female character.
42	* SuperTitle64Advance: No idea what that number could be referring to.
43	* TechDemoGame: The game was made to show off the water effects of the N64, particularly the undulation of waves, which was impossible on earlier consoles.
44	* ThemeAndVariationsSoundtrack: In true Kazumi Totaka fashion, nearly every track uses a variation of the theme song, or at least a RecurringRiff. This even extends to other areas like the options menu and the name entry screen.
45	* TimeTrial: The only thing you'll be doing in the dolphin area besides free roaming is this, you can do trials on all the other courses too.
46	* TitleScream: Before the classic "press start"
47	* UnstableEquilibrium: Going through buoys correctly speeds you up. Missing too many buoys automatically disqualifies you, likely because if you've been missing there would be no way to catch up anyway.
48	* VideoGame3DLeap: No longer simulating, this one's got polygons and depth.
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50	!!''Wave Race: Blue Storm'' contains examples of:
51	* AllOrNothing: You can perform stunts and tricks to build up your boost meter, but you won't get anything if you botch it. Performing tricks not involving ramps (headstands for example) can build up the boost meter slowly the longer you maintain the trick, but bumping into ''anything'' at all will knock your racer off their jet ski completely or make them slip, which will cost you time and position in a race.
52	* AnnouncerChatter: Unlike its predecessor, the game demotes the announcer to just one phrase: "Ladies and gentlemen! Start your engines!" The constant chatter now goes to your character's coach and like in the previous game, will always comment when you fall off, pass a buoy the right or wrong way, and tells you when you have turbo power.
53	* AntiClimax: The last course in expert mode, Strong Water Keep, is pretty short, after you've seen them get progressively longer. Especially since it comes after the unforgiving La Razza Canal!
54	* BatFamilyCrossover: Features three guest stars from ''VideoGame/TenEightySnowboarding'', including Akari Hayami. Instead of averting OneSteveLimit with Ryota Hayami, the two are siblings and the games take place in the same universe.
55	* TheCapitalOfBrazilIsBuenosAires: Seems to be the case with Serena Del Mar.
56	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The game has the four races from ''Wave Race 64'' return... except for Miles Jeter, who just didn't come back without an explanation.
57	* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to ''64''. In addition to the much steeper learning curve, the mood is also decidedly less cheerful in ''Blue Storm'': The color palette is dimmer, the almost overly enthusiastic 64 announcer has been replaced with racer-specific announcers that are usually far more direct and blunt, and the soundtrack replaces the cheery J-Pop of ''64'' with a more rock/techno influenced style.
58	* DeadpanSnarker: There is a code that unlocks the ability for the announcer to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-QfJ1jsmag snark at you every chance he gets]].
59	* EasterEgg: There's an easter egg that went undiscovered for over seven years since the game's release. By inputting a button code at the game's audio menu, you change the voices of the coaches to ones that are [[DeadpanSnarker extremely insulting and berating no matter how good or bad you do in a race]].
60	* GeoEffects: The waves are random in this game, but if you know the track, you can look at the forecast to predict how they will behave with some level of reliability. Riding the waves and weather to your character's advantage is essential in the circuit mode.
61	* HostileWeather: It may sometimes feel like it. Don't count on the forecasts to be 100% accurate.
62	* {{Jerkass}}: The [[EasterEgg hidden announcer]]. Calls you names, has absolutely no faith in you, and even if you do win he never lets up with the contempt. He can be [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] if you screw up.
63	* LuckBasedSearchTechnique: Many shortcuts can be found behind breakable barriers on the waterways. Which parts are breakable and which aren't is not always an easy distinction to make however.
64	* NinjaButterfly: Every racer has their own crew chief who constantly updates them on their status.
65	* NitroBoost: A turbo meter, which can be filled by correctly passing buoys or by doing stunts unlike in the game boy game where it refilled on its own and could be stolen from other racers. Stunts were only for scoring in one mode in ''64''.
66	* SecretLevel: The Tsumnami Zone.

Context VideoGame / WaveRace