Avoid floating junk and junks on this far-out trip through the Far East. Avoid crashing into decaying ship wrecks and watch for sudden turns and drops in the track's vast network of tunnels and caves. IGN64 played a BETA version of the Hydro Thunder 64 a few months before its release and though some of the graphic effects were absent, the game was running with a speed and fluidity damn near close to the Dreamcast version. The final product though, now with all the added bells and whistles, feels much more floaty and, well, slower. Everything is still playable.
Control is still responsive.
And of course, the game looks splendid. But if you're expecting the overwhelming sensation of speed familiar with the arcade original, you're bound to be a little disappointed here. Like the Dreamcast version, Hydro Thunder 64 features a two-player mode where gamers can race against each other. The developer has also removed all computer opponents from the mode, so it's just two racers on-screen. It's remarkable how much difference a little more fluidity and speed can make to a game of this type.