Wave Race 64: Kawasaki Jet Ski

Nintendo 64 0 subscribers
Manual

35K plays 1996 #Racing

Wave Race 64 is a 1996 racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second entry in the Wave Race series following the 1992 Game Boy game Wave Race. Gameplay involves the player racing on a personal watercraft on a variety of courses while successfully manoeuvring the vehicle around various buoys. A multiplayer mode where two players can compete against each other on a chosen course is also included. The game supports the Controller Pak, which allows players to transfer saved data from one game cartridge to another. The game is presented in a letterboxed 14:9 aspect ratio.

Originally referred to as "F-Zero on water", the game was intended to feature high-speed boats with transforming capabilities, but these were ultimately replaced with Jet Skis as producer Shigeru Miyamoto felt that the game would not be differentiated enough from other titles on other systems. Wave Race 64 received acclaim from critics, who praised the game's satisfying controls and dynamic watery environments and considered as one of the best games ever made. The game is credited with helping Nintendo effectively make its paradigmatic leap from the 16-bit 2D graphics of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to the Nintendo 64's 3D capabilities. It was re-released for the Wii and Wii U's Virtual Console in 2007 and 2016, respectively, and on the Nintendo Classics service in 2022. A sequel, Wave Race: Blue Storm, was released for the GameCube in 2001.

From Wikipedia's article Wave Race 64, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Keyboard controls

N64Player 1
Stick↑↓←→
AX
BC
ZZ
LA
RS
C buttonsIKJL
D-padTGFH
StartEnter

Hotkeys

  • 1 Quick save state
  • 2 Quick load state
  • 3 Change save slot

A gamepad with an analog stick plays much better than the keyboard.

Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).

Emulator help & troubleshooting

Comments

Live chat

Connecting…

Chatting as a guest · Sign in to use your name
0/300

Keyboard controls

N64Player 1
Stick↑↓←→
AX
BC
ZZ
LA
RS
C buttonsIKJL
D-padTGFH
StartEnter

Hotkeys

  • 1 Quick save state
  • 2 Quick load state
  • 3 Change save slot

A gamepad with an analog stick plays much better than the keyboard.

Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).

Emulator help & troubleshooting

Videos

Cruis’n World Nintendo 64 49K plays • 1996
Diddy Kong Racing Nintendo 64 54K plays • 1997
Automobili Lamborghini Nintendo 64 150K plays • 1997
Road Rash 64 Nintendo 64 74K plays • 1999
Top Gear Rally Nintendo 64 57K plays • 1997
Cruis’n USA Nintendo 64 151K plays • 1994
Excitebike 64 Nintendo 64 72K plays • 2000
Blast Corps Nintendo 64 41K plays • 1997
Uniracers Super Nintendo (SNES) 24K plays • 1994
Pole Position II MS-DOS 456K plays • 1983
Carmageddon 64 Nintendo 64 167K plays • 1999
F-Zero Super Nintendo (SNES) 232K plays • 1990
Star Fox 64 Nintendo 64 72K plays • 1997
Top Gear 2 Super Nintendo (SNES) 260K plays • 1993
Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 165K plays • 1992
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament Sega Game Gear 33K plays • 1994
Super Speed Deluxe MS-DOS 30K plays • 1995
Mario Andretti Racing Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 28K plays • 1994
Ayrton Senna’s Super Monaco GP II Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 84K plays • 1992
Micro Machines Game Boy 131K plays • 1991

Pixel Verdict

Wave Race 64: Kawasaki Jet SkiN64

5.0 Outstanding!

Metascore 92 · 13 critics

What the reviews talk about

Key wordssatisfyingshallowdeepfluidshortrealistic

What the critics said

  • In contrast, AllGame's Jonti Davies felt that the game's "cheesy" and "distinctly '80s theme" soundtrack combined with the announcer's "hyperexcited cries" gives the game a light and arcade feel.

    — AllGame (Jonti Davies)· about another version

From the Reception section of Wikipedia's Wave Race 64 article, under CC BY-SA 4.0. The words are the critics'; their full reviews are on the publishers' pages.

Scores

  • Metascore 92/100 · 13 critics · Nintendo 64
  • AllGame 4.5/5
  • Computer and Video Games 1997 4/5
  • Edge 1996 9/10
  • Electronic Gaming Monthly 1996 9.3/10
  • Famitsu 1996 8/10, 9/10, 8/10, 9/10
  • EP Daily 1996 100%
  • Game Informer 1996 9/10
  • GameSpot 1996 8.6/10
  • IGN 1996 9.7/10
  • N64 Magazine 1997 90%
  • Next Generation 1997 5/5

From the review table of Wikipedia's article. The face takes, first that applies: the Metascore for this platform, GameRankings' archived average, our average of the critics (one number per publication, a panel averaged), one review alone, the players' rating. Critics and players are never mixed.

Players' rating: 64/100 · 43 votes

Full reviews

Face key

  1. 1.00+
  2. 1.540+
  3. 2.050+
  4. 2.560+
  5. 3.068+
  6. 3.575+
  7. 4.080+
  8. 4.585+
  9. 5.090+

5.0 Outstanding! · 4.0 Great job! · 3.0 Good job · 2.0 Could be better · 1.0 Wake me up when it's over · A thumbs-up adds half a point. Our own drawings, in the spirit of the faces GamePro magazine used in the '90s.

Save to...