Hi, I'm Dranzerstorm
Welcome to the Video Game & Music Lounge
This world is dedicated to Video Games and Music as I'll be showcasing the following.
Video Game Reviews set to the same tones as Retro Retrospective's Anime Reviews
Music reviews of Anime Openings & Closings
Western Cartoon music
Vocaloid Classics.
We may even have some Top Tens
I hope this World entertains you.
Post Number 7 and we take a break from anime to look at one of my favourite games of all time, Hydro Thunder!!!!! (Between this and San Francisco Rush you have to shout the title)
Hydro Thunder was released in arcades in 1999 and was an instant hit being the only powerboat racing game to ever be released on that level of detail and gameplay, using a number of different boats from standard powerboats and hydroplanes to ones based on top fuel dragsters, World War II aircraft and even an alien spaceship, there was more fun in the bonus boats with an armed Police boat, a fisherman’s boat with a barking dog, a scaled Titanic and a hovercraft; if you thought that was wacky it gets better with the circuits as you race from everything from the Arctic Circle and the Greek Isles to the inner realms of Ancient Egypt and a destroyed flooded New York city heck you can even make the boats jump to reach shortcuts and out of reach turbo power-ups which is crucial for certain victory as the game is quite challenging and the game lets you know that with quotes such as “you’re crazy!” and “experts only” when selecting certain boats and tracks. The game was ported to every console under the sun at time of release but when Midway shutdown, it was thought that the game was going to be lost with it until two sequels came out unexpected.
In 2009 a few former employees of Midway made H2Overdrive to act as Hydro Thunder’s spiritual successor to keep the unique arcade cabinet in most major arcades; but it was a year later when developer Vector Unit not only bought the rights to Hydro Thunder but created a sequel to it dubbed Hydro Thunder Hurricane which to this day is one of the most successful titles on X-Box Live Arcade and still has an active multiplayer lobby.
Current State: Not much has been done to the current game Hydro Thunder Hurricane since its release bar a DLC pack of new events, boats and tracks and with Vector Unit being a very small company it’s very unlikely to expand into mainstream game development especially when the Vector Unit’s staff can be counted on one hand and needed contractors to finish Hydro Thunder Hurricane.
Why Should it be Revived?: It’s one of my favourite games and a third instalment for next gen consoles and dare I say Virtual Reality would give it a mainstream feel that it needs back.
Now for another Video Game Review, this time on San Francisco Rush.
Back in the 90s, Midway made a lot of arcade racers, but none so unique as San Francisco Rush, released in 1996 in the arcades before later porting to consoles. Unlike other racing games of the time, San Francisco Rush comes with a slightly more unique feature, if you crash you die, simple as.
While many would consider such a mechanic to be a little geared towards eating up quarters, especially when you consider the difficulty to be a little high. It actually makes it rewarding when played on consoles. The vehicles are a good mix and the tracks take all the good scenery from San Francisco city.
And besides any game with this song in their soundtrack is bound to have a few good laughs in.
Yep the naming screen theme.
Current State: Midway is now NetherRealm Studios and is focused mostly on Mortal Kombat while the Rush series has been left in limbo since the unsuccessful L.A. Rush came out in 2005.
Why Should it be Revived?: The Arcade Racer has been left unguarded for a while and with San Francisco Rush's death mechanic it can still provide a decent challenge for those who still feel that racing should have some difficulty in it that isn't pre-made by Nintendo or neutered by driver aids and rewind mechanics. Proper old school racing at it's finest.
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