It’s been 22 years since the last home console F-Zero game (not counting the handheld spin-offs and 2023’s F-Zero 99), but with the launch of Nintendo’s Switch 2 we finally got a chance to revisit the GameCube’s outstanding F-Zero GX. Despite some wonky controls, it’s a game that still stands up today. No wonder Nintendo hasn’t attempted to better it.
But there’s another Nintendo racing series that’s been on hiatus for even longer. Wave Race: Blue Storm was released back in 2001 as a launch window game for the GameCube, only the third in the series behind Wave Race 64 and, before that, the Game Boy original Wave Race. Since then? Nothing.
Pitches were made for a Wii entry, including holding the Wiimote sideways and using the Wii Balance Board, but these never came to fruition. I think it’s high time for Wave Race to make a splash on Switch 2, and that begins with the return of Blue Storm.
I know it’s a bit of an ongoing joke among gaming enthusiasts, but I still often find myself judging a game’s visuals by its water graphics: the shimmering translucency, the physics of rolling waves, its splashy wetness. Thing is, Wave Race: Blue Storm nailed it 23 years ago. That’s what made it so brilliant.
It’s a jet-ski racing game, you see, and with it being on water rather than a ground-based track, the course is always shifting. You don’t simply drive a car round a corner; you have to account for the height and power of each wave as you weave in and out of each buoy (or boo-ey as the announcer infuriatingly pronounces it, sorry Americans). There’s a high level of skill required, but with practice you can skim over cresting waves or dive beneath them to utilise shortcuts. This sort of water physics was incredibly impressive back in 2001, even if Wave Race 64 managed similarly on the previous hardware generation.
But then those water physics are taken a step further with each course. Perhaps you’re racing on the glass-like serene surface of a lake, or the choppy waters of a city harbour. On coastal courses the tide sweeps in and out, revealing hidden routes over multiple laps. One level has a collapsing glacier sending turbulent shockwaves in your wake. There’s a sense of dynamism to Blue Storm’s races that’s rarely seen in more traditional racing games.
Then there are the weather effects, ranging from pleasant sunny days to a raging tempest that sends violent waves crashing towards your jet-skiier. No race in Wave Race is ever the same and your skills are constantly being tested as you adapt to the water beneath you, subtly squeezing those adaptive triggers on the controller to angle around obstacles.
I also love how the water sports theme permeates the whole game. Sure, you can flip a jet-ski and perform hand stands to increase your speed boost. But the loading screens have a little bubble you can manoeuvre to watch ripples cascade across the screen; menus overlay a glistening aquatic backdrop; and sound effects are all splishes and splashes and droplets. Everything just looks so…wet. It’s enough to make you pee.
Perhaps what I remember most fondly about Blue Storm is its surf rock soundtrack, all electric guitars smothered in chorus and flange. What’s more, the music changes based on the weather, matching its calm undulations and stormy chaos. Along with the bright visuals, eccentric announcer, and goofy characters, it all lends Blue Storm a sense of cheesy cool that will forever take me back to the early 00s and that GameCube launch period. The skies were blue, the waters clear, and the games were all short and manageable. It was a better time.
This is why Wave Race: Blue Storm deserves to make a return on Switch 2. Yes, Nintendo will obviously bring back the likes of Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Super Smash Bros. – all excellent games – but it’s the lesser known games I’m keen to see shine on the console’s GameCube service. If we can get Chibi Robo this week, there’s space for Blue Storm.
Better yet, perhaps the return of F-Zero GX and Wave Race: Blue Storm will convince Nintendo there are other racing series besides Mario Kart that deserve new outings on Switch 2. It’s been long enough now and the steering wheel and jet-ski handlebars don’t need to be reinvented. Just let me play Wave Race handheld with HD graphics in the bath for a proper 4D experience.
Which GameCube games do you most want to see return on Switch 2? Sound off in the comments!
