It's hard to really say why Wave Race is captivating while at the same time being rather dull. Wave Race 64 is fairly bare bones, and frankly feels more like a prototype of what they wanted rather than a game Nintendo released. Regardless, the game does support 4 players, and showcases the power of the N64 well enough so it's hard to really state that age caught up to it or I'm just greedy.
The main problem I have with Wave Race is just how it seemingly feels empty with nothing to do. I know a lot of people harp about Ocarina of Time feeling the same way, but that game at least has you actively engaging with it. Wave Race's problem is that it simply doesn't have enough to engage with that will keep your attention away from that emptiness. While the trick system is there, it's hidden and does next to nothing when it comes to speed. While the game does have a soundtrack, the sound mixing is pretty awful with the sound effects blasting too much during any given race. As well, there's not much you can really do in order to go faster. There is no drift button, power ups, turbos, or items, just a pure race with directional influence from the player and the waves that you race on. On top of that most tracks are fairly small, and have a short cut that is vastly better to use than the intended track layout. Sure, shortcuts are great, but the fact that literally the computers use them, and make it the de facto natural track rather than the track that was already set, sorta defeats the point of a shortcut. Also what's with the low cast of characters? Legitimately, we got 4 slightly unnamed characters, and voice for the announcer. Like it would have been nice to just have more here than what we got.
Still, I have to give it up to Wave Race, at a certain point, when you look past the bones of this game; you see the meaty gameplay that it does have on it. Taking waves, blasting at higher speeds without slowing down, bopping and weaving your path through out the track. When you play this game right it feels so good. Even the hidden stuff like the additional tracks, mirror mode, and dolphin unlock feel like something you rightly earn, and give a sense of accomplishment.
Wave Race 64 is at the least, an enjoyable game. It doesn't have the bells and whistles needed in today's industry, but it does have a unique charm and jagness that you can only really find in its era. Function over form, and with some neat little novelties; I can see why Wave Race 64 is still remembered.
The main problem I have with Wave Race is just how it seemingly feels empty with nothing to do. I know a lot of people harp about Ocarina of Time feeling the same way, but that game at least has you actively engaging with it. Wave Race's problem is that it simply doesn't have enough to engage with that will keep your attention away from that emptiness. While the trick system is there, it's hidden and does next to nothing when it comes to speed. While the game does have a soundtrack, the sound mixing is pretty awful with the sound effects blasting too much during any given race. As well, there's not much you can really do in order to go faster. There is no drift button, power ups, turbos, or items, just a pure race with directional influence from the player and the waves that you race on. On top of that most tracks are fairly small, and have a short cut that is vastly better to use than the intended track layout. Sure, shortcuts are great, but the fact that literally the computers use them, and make it the de facto natural track rather than the track that was already set, sorta defeats the point of a shortcut. Also what's with the low cast of characters? Legitimately, we got 4 slightly unnamed characters, and voice for the announcer. Like it would have been nice to just have more here than what we got.
Still, I have to give it up to Wave Race, at a certain point, when you look past the bones of this game; you see the meaty gameplay that it does have on it. Taking waves, blasting at higher speeds without slowing down, bopping and weaving your path through out the track. When you play this game right it feels so good. Even the hidden stuff like the additional tracks, mirror mode, and dolphin unlock feel like something you rightly earn, and give a sense of accomplishment.
Wave Race 64 is at the least, an enjoyable game. It doesn't have the bells and whistles needed in today's industry, but it does have a unique charm and jagness that you can only really find in its era. Function over form, and with some neat little novelties; I can see why Wave Race 64 is still remembered.