Since 2010’s Hydro Thunder Hurricane, developer Vector Unit’s been finding new ways to do what they do best: high-speed water-based racing. With Riptide GP: Renegade they’re taking a stab at adding depth and character. It’s about damn time.
I say that because Vector Unit was founded in 2007 by Ralf Knoesel and Matt Small, two form Stormfront Studios developers who worked together on Blood Wake, a story-driven naval combat game that was among the most beloved early games for the original Xbox.
As Vector Unit they have proven they have got the chops to create exciting water races,but the two previous entries in the Riptide GP series featured a career mode that was simply a series of tournaments and events to compete in.
I love this stupid robot.
Riptide GP: Renegade is the developers’ first game built from the ground-up for consoles since Hydro Thunder Fury, and it’s got a story to go along with the glorious 1080p, 60 frames per second action.
It’s not a particularly deep story. Your character is set-up to be arrested for illegal hydro jet racing by a competitor. Two years later he or she is released from prison, and must claw their way back into the scene to give their nemesis his comeuppance.
Like previous games in the series, career mode consists of a series of tournaments and events, but through these races we’re introduced to new characters, helping or hindering our progress, depending on how well we race.
The racers have personality. They perform signature gestures. They’re more than just plastic characters sitting on top of beautiful futuristic jet-skis.
And if you’re not into the story or the characters, there’s always standard solo play, online multiplayer, split-screen local and plenty of customisation rides to tinker with.
Why is hydro jet racing such a big thing in the future? Why are parts of the world in such a shambles? I have no clue. I’m just hanging with the strange racing people and robots, enjoying the ride.
Riptide GP: Renegade is now out on PlayStation 4 and PC. It’s coming soon to Xbox One, iOS and Android.
Comments
11 responses to “Riptide GP: Renegade Adds Personality To Futuristic Jet-Ski Racing”
Man I miss Wave Race.
That is exactly what I was thinking as I read this. I need to fire up Dolphin and get a rom.
I don’t miss it. I still play it on my N64 all the time. Best jet ski racer ever made and shockingly never beaten yet. but yes….. a new one would be fantastic. Or even a remastered Wave Race on the NX to go portable….yesssss!! Do it nintendo.
I dunno, Blue Storm did a pretty good job I think 😛
I frikken love the Riptide GP series. Downloaded Renegade yesterday, and I’ve been playing it a LOT. It’s fantastic. Definitely a few steps up from the second game. Vector Unit nailed the controls this time around. The older Riptide games felt great – this one feels better. There’s more nuance now, and the timing’s in the trick system have seen great improvement. It’s a little more lenient in regards to actually landing a trick, but now more than ever, you need to know just what kind of trick to pull on what size jump. It’s all very SSX-y.
I seriously cannot recommend it enough. It’s a little grindy, but I love that in the Riptide games, and Renegade is a lot more fair in regards to rewards it dishes out. It’ll still kick your ass though.
Great series. Personally I save playing Riptide GP for when I’m playing Riptide GP, if you know what I mean. Only just finished the second game recently. I love that Vector Unit don’t make the AI cheat/use rubber banding. It’s practically F1 on water, without the boring.
Yeah, I love that about it too. If you gain a lead, then depending on your upgrades, you’ll keep it. If you stuff up, and land at the back of the pack, you’ll lose, or else have to perform a miracle to get back up there. But that’s what the restart’s are for.
The only thing I don’t like so far are some races purposely gimp your craft to make the game harder. If I’ve spent time grinding cash for upgrades, then let me use them, regardless of how easy or hard the race may be.
But that’s my only qualm. Renegade is so, so much fun!
Never experienced or noticed that. I managed to get the first 90 or so stars with the stingray/upgrades before I truly had to buy a better craft.
I was actually talking about Renegade, haha. You don’t buy Hydrojets anymore. You progress through the campaign, and come across ‘boss’ characters. When you beat them, you get their Hydrojet and they become a playable character you can choose to use. You still upgrade the Hydrojets in the same way though 🙂
this is nice ^^
Riptide games have been fantastic on Android so far.