It's fast and vibrant, but the water - an undeniably important part of a boat racing game - could have looked a lot more realistic given the 360's capabilities, ditto for the lighting. Don't get me wrong - it's not a bad looking game, it's just not at the head of the pack. It's a nigh-constant stream of gratification in Hurricane.ДЄt the same time, I can't really draw a comparison to the full-price, big-budget likes of Split/Second when talking about the visuals. There's something really satisfying about checking the post-race results, watching the points get tallied and seeing various unlocks pop up on screen, even when you don't take gold. Points are awarded for landing in the top three of each race, and the races can be re-entered to earn more (and, if necessary, place higher). I really like the point system that's used in unlocking more courses, boats, paint jobs and challenges - it's very much like the one used by Split/Second, one of my favorite modern racers.

The tracks are white-knuckle rides, brimming with their own personality, dynamic set pieces and particular challenges, not to mention a wealth of shortcuts. What can I say - once I re-familiarized myself with the basic gameplay (including the ever-important collecting and using of boost, and boost jumping) I was having a blast. Before long I was (hydro) thundering through the likes of Asgard, a monster-filled island, and Tsunami Bowl, a wild, man-made venue that's built purely for speed. Hydro Thunder Hurricane doesn't deviate from that blueprint, and while gaming hardware has changed, fun hasn't - and Vector Unit was clearly keeping that at the forefront in designing Hurricane.%Gallery-92281%Powerboat racers are, in this day and age, not particularly plentiful, so I was a little rusty for my first couple of races, but the variety of boats and their noticeable handling differences helped me get my sea legs back pretty quick. Upstart developer Vector Unit didn't actually start out making a Hydro Thunder title, but Microsoft liked what it saw, licensed the rights to HT and made the (what's turned out to be excellent) decision to resurrect the franchise.ДЇor the uninitiated, Hydro Thunder was an arcade game from the late nineties that drew in crowds with its transforming, jet-powered speedboats and courses that felt inspired by amusement park thrill rides. Finally XBLA gets something to wash the taste from your mouth for good: Hydro Thunder Hurricane. It was undeniably the low point for downloadable racing games on Xbox 360. Remember Yarisfor Xbox Live Arcade? No? Good.

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