Stopdoor
????
*Maybe this isn't actually the best thing but y'know
**I might be wrong about this, going entirely on vibes lol
I've been playing the Wave Race games for the first time in the last month or two. Like most gamers with good taste, I was enthralled with the timeless perfection of Wave Race 64. At first I thought it was too difficult to complete the Hard and Expert level Championships, but the more I played the more I started to really get sucked in, and one reason that kept it really motivating was that sometimes, the AI really screws up and takes an awful fall. Wiping out in Wave Race is kind of extra brutal - it takes so long to recover. It's make it or break it, a race can really come down to "perfection". So one way to solve that would be to slow down the AI racers when they're in front of you, the classic rubberbanding, but then that also comes with them miraculously being on your tail constantly and never letting you have satisfaction from pulling off sweet lines.
The alternative is the AI wipes out as badly as you do and takes the L, and you know, it's just really satisfying when they do. The game seems to maybe have a concept of a "rival" like Mario Kart, but they're not infallible. It's a bit of a random element to take advantage of but it just feels really fresh and "real" for a racing game, since most video games really try to manicure the experience.
Anyway, that's all. Give it a try if you like the idea of a racing game without rubberbanding. I'm playing Wave Race Blue Storm now and as far as I can tell it just does rubber banding and doesn't have the same satisfaction. Hoping I'll get into the zone with it like 64 and cruise through the harder difficulties but it's not looking good.
**I might be wrong about this, going entirely on vibes lol
I've been playing the Wave Race games for the first time in the last month or two. Like most gamers with good taste, I was enthralled with the timeless perfection of Wave Race 64. At first I thought it was too difficult to complete the Hard and Expert level Championships, but the more I played the more I started to really get sucked in, and one reason that kept it really motivating was that sometimes, the AI really screws up and takes an awful fall. Wiping out in Wave Race is kind of extra brutal - it takes so long to recover. It's make it or break it, a race can really come down to "perfection". So one way to solve that would be to slow down the AI racers when they're in front of you, the classic rubberbanding, but then that also comes with them miraculously being on your tail constantly and never letting you have satisfaction from pulling off sweet lines.
The alternative is the AI wipes out as badly as you do and takes the L, and you know, it's just really satisfying when they do. The game seems to maybe have a concept of a "rival" like Mario Kart, but they're not infallible. It's a bit of a random element to take advantage of but it just feels really fresh and "real" for a racing game, since most video games really try to manicure the experience.
Anyway, that's all. Give it a try if you like the idea of a racing game without rubberbanding. I'm playing Wave Race Blue Storm now and as far as I can tell it just does rubber banding and doesn't have the same satisfaction. Hoping I'll get into the zone with it like 64 and cruise through the harder difficulties but it's not looking good.
Last edited: