Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild
Rainbow Studios created quality dirt racers with its Motocross Madness and ATV Offroad Fury games. Now it seeks similar success in the water with Splashdown. Featuring four licensed Sea-Doo watercrafts, nine playable characters, and 18 environments, the game packs plenty of features. Add in exquisite graphics, precise physics, tight controls, and challenging gameplay, and you've got one of the best jet-ski games on the market. The game's water effects are simply astounding. This is among the most realistic water ever seen in a video game. Furthermore, it behaves in such a lifelike manner that you'll marvel at how accurately it reacts to movement. The detailed and lush environments are located in a variety of regions and cities, including Nice, Seoul, Tokyo, Venice, Loch Ness, Mission Bay, the Nile River, and the Bering Strait. While the controls are very responsive, it does take some time to get used to the game's challenges and master its more than 30 tricks. Musically, the game is a bit derivative, attempting to emulate the soundtracks found in other extreme-sports games. And while the game offers some variety in the its training, career, arcade, and versus modes, it's disappointing that the multiplayer option only supports two players. Splashdown is not a perfect game, but it is an excellent title that offers plenty of replay value if you have the patience to get past its initial learning curve. Compared to the competition--specifically Wave Rally and the GameCube-exclusive Wave Race: Blue Storm--this game offers a superior experience with better graphics and deeper gameplay. --Raymond M. Padilla Pros: - Beautiful water
- Excellent control and physics
- Plenty of levels
Cons:- Somewhat steep learning curve
- Multiplayer only supports two players
- Limited selection of vehicles
Blast through the waters of Bali, tear it up over the Great Barrier Reef, and maneuver through the Venice canals. Become one of eight rebellious riders as you throttle a Sea-Doo watercraft over water that looks so real you'll need a wetsuit. Catch massive air as you jump wakes and launch off ramps, and then pull off insane stunts like the Metronome and the Cyclone. Battle your way to the finish line through 18 incredibly detailed courses all around the globe. Power four authentic Sea-Doo watercrafts, each with unique handling to put you in the hot seat and give you maximum control. Choose from eight over-the-top characters with unique personalities. Show off your 30-plus acrobatic stunts, such as the Lazy Boy and the Handlebar Handstand. Blast through 18 photorealistic environments, including Tokyo, Venice, and Mission Bay. Crazy stunts equal more speed, so get out there and defy gravity!
Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild Accessories
 Jet X20
SSX Tricky
ATV Offroad Fury 2
PlayStation 2 Memory Card (8MB)
Gran Turismo 4
PlayStation 2 Cordless Action Controller
ATV Offroad Fury, Greatest Hits
PlayStation 2 Console - Black
PlayStation 2 Dualshock Controller Black
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild Reviews
I did not like it at all. Boring. I thought it was going to be a type of game where you would be able to get in a "ride" and see what it would be like. There just seemed to be no point to this game.
I bought the other Playstation jet ski game and loved it. This is ok for graphics. I ski often and just did not feel comfortable. the learning of the control is not easy and it was a un-realistic ride.
The difficult level is, well, difficult and you are going to lose your patience very fast. The graphics are O.K and also the play, but is too short. This is a perfect game for a week-end, after a few days you get bored of it. My advise: Don't buy this game, just rent it.
Some people don't really like the music choices that are in this game, but I didn't have a problem with it. The graphics in this game are incredible, and the detail in the water is perfect. First of all, this game is beautiful. To me, everything about this game is superb. Another great thing about this game is it's large selection of tracks that are all detailed beautifully.
In Wave Race 64, they might not have been a big variety of stuff, but I was actually maneuvering the watercraft in the air. If you like Smashmouth and The Donnas (which I do not) then you'll be fine. It doesn't appeal to my taste particularly - but that's just me (I would have gone with a more generic aquatic sounding music that anyone could get used to). It's worth getting for the price that it's selling at. I never say "YESSSS" when I play this game. There are a suprising amount of tracks, good control, unlockables, and secret shortcuts. You don't feel much connection to the buttons you press and what the animations are doing. I wish the game had a freestyle mode where it focused on pulling off tough tricks.
I wouldn't say that the game sucks for its music though. Yeah it's pretty fun. The trick system. As far as barrel rolls, well, there are none. Oh yeah, and one more thing - pretty water.
Even if you don't, just turn it down low and it ain't so bad since you're distracted by the pretty water. But yeah, Splashdown's water is pretty dang pretty to look at. Things were in Wave Race 64 too, but all you needed was an imagination as well as a little creativity and you could take that game APART, LOL. But you know what bothers me most about this game. You can do a back flip but it's really slow - impossible to do two of them in one ramp. I don't want to give you the idea that this game sucks with all my nitpicking.
It feels a little too restricted and just not that thrilling. Even in free ride, I've tried to ramp around but everything seems pretty regulated. Another thing is the music. Most of it is just button combinations, like in a fighting game. The rider models ain't too shabby either, although they all look pretty much the same. When I would land a double barrel roll I let out a big fat YESSSS.
But yeah, the water is pretty dang pretty to look at.
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