by:	April 10, 2004

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 of 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.

Graphics
Ahh - another game that takes place on the ever-so-hard-to-render element, water. Rainbow Studios did an excellent job in many respects, and holds its own, though it's not as sharp as Bloodwake. First off, the water is semi-transparent, which gives you an idea of depth and adds a touch of realism to the water. For instance, if your craft dips under the surface (as it often does), you can see how far down you go and which way you're pointing, which is a plus. Waves look as they should, as do ripples and effects of that nature, but the splashes look weak. They just don't have the oomph you think they should, but it doesn't really detract from the immersion. Player animation is also done very nicely, and tricks looks smooth and realistic, but like all Rainbow Studios games, crash animations are a little stiff and look... "GI-Joe-ish."

Sound
Taking into consideration that this is a PS2 port, and a little dated one at that, I'll give the soundtrack a little break. You should know most of the songs, such as "All Star," and "All She's Got." They are dated, but since you can use your own soundtrack, it's all good. After all, this is a racing game, and the soundtrack really helps set the pace, so being able to use your own music really helps out. Any racing game that doesn't come with this feature on Xbox should have an automatic one point deduction. In-game sound effects are average at best, with realistic sounding Jet-Skis and water effects, but the voice talent can at times get on your nerves (what's new?).

Gameplay
Fun is the key word here. In fact, I had more fun with Splashdown than I did with Nintendo's Wave Race - the pioneer of quality Jet-Ski games. There are three modes of game play in Splashdown: Career, Arcade and VS. Career is standard fare; you start each race with a 3 lap qualifying round, which you can skip if you want to start in 5th place. To go on to the next race, you have to stay in the top two, which is fair and not all that hard to do anyway. Every few races, you get to a Challenge Round, and if you win, the person you raced against joins your team and you can use them for future races. There are also colored icons to find that will let you change the color of your craft; they are hidden throughout the courses in career mode. Arcade mode is where you get to practice your skills. It's standard single race format, and you can choose to race or free run, which is still a race but with no time limits. VS mode is basic multiplayer fare, with racing and a Tony Hawk-like copycat cat mode. In it, you try to copy your friend's stunt. If you fail, you get a letter - the first to spell "Splash" loses.

Like most Rainbow games, you can leave the track, which is ALWAYS fun, but if you go too far you get the standard blast back. In Splashdown, it's an octopus that grabs you and then hurls you hundreds of feet into the air, which is always fun to watch.

Control
Simple and basic is the name of the game here, A is the gas L, R, and B are stunt buttons, up and down controls the tilt of the nose, and left and right steer. Basic camera controls use White, Black, X, and the right thumbstick. The best part of the control scheme is how you pull off stunts. No ramps around, but you want to do a back flip? Well, just submarine by holding A and UP. When you dive, continue holding A and then hold DOWN, this will shoot you into the air and score some sick air. All other "complex" tricks like handstands, etc. have to be done while in the air, and it's best to wait for the ramp so you don't bail and lose your place in the race.

-Steve

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I think this is the one of the most fun games I have played in a while. Free Ride is where I'll spend most of my time, but this game truly has something for every racing fan. If you liked Wave Race even in the slightest, I suggest you go pick this one up, as it's way more fun, and a lot prettier to boot.

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