This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Wave Race 64 for Nintendo 64
Wave Race 64 for Nintendo 64 puts you on a jet ski racing over constantly moving water. You choose from four riders and learn how their speed, grip and handling differ. Full throttle is tempting on the straights, but a large wave can lift you out of a carefully chosen line. The analogue stick both steers and shifts the rider's weight. A corner therefore feels different when you enter it on a wave crest rather than glide through calm water.
Red and yellow buoys tell you which side to pass. Passing correctly builds engine power; missing a buoy reduces that power and counts as an error. Five errors disqualify you. Championship links several races into a points competition against three computer riders. Outside the championship, you can improve your times or work on jumps and other tricks in Stunt. The Dolphin Park practice area gives you room to get a feel for accelerating, turning and landing first.
Two players can race head-to-head on a split screen. Each needs a Nintendo 64 controller; there are no three- or four-player races. Settings including grip and engine allow further adjustments. A Controller Pak is optional for carrying and exchanging saved data.
Region and language
Our Nintendo 64 games are PAL editions, unless stated otherwise. This product contains a loose cartridge for the European market. A box is only included if explicitly stated in the product details. We note any different region in the product details. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
With Wave Race 64 for Nintendo 64, you receive a loose cartridge. A box and manual are not included unless we explicitly state otherwise in the product details. This is the standard way we supply this copy.
The history of Wave Race 64
Nintendo developed and published Wave Race 64 during Nintendo 64's early years. It arrived in Japan in September 1996 and reached Europe in 1997. The original Japanese presentation emphasised the calculated waves, reflections on the water and the rider's movement. Kawasaki cooperated on the product, as the original manual records. The jet ski was more than a different vehicle model placed on an existing asphalt track.
The water changed how a racecourse works. The route remains recognisable, but you must keep reacting to waves and the way your craft returns after a jump. Analogue controls made small weight shifts part of that process. The buoy system also imposed a clear rule on the open water. You could not simply cut a corner: passing on the correct side and preserving engine power are part of the same decision. Speed therefore came from precise steering.
Championship, time trials and Stunt applied that handling to different goals. One contest cares about your place in the standings; another asks for a cleaner lap or a better landing. Switching between these tasks changes the risks you take on the same waves. The series later received a separate Nintendo GameCube sequel, Wave Race: Blue Storm. This is the original Wave Race 64: Blue Storm's courses and larger player count are not included on this cartridge.
Similar games for Nintendo 64
Mario Kart 64 and Wave Race 64 both demand precise analogue steering. In Mario Kart you memorise corners, traffic and item locations; Wave Race adds constantly moving water to your intended racing line. Its jet ski races focus on passing buoys correctly and keeping a grip on the waves. Mario Kart instead lets opponents interrupt your plans with shells or bananas, so attack and defence matter alongside good driving.
Diddy Kong Racing and Wave Race 64 both let you race over water, but a hovercraft handles differently from a jet ski. Diddy Kong Racing uses water as one of several surfaces within a larger racing adventure. Wave Race makes the water's movement its central concern: waves affect your line and missing a buoy reduces engine power. In Diddy you also decide when to use a balloon item and which challenge to seek next on the island.
F-Zero X and Wave Race 64 link speed to staying in control, without firing shells or bananas at opponents. The difference lies in the surface and energy management. F-Zero X lets you sacrifice shield energy for boosts; Wave Race builds engine power by passing buoys correctly. On the water you must then react to waves shifting your line. F-Zero instead asks you to keep high speed under control through sharply shaped tracks.
1080° Snowboarding and Wave Race 64 both place considerable emphasis on contact between athlete and surface. In 1080° you decide how to steer through snow and land after a jump; Wave Race lets you feel a jet ski bouncing over waves and regaining grip. Both games offer races and separate trick challenges. Wave Race also makes passing coloured buoys a fixed requirement. On the snowboard you chiefly read the slope, your approach and the space available for landing.
Excitebike 64 makes an interesting comparison with Wave Race 64 particularly through its jumps. A motocross bike must land properly after a bump or ramp; a jet ski similarly seeks contact with the water again. Both ask you to look beyond the next corner. Excitebike uses fixed dirt tracks and constructed obstacles. Wave Race adds moving waves and marks your route with buoys, so the same line can repeatedly call for small corrections.
