If you watch a guide with all of the shortcuts and boots, you can win the race every time, because like i said, it works like a puzzle game in some extend. This racing game in part works like a puzzle game. The racing itself maybe its not groundbreaking, but you can do some techniques that extends a lot more the gameplay (similar to games like Crash Team Racing): Cornering, Hydro Jump, Super Start, the hidden shortcuts, this game is all about secrets to win the race, although i dont like that the IA is programmated with rubberbanding and you have to find these secrets obligatory if you want to win the race, even in the easier tracks! So it can be frustrating. The game consists in water races with good variety of tracks and boats with different stats (although the game doesnt show up).
And well, how it holds up? I play the Arcade version and the PS1, but also i read some differences between the N64, DC and PS2, so this review would be in general. Hydro Thunder was one of the games that i have the most nostalgia for it.
