Metascore
62 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 17
  2. Negative: 4 out of 17
  1. The quirky controls don't reach the levels of brilliance that the level design or overall look of the game do.
  2. 80
    The excellent tracks alone are worth a look.
  3. The locations are truly stunning, especially in Venice and New Zealand and the pounding music score perfectly complements the daredevil speed of the races.
  4. 74
    Its lack of innovation, crude trick control scheme, and lousy opponent AI might tempt you to look elsewhere for your watercraft kicks...but I can't help but smile as I weave my way through the course.
  5. 71
    It's still entirely possible for the strange behavior of the water to throw you off, no matter how hard you try.
  6. The game is just a little more tedious to play than it is enjoyable.
  7. It just feels like the same hacked out stuff that we've seen before. Lack of player choices and absurd overall difficulty don't serve well for impressing a player.
  8. Its problems stalk it like Jason stalks his victims – they’re always right behind you just when you thought you had lost them.
  9. Stiff controls, some questionable AI, and other quirk...ruin an otherwise entertaining experience.
  10. This will sink without trace and rightly so.
  11. If you're playing this after finishing "Splashdown" or "Wave Race: Blue Storm," the graphics don't seem quite as spectacular.
  12. From the course design to the interface to the tricks, everything about Wave Rally is very ordinary. [Feb 2002, p.40]
  13. Probably my biggest gripe with the game is that the tricks are hard to perform. That's not so bad except that pulling them off is pretty much useless on the races.
  14. Don’t confuse Wave Rally for a Baby Ruth floating in the PS2 pool – It’s a turd. [Feb 2002, p.84]
  15. There just isn’t anything about this game that excites the way a jet-ski racer should. [Feb 2002, p.62]
  16. It's got some nice waves, but a bad camera, tough controls, and some unsatisfying gameplay cause an evil tsunami of massive proportions.
  17. This game looks so great, but the controls may very well be the worst I have ever seen in a racing game. [Feb 2002, p.114]
User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. EdwinM.
    3
    I have played wave race 64 for the nintendo 64, and it's way better than this game!! it's a piece! A piece of junk! i expected much more from this game. Full Review »
  2. MasterQ
    7
    Great graphics, poor controls.