Shows all the signs of being better than its forefather...yet somehow isn't.
Ironically, with Vector Unit adding the needed missing ingredient of multiple modes (Ring Master, Gauntlet, and Championship) to Hydro Thunder Hurricane to improve the game's longevity, it would seem that the solving the original Hydro Thunder's biggest problem would automatically make for a better experience. And though they're not better by a long shot, the graphics in Hurricane are definitely improved, and for continuity's and nostalgia's sake, Vector did a nice job paying homage to Hurricane's predecessor by including several of the original boats, and even some of the track names, though the tracks have been drastically redesigned. It's these touches that make Hurricane feel less like a remake or a sequel, and much more like a reboot.
But, in spite of the obvious improvements and added modes, one crucial aspect simply does not meet up to its forefather: the gameplay. For whatever the reasons, the boats feel far too light this time around, and are much more bouncy. As a result, it's much easier to get disoriented and thrown around like a helpless toy than it ever was in the original. I never found myself getting lost like I have in Hurricane, and the fact that you're given a quick button press to reset your position tells me that Vector might have been aware of this problem as well. To offset this issue, Vector has also made finding shortcuts and nailing boosts much less crucial to winning, where in the original, it quickly reached the point where finding EVERY shortcut and grabbing EVERY boost was practically the only way to win. If the original was guilty of overemphasizing these elements, Hurricane clearly DEemphasizes them, and not in a good way.
And for all the references paid to the old classic, why not bring back the diamond-shaped boosts? And the old speedometer and boost gauge? They were much nicer to look at than their non-descript, boring replacements.
Overall, with some new modes and cleaner visuals, Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a fairly competent arcade boat racer that gives you plenty to do, in spite of its shaky physics and the fact that it doesn't live up to the fun of its simpler forefather. Expect a little disappointment with this one.