Hydro Thunder - Development and Release

Development and Release

The arcade version of Hydro Thunder utilizes the same cabinet seat as San Francisco Rush and the later Offroad Thunder, and also has the same steering wheel on the control panel as Cruis'n USA minus the standard foot pedals and adding a variable position throttle with forward, neutral and reverse directions. The game also has an unusual volume adjustment, where the regular play volume is usually set lower than the feedback volume for the subwoofer in the seat. This places the player "in the game" and makes the person feel like he or she is actually piloting a powerful, high-tech speedboat.

Besides the arcade, Hydro Thunder has been ported over to several home consoles. The PlayStation version of the game included a career mode not found in the other versions. The Dreamcast version of the game had graphics that were more detailed and closer to the arcade version than the other console versions. The Nintendo 64 version allowed up to 4-player local multiplayer (instead of just 2-player) when the N64 Expansion Pack is present. The Dreamcast version of the game was included in Midway Arcade Treasures 3, a compilation of Midway's many racing games. A PC version was also released in Europe. The Dreamcast port became one of the few Sega All Stars titles. Midway Games had plans to create a double pack for Hydro Thunder and San Francisco Rush 2049 under the name Hydro Rush for the PlayStation 2. But the game was canceled and the project moved to Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.