The two courses created for the Xbox version, the Florida Keys and Ruminer Point, are an entirely different story. Both courses feature several sets of incredible waves placed at certain points in the course--usually around tight turns or in an area where you need to weave in and out of buoys quickly. It's amazing how much the gameplay changes in these courses--from a simple dash to the finish line (that can just as easily be found in any other racing game) to one that places an emphasis on your ability to maneuver a wave runner.
The original courses make the game seem more like a traditional racer...
The water looked good in the PlayStation 2 version of the game, and it looks even better in the Xbox version. You'll see smaller undulating waves quite clearly, as well as the foam that laps up onto the shore and on various scenery objects, which are plentiful. You'll also see the much larger and more impressive waves in the new courses. Even though the lighting on the original courses has been improved, one of the new courses features substantially better lighting in the form of a setting sun, which bathes the water and the surrounding environment in a gentle orange glow. The individual rider models look solid and animate well, and the model for the wave runners also looks about as accurate as you can get. The draw distance, which was quite noticeable in the PlayStation 2 version, is nearly nonexistent here--unless it's used as a visual effect, like in the courses that are engulfed in fog. The game generally looks smoother and much more natural than its PlayStation 2 counterpart, and while the frame rate has been improved, there's still some noticeable stuttering when making sharp turns in a championship race.
Splashdown's sound complements the game well. At the start of the race, you'll be able to hear the familiar noise of a wave runner's engine gargling water. As racers perform tricks off ramps, you'll hear them say a few choice words, and they'll even make comments about other competitors when they're in close proximity. Unfortunately, these voices are so bad that they border on being offensive in some cases and generally can become annoying when you're forced to hear the same lines constantly repeated. The soundtrack offers a mix of popular songs from bands like Smash Mouth and a few lesser-known songs that fit the general theme of the game, and even if you don't particularly care for any of them, you can rip music to the Xbox hard drive and listen to your own soundtrack.
...but the new courses will give you a real taste of what it's like on the ocean.
There is quite a bit of potential replay value in Splashdown, but a majority of the extras really aren't worth playing the game through repeatedly. The championship mode--in which you participate in either 12 or 20 races depending on difficulty--lets you unlock additional courses, costume colors, and riders, all of which you can access in other modes. In the arcade mode, you can participate in a few different events, such as time attack and countdown, a mode in which you have to tag a number of different colored buoys before time expires. Splashdown's arcade and split-screen multiplayer modes offer a fun little diversion from regular competition, but most of your time will probably be spent in the championship mode.
In a sense, it's almost sad to play through the new courses created specifically for the Xbox version of Splashdown because you get a glimpse of what could have made this game not only one of the Xbox's best, but also the finest water-based racing game, period. When you race through the new courses and then through the original courses, it almost feels like you're playing two different games--one that truly captures water racing and another that gives small little tastes of what it can be like. In any case, the improvements that Rainbow Studios made to an already good game are certainly for the best, so Xbox owners looking for a racing game that plays and looks great would do well to pick up Splashdown.
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