This is a very fun arcade racing game, though only if you're interested in the single player or have friends who also play it, as the multiplayer community seems practically dead.

I had a great time completing the single player campaign. There is a real sense of speed here, and while the graphics are nothing to write home about, they are pleasant enough and run great on my Radeon HD4850. It took me many tries to score 3 Stars in quite a few of the events, and some I had to come back to later after a few level ups and with a further upgraded hydrojet. The AI is decent, and I didn't notice any rubberbanding. Crashing into other players or even the scenery only slows you down a little (or a lot if you actuall hit the scenery head-on), and the only way to wipe-out is to land back in the water in the middle of performing a "Trick". In that case, you lose precious seconds while your hydro jet resets back on the track, and then has to accelerate back up to speed.

The game worked perfectly with my 360 controller, but didn't recognize a Logitech Attack joystick, so perhaps only the 360 pad is supported. There is keyboard support , but I didn't use it so can't comment much about how well it works. It's worth noting that "auto-acceleration" can only be disabled when using the controller and is forced for the keyboard. Mouse is only supported in the menus.

The single player Campaign mode is made up of 9 "Series" of events . The events in a series are played stand-alone - there is no "comlete these X events one after another and then total up your score to get your placement" type of tours in this game. The first "Beginner's Luck" Series contains only 4 events, but this increases all the way up to 12 events in final "All Stars Cup". In each event you get 1, 2 or 3 Stars for placing in the third, second or first place respectively, and the total number of stars are used to unlock/qualify for latter events.

There are four types of events. "Race" is self-explanatory. In "Elimination," every 15 seconds the racer in the last place is eliminated until only the winner is left. "Hot Lap" has you race a single lap against time, and "Free Style" give you 60 seconds to score as many points as you can by performing Tricks. The first 8 series all contain a mix of these four event types, while the final "All Stars Cup" only has Races.

A core part of the game game is the character progression system. As you place in the events, you earn experience points to level up your character, and money to purchase and upgrade hydrojets. Every time you level up, you get 1-2 skill points to spend on either new Tricks or perks.

There are 9 hydro jets to purchase in addition to the one you start with, all with upgradable Acceleration, Top Speed, Handling and Boost attributes. Each hydro jet has a different starting and maximum upgradable value for each attribute, and not even the most expensive hydro jet is the best at everything. I personally prefer the Lancer which is a Jack-of-all-trades - pretty good in every area but not the best in any.

Tricks are crucial to doing performing well in all event types as they are used fill up your boost gauge, as well as scoring points during Free Style events. Complex tricks giving greater boost and point rewards require more skill points to unlock, and the most difficult ones even have "prerequisite" tricks that your character must have first. As mentioned before, Tricks can only be executed while the hydrojet is in the air, and landing back on the water before the trick is completed results in a temporary wipeout. The more difficult the trick, the more airtime is required to execute it. Using the same trick multiple times in a single event results in diminishing returns, so it is recommended to have multiple tricks of each difficulty in your repertouire.

Dissapointingly, Perks only come in two flavors - extending the boost time granted per trick, and allowing you to land a tiny bit earlier without wiping out while performing a trick (though you get less boost/point rewards if the trick isn't completely finished.)

And unfortunately the progression system is a detriment to the Online mode. Even if you do happen to find someone playing, the chances of them being a similar level as you are very slim, which leads to very one-sided races. There is an "Invite Friends" option though which would work much better if you have Steam friends who you know are a good matchup for you. I played a few online matches against a couple mis-matched opponents, and didn't notice any lag - the game ran the same as offline.

There's a Split Screen option for 2-4 local players, but I couldn't try it because it seems to require each player to use a 360 controller and I only have the one. I'll update the review if it turns out there's a way around this.

The final mode is the "VR Challenge" which has you race against the "ghosts" of your Steam friends to try to beat their times. Again, you need to have Steam friends who play this game and have a similarly built up character to yours.

TL;DR get this game for the great single player arcade racing, unless you know you have some buddies to play with.

Really fun arcade type jet ski racing game. The physics are a little lackluster but its still a solid experience, offering a decent variety of tracks, jet skis(even though they pretty much all feel the same i think) and stunts, I liked most of the techno music too. Riptide GP2 is a wonderful port from mobile, with PC specific settings and outstanding performance, so it'll likely run well on your toaster if you give it a try.

$2.50/10

Well this is not a new idea what the developers have created.
but bringing it back and looking fresh and making it different
from the rest of racers out there they get a for sure.

I hope to see some new dlc and am pretty impressed that the
game is small and makes the retry race ever so fast.

as i'm writing this i have 2.5 hrs of game play on it. i'm sure i'll be reaching 30 ^_^
hope this helps someone out there make the right chouce in buying a game. chow ^^

I loved the original Wave Race and have been looking for something to scratch that particular itch for a while now. Make no mistake, this is a budget game and I originally played it on my mobile. The transition onto PC has worked pretty well and the game definitely benefits from using a controller. The graphics, sounds and music are well implemented although I use SweetFX to further enhance the visuals.

The core structure of the game is simple; compete in various types of challenges to earn stars and unlock new events. Competing also earns currency and skill points. The former can be used to purchase and upgrade racing craft while the latter allows new tricks/stunts to be earned. When stunts are performed, a boost meter is filled allowing a considerable pick up in speed. This becomes essential for staying competitve in later stages.

The hydro jets interact well with the dynamic water surface which ultimately leads to a fairly satisfying and enjoyable experience. The controls also respond in a consistent and fairly believeable way.

On the down side, the races are a little short (2-3) laps and the courses fairly similar (mainly closed but some which are more open). I hope that this issue is addressed should Riptide 3 be made.

If you can pick this up on sale, it's a firm recommendation if this type of game appeals to you.

Riptide GP2's arcade style provides a good mix of hydrojets, skills, and colorful maps. The multiplayer portion is pretty much dead, but there is a lot to be had from the single player. I got this game as part of a bundle so the price made the deal sweeter.

Great fun, although the online portion is lacking. If you liked Wave Race and Hydro Thunder on the N64, you'll probably like this one too.

This is a fun little game. You learn different tricks as you level up. Great music and graphics.
A great find in the bundle i got it in.

Want Hydro Thunder on steam?
Well, too bad. Microsoft hates you.

Riptide GP2 is about as close as you can get for now. Think Hydro Thunder Hurricane meets Waverace meets all those SSX wannabe racers from the PS2.
Stunt system is passable if overly simple, no doubt a restriction of having previously been a mobile game. Which also infects the game progression, from the simple 1-3 star rating system (original!) to the way certain events seem geared to making you have to come back to them later upgraded to pass them optimally (I assume to incentivise microtransaction boosts or something in the original game. Though there do not appear to be any microtransactions infesting this version, thankfully.). Control also leaves a little to be desired, as its designed originally to have auto-acceleration (though you can choose to manually accelerate in this version), it kind of reduces some of the nuance you get in games where you aren't expected to be going flat out constantly.

Overall though, if you are looking for a cheap fun arcadey water-based racer, you can't go far wrong with this. My issues are honetly minor and easily looked past.

Now if only the original Hydro Thunder, Hydro Thunder Hurrican and 4Wheel Thunder where on steam :'(

It's a PC port of a mobile game and most of the time I would say stay for away from them but this one is really good.
Basically if you were a fan of the JET MOTO and HYDRO THUNDER games as a kid you will probably get a bit nostaligic when playing this, now i wouldnt say this game has the physics down like those games but its still a fun arcade style Water Jet styled racing game the tracks are fun the tricks are easy to do but you can still fail at them enough to make them not OP and the soundtrack is dubstep which normally I hate but it works for this game.
As far as the graphics and look of the game goes its pretty good the water looks amazing a few of the jets looks weird but I think that was because of the color and not a graphics issue. The single player is fun and the only real downsde is there isn't much of a community to play the online races but thats no fault of the game just a lack of a community.

All in all it's a fun racing game to play which unfortunately there is a serious lack of for PC games and at $5 it's a good price but it seems to go on sale frequently as well.

8.5/10

This isn't as good as the other game by this developer (Hydro Thunder Hurricane), but it's about as close as you will get to Wave Race on PC.

What a nice surprise!!!

Cruisin'my libray I stumbled upon this hidden gem of a game and I can safely say that ever since Wave Race 64, or arcade racers of the early 00s like Hydro Thunder, I hadn't played anything like this.

Unlike those great gems of old, Riptide GP2 offers a deep career with both pilot and vehicle upgrades, you can also purchase new jet bikes and customize them. Music is just great, reminiscing of Wipeout or Motorhead, sounds, while basic, do their job. Graphics are up to modern standards with the reflections on the water being very realistic and bike handling at the very least obeys basic water physics.

If you have played those classics I mentioned, then you know what this is about and there is no excuse for you to not have this, if you don't, hey, it's not that expensive, jump in, the waters are great.

So, I have not played the game much, but from what I have played, seems like a pretty solid game. Feels like F-Zero from back in the old days with a touch of the X=Games sport trick games. Like Tony Hawk/Matt Hoffman games on a jetski. haha

The controls feel pretty solid, especially with using the Xbox wireless controller. Acceleration and breaking just feels more natural having variable pressure triggers.

The game itself seems pretty basic, like most racing games: enter race, the higher you score; the more points/money you get; use money to upgrade your vehicle, etc. You also have the one added element, you have a XP based level, and as you up your level, you earn points to unlock tricks you can do when you hit a ramp. The higher your level and more points you get, the better the tricks.

All around, for the price it's a pretty cool game; not necessarily for playing for hours on end, but awesome if you want something different to play while taking a break from the regular lineup.

This game is a winner - like others say - if you liked waverace on the nintendo you might like this a lot. I bought a 4 pack and gave it to my kids - age 10, 8 and 4 - we all have 360 controllers and each one of us has put quite a lot of time into it. My 4 year old gets upset when he doesn't win, but still plays it quite a bit. Good simple race game and i have to say i can't believe its so good and an android port. I hope to see some new content and am pretty impressed that the game is only 231 mb download for the amount of play.

Best jet racing game I've ever played! I've been waiting for this game since Jetboat Superchamps from 1999.. Try it for yourself, it's cheap as chips!

not pay to win. 10/10 multiplayer 5/5 single player. ♥♥♥♥ you first place npc. you know who you are...

Very addictive and fun. I have this game on both my computer and my iOS device. The physics in the game feel so real you almost feel the spray of the water as you jump off each wave. Single Player mode is fun, but as other comments might relate, there is almost no multiplayer community. However, the computer-based opponents are actually intelligent unlike many other racing games, and there is a split screen mode so you can play with your friends on the same machine. The fact that it is water-based instead of land-based has a surprising effect on the game and gives it a very different feel than most other games in general. NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D works well, too, for those that are interested in testing out your 3D setup.

Pretty sweet futuristic hydro-racing. It's got nice water graphics, you can do backflips and there's dubstep.

This game may have started out as a mobile game, but it's every bit as engrossing as any other racing game, lots of stunts to unlock, controls awesome with an X360 for Windows pad (turn auto accelerate off in options), looks pretty nice maxed too (I had terrible framerate, somehow reinstalling the game fixed it, so if your's runs choppy try redownloading/installing) I beat this game 3x now cause it's that fun (freestyle is kind'a hard), but it has online too with an option to "invite friends" to your' server, so that's cool too. I just wish more people played it online (I guess the mobile users are all playin Asphalt-8...)

Pretty well built arcadey style racing game. Personally I think it is an great port and deserves to be played.
Wish people played online though

I have a hard time recommending this game in its current state.

First the things I like.

The games controls great using an xbox 360 controller.

The game looks really good. They didn't just port the mobile version, they upgraded the graphics and it shows.

I have not been able to connect to a multiplayer game yet to make any comments about that. The game just sits there saying waiting for other players

What I don't like. and hope they are able to fix

First the sound. I am a huge fan of hydro thunder. And part of what makes that game so awesome is the whole background music and co-pilot talking to you type thing going on. Sadly there is none of that in this game. I actually really dislike the background music, it fails at making you feel like your on the edge of your seat like it does in hydro.

The sound effect used for wrecking your jet ski is just plain bad, reminds me of broken glass. seriously I just trashed a jet ski and the best sound they could come up with is the sound of dropped glass?

I could learn to live with the whole music thing, after all I can turn it off and play my own tunes, which I would recommend doing. However after 37 races I am losing interest in this game very quick. I have gone from this is really cool to this is really annoying. We all know this game is a port of the mobile version. The mobile version had in app purchases. Now to their credit they did remove that part of it. For the record I hate playing games that are pay to win or we are gonna make you grind grind grind. Well that's what it feels like to me, a giant grind.

Yes this game is nothing more than a grind when you get right down to it. I am on the third series of races out of 9 all together. Within each series you have multiple races. Each series requires x amount of stars to open and each race within requires x amount to open. I started to notice after the first series that I just could not compete anymore. I spend what little money I have on upgrades and bam all of the sudden I am coming in 2 and 3rd. I have reached yet another point in the 3rd series where I simply can not compete cause my bike is not good enough. So what do I have to do, gp back to the first series of races that I can actually come in first place now and start racing them over and over again until I earn enough money to be able to compete once again. An average race only lasts a couple mins so it doesn't seem bad really. But let me give you an example. I need 60,000 to unlock all 4 upgrades to my bike. I would buy a new bike but to get a comparable one in stats it would cost me 100,000. If you win a race you can make approx 1100 to 2200 if i recall a race. if come in second or even third you get paid squat. You do gain extra founds every time you level up as well. for example if you reach level 8 you get a 8,000 bonus. a thousand per level if I remember right.

My problem with this all is the fact I have reached a dead end in the game. I can't win any more races to collect stars to be able to continue in the game. The only way I can accomplish that is to upgrade my bike so I don't keep getting smoked by an average of 4-6 seconds. And the only way to upgrade my bike or buy a new one is to grind out races I have already won over and over again.

Keep in mind I am only in the 3rd series, this may or may not get better. I don't know and a may never find out because I am already burned out racing the same couple races over and over trying to earn money so I can upgrade my bike.

I can't begin to tell you how many hundreds of hours I have sunk into to hydro thunder, from the original arcade to the dreamcast, even this company's redux of it. This game was a no brainer for me to purchase. Kind of regretting it right now. This is not the next hydro. However with a few tweaks this game could be awesome in its own right.