SplashDown 2: Rides Gone Wild

Escape from Monkey Is... Err, I mean Skull Island.

Time for some water-action without guns or man-eating sharks, all you need is your water scooter. Actually you just need your PS2 and THQ will provide the rest. Granted, it’s all virtual and might not be the same as actually being there yourself, racing the blue ocean off the coast of some bounty island, but it’s probably safer to just stay in your couch with SplashDown 2: Rides Gone Wild on your TV screen.

Same old, same old

Someone get her a surfboard instead.

We might as well get down to the honest facts right away. SplashDown 2 isn’t exactly a revolution. It’s a decent game, but compared to other games in the same genre, it doesn’t really offer anything new. Games like Tony Hawk and Freestyle Metal X spring to mind. The only difference is the element in which the action takes place.

The game contains a lot of different courses of which most are locked initially, but you’ll gain access to these courses as you win races and progress through the game. The races pit you against four competitors and the goal is simple: finish first. When you are racing around the various courses you can boost your water scooter by performing special moves. You are awarded points for the difficulty of each successful move and at the same time a turbo bar slowly fills up. This way, making tricks will actually enable you to go faster for a while. To win the races you therefore have to create some entertainment for the spectators.

Outside or inside

A giant fireball, and of course you have to go straight through it.

It’s up to you if you want to race outside in courses all over the world or around indoor courses. No matter what you pick only the scenery changes, the purpose stays the same: race to win and unlock some new places to race. New courses aren’t the only thing you can unlock though, new drivers, outfits and vehicles are also among the bonus features. The drivers have some different abilities but the choice of water scooter doesn’t affect your racing that much. The game can be played at three difficulty levels and points will be awarded more generously if you beat the competition at the highest level.

And everything else

This place looks rather Tomb Raider-esque.

Besides the competition mode there’s also the option of practicing the various courses, but the game also contains some courses specifically designed for perfecting your tricks and moves. This part of the game was actually the one I found to be the most interesting. You’ll be guided through all the aspects of handling your water scooter and you have the option to be instructed in the 75 different tricks you can perform in the game.

There are also specific courses for time challenges if you want to ride all by yourself. These courses are somewhat more complex and challenging than the normal competition courses. You can race with a friend on the same console if you like, though the split-screen makes it a little difficult to see everything due to the very action-packed nature of the races.

That’s it and that’s that

I don't think you're supposed to use your water scooter in the snow.

If all of this sounds a little too much like a repetition of the gameplay in countless other games, you’re not far off the mark. Granted, the game has some cool features in controlling the water scooter but apart from that, everything else is right down the beaten track. SplashDown 2 is an okay game but it’s nothing more than that. At no point does it get by an average rating and spending your hard earned money on this game isn’t something I’d really recommend. We’ve seen most of this before and there are plenty of platinum versions of older games with better gameplay in the same genre out there. If water and wetsuits are among your turn-ons, though, it might be an altogether different story.


Source: Boomtown DK
English version by: Julian Henlov (Progrock)