Hydro Thunder is one of my top 3 favorite arcade games. So, I jumped at the chance to try Hydro Thunder Hurricane for Xbox Live Arcade at E3 2010 this week. I started off by playing the first track, which is one of the easier ones, and proceed to get first place. So, I moved up to a harder course and was still able to do pretty well. The game controls like the arcade but looks great in HD.  The game feels fluid like you would expect from racing on water. The water itself is dynamic this time around so things like a boat's wake and falling objects effect the feel of the course. 

Hydro Thunder Hurricane plays just like the original with simple controls. There are still turbo pickups on the course to grab, and you still have to time using your turbo property to make the large jumps for the hidden short cuts.  If you waste the turbo too early you'll run into a wall instead of making the jump and have to go around. For an arcade racer this little bit of strategy is always appreciated.

When it release Hydro Thunder Hurricane will have 8 courses and over 30 boat/skin combinations. It supports 8 player races over Xbox Live as well as 4 player split screen.  You can even take your split screen group into races on Xbox Live. So, have some friends over on your couch and take on another group. There is no DLC currently planned but it fans make enough requests for it after release, and the game's sales warrant it, they are not opposed to releasing DLC. This is one game I'll gladly pay 1200 points for when it releases this summer.