Showing posts with label Hydro Sprint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hydro Sprint. Show all posts

Dreamcast Magazine Issue 6

Issue 6 of Paragon Publishing's unofficial Dreamcast Magazine was available from the 24th February 2000 and marked the first time Lara Croft appeared on the mag's cover. Following in the tradition set by preceding issues, several features on arcade games that either weren't announced or had nothing to do with the Dreamcast are included, although to off-set that there is a fairly lengthy 'history of racing games' article, complete with previews of upcoming Dreamcast driving titles. Issue 6 is particularly interesting in that several high profile abandoned games are showcased, with Picassio, DroneZ and Felony Pursuit all being covered, and Midnight GT also gets a small mention.

A Quick Look At Aqua GT

You know you're in for a rough ride when the development history of a game is more interesting than the final product, and that's exactly the case with Aqua GT. This powerboat racer started life as Hydro Sprint by Promethean Designs, and was showcased in several magazines of the era as boasting Wave Race 64-quality water effects and some nicely detailed boats in which to skim across the briny.
The game underwent several changes in stylistic direction and was known as Hydrosport Racing at one stage during development, and according to the Promethean Designs website was to feature an open world which could be explored in your powerboat, allowing you to take in different environments with 'rapids, ravines and choppy ocean courses.' It all sounded very promising - if a little ambitious - and was a game I was looking forward to getting my hands on. At some point in 2000 though, Promethean Designs changed their name to East Point Games, cancelled a load of interesting titles (see Picassio and Renegade Racers for further info) and spewed Aqua GT out onto an unsuspecting public, before quietly going bust and vanishing into the ether with little more than a disappointing sigh.