WaveRunner (Arcade)

Released in arcades in 1996 by Sega, WaveRunner is a racing game running on the Sega Model 2 hardware. The game allows players to experience jet ski racing riding a full-sized model based on the Yamaha WaveRunner jet ski. The game features 3 different courses and 2 play modes-Normal & Long. This video features a race on each course in Long Mode, where all races are 5 laps compared to 3 laps on Normal. Each race features a field of 10 racers on courses filled with turns and jumps big & small. The player controls the racer by using handlebars and leaning left & right while riding on a full-size jetski. Small jumps sometimes won't send you jumping while big jumps give you enough air to do a random stunt and trigger a slot-like visual and point scoring on screen, which is mainly just for show. Each course has 2 checkpoints (the Expert course has 3) which extend the remaining time when passed. The game is over if time runs out. The race is complete if you complete 3/5 laps before time runs out. The game also allows up to 4 machines to be linked together for multiplayer racing. As one of a number of sports games in arcades with machines & controls simulating the real-life experience, plus the fact this machine was in just about every arcade & restaurant/entertainment center with video games, it was very successful and enjoyed a very long run in arcades of well over a decade. A sequel, WaveRunner GP, was released in arcades in 2001. There were no console versions of this game.