<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
is	O
a	O
boat	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Vector	O
Unit	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
via	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
28	O
,	O
2010	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Summer	O
of	O
Arcade	O
promotion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
originally	O
an	O
arcade	O
game	O
and	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Thunder	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
onto	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
backward	O
compatible	O
games	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
December	O
17	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
collect	O
boost	O
powerups	B-Operating_System
throughout	O
a	O
course	O
which	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
speed	O
of	O
the	O
boat	O
,	O
jump	O
over	O
obstacles	O
,	O
or	O
unlock	O
shortcuts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
is	O
an	O
arcade-style	O
boat	O
racing	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
players	O
can	O
collect	O
boost	O
powerups	B-Operating_System
throughout	O
a	O
course	O
which	O
physically	O
transform	O
the	O
boat	O
into	O
a	O
more	O
aggressive-looking	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
routes	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
by	O
simply	O
driving	O
towards	O
them	O
or	O
smashing	O
through	O
an	O
obstacle	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
require	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
drive	O
over	O
green	O
powerups	B-Operating_System
which	O
lower	O
gates	O
or	O
raise	O
ramps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
also	O
use	O
any	O
combination	O
of	O
splitscreen	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
players	O
to	O
play	O
online	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiplayer	O
races	O
feature	O
a	O
"	O
loser	O
helper	O
"	O
powerup	B-Operating_System
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
of	O
"	O
1X	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
4X	O
"	O
boost	O
powerups	B-Operating_System
,	O
multiplayer	O
races	O
feature	O
only	O
one	O
type	O
of	O
boost	O
powerup	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
powerup	B-Operating_System
is	O
dynamic	O
,	O
awarding	O
players	O
leading	O
the	O
race	O
with	O
less	O
boost	O
,	O
while	O
those	O
in	O
the	O
rear	O
are	O
awarded	O
more	O
boost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vector	O
Unit	O
explained	O
the	O
decision	O
further	O
on	O
their	O
blog	O
:	O
"	O
If	O
players	O
--	O
especially	O
new	O
players	O
--	O
are	O
too	O
easily	O
frustrated	O
,	O
they	O
just	O
say	O
screw	O
this	O
and	O
drop	O
out	O
,	O
which	O
reduces	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
and	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
available	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
was	O
first	O
unveiled	O
at	O
PAX	O
East	O
on	O
March	O
26	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
was	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
annual	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Summer	O
of	O
Arcade	O
along	O
with	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Monday	B-Application
Night	I-Application
Combat	I-Application
and	O
Limbo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fresnel	O
reflections	O
,	O
normal	B-Application
mapping	I-Application
,	O
ray-traced	B-Algorithm
depth	O
fogging	O
and	O
depth-based	O
foam	O
and	O
an	O
adaptive	O
LOD	O
system	O
were	O
built	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
physics	O
system	O
that	O
controls	O
the	O
water	O
allows	O
multiple	O
types	O
of	O
waves	O
such	O
as	O
wakes	O
and	O
whirlpools	B-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
also	O
adapts	O
to	O
handle	O
different	O
boat	O
hulls	O
and	O
other	O
objects	O
in	O
the	O
water	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
also	O
provided	O
support	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Wireless	O
Racing	O
Wheel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
premium	O
theme	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
's	O
New	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Experience	O
dashboard	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
15	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
promotion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
did	O
not	O
start	O
life	O
as	O
a	O
Thunder	O
franchise	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vector	O
Unit	O
co-founders	O
Matt	O
Small	O
and	O
Ralf	O
Knoesel	O
had	O
both	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Blood	B-Application
Wake	I-Application
,	O
a	O
boat	O
combat	O
title	O
for	O
the	B-Application
original	I-Application
Xbox	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
took	O
lessons	O
from	O
Blood	B-Application
Wake	I-Application
,	O
altering	O
and	O
updating	O
the	O
physics	O
to	O
be	O
not	O
only	O
realistic	O
,	O
but	O
to	O
"	O
make	O
a	O
game	O
which	O
a	O
Novice	O
player	O
can	O
easily	O
pick	O
up	O
and	O
learn	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
publishers	O
interested	O
in	O
Barracuda	O
,	O
and	O
talks	O
began	O
for	O
publishing	O
the	O
game	O
:	O
"	O
There	O
was	O
this	O
one	O
producer	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
who	O
kept	O
talking	O
about	O
how	O
with	O
a	O
few	O
tweaks	O
Barracuda	O
would	O
make	O
an	O
awesome	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decision	O
was	O
made	O
to	O
turn	O
the	O
game	O
into	O
a	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
sequel	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
acquired	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
name	O
shortly	O
before	O
publisher	O
Midway	O
Games	O
went	O
bankrupt	O
and	O
was	O
bought	O
by	O
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
using	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
proprietary	O
and	O
third-party	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
3D	O
models	O
were	O
created	O
in	O
Maya	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Co-founder	O
and	O
Lead	O
Programmer	O
Ralf	O
Knoesel	O
created	O
a	O
plugin	O
which	O
integrated	O
with	O
Maya	B-Language
that	O
allowed	O
artists	O
to	O
see	O
what	O
the	O
boat	O
would	O
look	O
like	O
in-game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
engine	O
was	O
built	O
from	O
the	O
ground	O
up	O
,	O
and	O
unitizes	O
FMOD	B-Application
for	O
sound	O
and	O
Bullet	B-Application
Physics	I-Application
Library	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
physics	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
development	O
process	O
Vector	O
Unit	O
maintained	O
a	O
PC	O
build	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
which	O
allowed	O
artists	O
and	O
other	O
team	O
members	O
to	O
test	O
their	O
assets	O
in-game	O
without	O
moving	O
to	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Debug	O
Kit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vector	O
Unit	O
had	O
contemplated	O
simply	O
porting	O
the	O
original	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
they	O
had	O
been	O
given	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
Vector	O
also	O
announced	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
via	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
when	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
is	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
joins	O
other	O
ports	O
of	O
popular	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Ms.	B-Application
Splosion	I-Application
Man	I-Application
,	O
Toy	B-Application
Soldiers	I-Application
and	O
Ilomilo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
asked	O
about	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
stated	O
:	O
"	O
People	O
ask	O
us	O
this	O
all	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
unfortunately	O
the	O
answer	O
is	O
no	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vector	O
Unit	O
held	O
a	O
contest	O
from	O
August	O
14	O
to	O
23	O
,	O
2010	O
allowing	O
consumers	O
to	O
design	O
a	O
skin	B-Application
for	O
their	O
favorite	O
boat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vector	O
Unit	O
released	O
DLC	B-Protocol
pack	O
named	O
Tempest	O
Pack	O
,	O
consisting	O
of	O
three	O
tracks	O
-	O
Atlantis	O
,	O
Castle	O
Von	O
Boom	O
,	O
and	O
Bermuda	O
Triangle	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
Race	O
,	O
Ring	O
Master	O
and	O
Gauntlet	O
game	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
also	O
adds	O
three	O
new	O
achievements	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vector	O
Unit	O
stated	O
that	O
if	O
sales	O
of	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Tempest	O
Pack	O
are	O
high	O
enough	O
there	O
may	O
be	O
additional	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
:	O
"	O
We	O
'd	O
love	O
to	O
do	O
more	O
;	O
we	O
have	O
all	O
kinds	O
of	O
ideas	O
for	O
new	O
boats	O
,	O
new	O
tracks	O
,	O
the	O
whole	O
shebang	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1Up.coms	O
Bob	O
Mackey	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
perfect	O
match	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
"	O
and	O
the	O
reviewer	O
from	O
GameTrailers	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
looks	O
sharp	O
for	O
a	O
$15	O
release	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
UKs	O
reviewer	O
cited	O
that	O
"	O
there	O
's	O
a	O
brilliant	O
playfulness	O
to	O
the	O
level	O
design	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
most	O
negative	O
review	O
of	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Hurricane	I-Application
by	O
a	O
major	O
publication	O
,	O
Arthur	O
Gies	O
of	O
IGN	O
cited	O
the	O
vibrant	O
colors	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Hydro	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
then	O
criticized	O
Hurricane	O
's	O
visuals	O
,	O
calling	O
them	O
"	O
muted	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
130,000	O
units	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Total	O
sales	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
for	O
2010	O
were	O
in	O
excess	O
of	O
160,000	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
on	O
the	O
360	B-Operating_System
continued	O
to	O
be	O
strong	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
53,000	O
units	O
being	O
sold	O
the	O
first	O
week	O
of	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
year-end	O
2011	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
sales	O
increased	O
to	O
223,000	O
units	O
for	O
the	O
core	O
game	O
and	O
nearly	O
25,000	O
for	O
its	O
expansion	O
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
December	O
2012	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
sales	O
increased	O
by	O
an	O
estimated	O
45%	O
,	O
with	O
leaderboards	O
registering	O
over	O
321,000	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Tempest	O
Pack	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
received	O
high	O
praise	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Laster	O
of	O
XBLA	B-Device
Fans	O
gave	O
the	O
Tempest	O
Pack	O
a	O
"	O
Buy	O
"	O
rating	O
and	O
called	O
the	O
content	O
a	O
great	O
value	O
for	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
