<s>
is	O
a	O
1996	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
F-Zero	B-Application
on	O
water	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
feature	O
high-speed	O
boats	O
with	O
transforming	O
capabilities	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
were	O
ultimately	O
replaced	O
with	O
Jet	O
Skis	O
as	O
producer	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
differentiated	O
enough	O
from	O
other	O
titles	O
on	O
other	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
received	O
acclaim	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
satisfying	O
controls	O
and	O
dynamic	O
watery	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
credited	O
with	O
helping	O
Nintendo	O
effectively	O
make	O
its	O
paradigmatic	O
leap	O
from	O
the	O
16-bit	B-Application
2D	O
graphics	O
of	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
3D	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
2007	O
and	O
2016	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
in	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blue	I-Application
Storm	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
is	O
a	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
race	O
on	O
personal	O
watercrafts	O
in	O
different	O
weather	O
conditions	O
and	O
on	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
courses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
transfer	O
saved	O
data	O
from	O
one	O
game	O
cartridge	O
to	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
EAD	O
and	O
produced	O
by	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takahashi	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
Yoshiaki	O
Koizumi	O
,	O
who	O
worked	O
with	O
Miyamoto	O
on	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
are	O
credited	O
for	O
helping	O
the	O
company	O
effectively	O
make	O
its	O
paradigmatic	O
leap	O
from	O
the	O
16-bit	B-Application
2D	O
graphics	O
of	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
3D	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
experimenting	O
with	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
Silicon	O
Graphics	O
technology	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
programmers	O
created	O
a	O
tech	O
demo	O
that	O
served	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
wave	O
programming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
F-Zero	B-Application
on	O
water	O
"	O
and	O
would	O
feature	O
high-speed	O
boats	O
,	O
as	O
shown	O
in	O
footage	O
from	O
the	O
1995	O
Nintendo	O
Shoshinkai	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miyamoto	O
explained	O
that	O
"	O
boats	O
looked	O
pretty	O
good	O
at	O
the	O
show	O
,	O
but	O
I	O
did	O
n't	O
think	O
that	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
would	O
be	O
unique	O
from	O
similar	O
games	O
on	O
other	O
systems	O
if	O
we	O
used	O
boats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jet	O
Skis	O
can	O
show	O
many	O
maneuvers	O
that	O
work	O
well	O
in	O
the	O
realistic	O
water	O
of	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
uses	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
alpha	B-Algorithm
blending	I-Algorithm
feature	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
water	O
simultaneously	O
transparent	O
and	O
reflective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
promoted	O
with	O
a	O
marketing	O
campaign	O
that	O
cost	O
$4	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
released	O
as	O
the	O
third	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
on	O
November	O
4	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
featuring	O
voice	O
changes	O
and	O
renamed	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
racing	O
game	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
hardware	O
capabilities	O
to	O
"	O
create	O
a	O
believable	O
and	O
engaging	O
water	O
environment	O
unmatched	O
by	O
previous	O
games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
1997	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
re-issued	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
July	O
1997	O
as	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
takes	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Rumble	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
and	O
adds	O
ghost	O
functions	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
time	O
trial	O
mode	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
dolphin	O
that	O
races	O
against	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
represents	O
the	O
previous	O
best	O
time	O
on	O
the	O
course	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
a	O
critical	O
and	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
selling	O
more	O
than	O
154,000	O
units	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
December	O
1996	O
and	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
December	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
described	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
as	O
a	O
"	O
phenomenally	O
fun	O
"	O
racing	O
game	O
that	O
captivates	O
players	O
with	O
its	O
deep	O
and	O
challenging	O
gameplay	O
,	O
while	O
Next	O
Generation	O
regarded	O
it	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
quality	O
titles	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
along	O
with	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
Pilotwings	B-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphically	O
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
fluid	O
animations	O
,	O
realistic	O
physics	O
,	O
clean	O
waters	O
,	O
and	O
textured	O
polygons	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
N64	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
journalists	O
described	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
deepest	O
racing	O
games	O
"	O
they	O
had	O
played	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
dynamic	O
waves	O
"	O
constantly	O
tests	O
and	O
re-tests	O
"	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
control	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
buoys	O
system	O
offers	O
tactical	O
decisions	O
about	O
whether	O
to	O
spend	O
time	O
taking	O
a	O
wide	O
corner	O
or	O
dash	O
straight	O
on	O
to	O
catch	O
the	O
leader	O
before	O
it	O
's	O
too	O
late	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
magazine	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
courses	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
most	O
of	O
them	O
can	O
be	O
seen	O
in	O
a	O
day	O
's	O
play	O
,	O
it	O
ultimately	O
concluded	O
that	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
is	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
how	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
approach	O
to	O
game	O
design	O
still	O
remains	O
markedly	O
different	O
from	O
almost	O
every	O
other	O
videogames	O
company	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Glenn	O
Rubenstein	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
controls	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
"	O
makes	O
the	O
best	O
use	O
yet	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
analog	I-Device
stick	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
1997	O
,	O
EGM	O
editors	O
named	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
their	O
Sports	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
and	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
their	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
award	O
(	O
behind	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
)	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
realistic	O
physics	O
and	O
variety	O
of	O
tracks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
has	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
several	O
top	O
lists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1999	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
it	O
20th	O
on	O
a	O
similar	O
list	O
,	O
commenting	O
that	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
Mario	B-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
demonstrated	O
more	O
graphical	O
power	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
remarked	O
that	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
incorporated	O
water	O
physics	O
into	O
racing	O
unlike	O
any	O
game	O
before	O
it	O
,	O
or	O
any	O
since	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
placed	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
at	O
127th	O
in	O
its	O
"	O
Top	O
200	O
"	O
games	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blue	I-Application
Storm	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
China	O
for	O
the	O
iQue	B-Application
Player	I-Application
console	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
6	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
release	O
does	O
not	O
feature	O
Kawasaki	O
banners	O
due	O
to	O
expired	O
licensing	O
deals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
were	O
replaced	O
by	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
and	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
advertisements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Kawasaki	O
banners	O
were	O
restored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
on	O
August	O
19	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
once	O
again	O
with	O
the	O
Kawasaki	O
banners	O
restored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
generally	O
very	O
well	O
received	O
,	O
with	O
reviewers	O
considering	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
just	O
as	O
much	O
fun	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Codemasters	O
producer	O
Guy	O
Wilday	O
cited	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
as	O
a	O
key	O
influence	O
in	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
their	O
1998	O
racing	O
game	O
Colin	B-Application
McRae	I-Application
Rally	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Wilday	O
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
is	O
"	O
a	O
fine	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
with	O
realistic	O
physics	O
and	O
an	O
incredibly	O
well	O
balanced	O
control	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
