Rainbow Studios has taken the series in many new directions, starting with the courses and the graphic style.  Eight enormous fantasy courses were created for an all-new Career mode.  Each of these worlds has its own unique style; the first one is a pretty beach, while one of the latter courses is a flooded city.  The pretty beach quickly becomes a nightmare when the sky suddenly darkens and a thunderstorm takes over.  Everywhere you turn you'll see the effects of the storm, all of which occurs in real-time.  The same is true for the flooded city, which overflows with more water during each lap.  Cars get brushed aside like a crumb on a table.  Bridges collapse, creating a hazardous path for you to cross.  When the damage doesn't affect the race, you'll find yourself in a bit of a jam when you try to pull your eyes away from all the action.  It's a really amazing experience.  Having the worlds change so much so quickly, and in real-time no less, was probably the smartest move the developers made for this sequel.  And don't forget: there are eight of these fantasy worlds.  But I only spoiled two of them – you'll have to play the game if you want to experience the rest.  (Trust me, you'll definitely want to play this game.)

Rides Gone Wild is true to its name when it comes to performing all of the new stunts.  There are so many stunt variations that the total amounts to more than 300.  Spread across three tiers, players of the first game can expect to see some familiar button combinations.  By pressing the left analog stick and any one of the shoulder buttons (except L2), you'll execute a Tier 1 stunt.  By adding additional movements, such as Up and Down, you'll perform a Tier 2 stunt.  To take it even further and perform a Tier 3 stunt, the only thing you have to do is press the left analog stick in a couple more directions.  You can't just button-mash your way to success; each tier has pre-set combos, and only those combos will allow you to reach the second and third tiers.

Rides Gone Wild's combo system has a much more meaningful purpose than gaining points: it fills your performance meter.  The performance meter increases your speed and is a vital part of the game.  This not only encourages, but also in the later courses requires you to perform a variety of stunts and stunt combos.  As with the first game, the extra "work" is really the developer's way of adding more thrills and more fun to the experience.

Being a very greedy gamer, I am never satisfied with "some" new things.  The eight fantasy courses are stellar, but I want more!  There's no need to say it though.  Rainbow Studios clearly knows their audience: gamers who aren't easily satisfied.  That's why they developed a dozen new stadium courses and five new freestyle courses for Rides Gone Wild.  The design is excellent.  Simple and exquisite.  Wild but not crazy.  Realistic-looking, but not actually realistic.  Water-filled platforms are found in many of the stadium courses, and you have to jump off of ramps and race up and down these platforms to win.  It's very exciting, creating lots of enjoyment for racing fans everywhere.  Although not as much of a fantasy, the same rules apply: to increase your speed, you're going to have to perform many stunts.

The new graphic style may come as a disappointment to some.  It did to me at first.  I loved the water effects from the first game.  It would have been nearly impossible for me to give them more praise.  So it was sad to see those near-perfect water effects go.

The disappointment faded once I actually played Rides Gone Wild.  It may not look quite as realistic, but the graphics are truly something special.  The fantasy worlds are going to shock and surprise you, no doubt.  And the new light-reflective water effects in the stadium course are pretty impressive as well.  The frame rate is always consistent, no matter how much action occurs on screen, which means you'll never have to worry about being interrupted by some silly technical issue.  The gameplay is seamless at all times.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.  Splashdown lovers shouldn't have even waited for a review, 'cause this game should already be theirs.  Newcomers and skeptical gamers: stop doubting Splashdown's greatness and buy it already.  Racing games are a hard to recommend to everyone, but Rainbow Studios made it an easy task.

For more information on Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild, check GameZone Online’s interview with Rainbow Studios.

Gameplay: 9
Rides Gone Wild is a triple-A title: awesome, amazing, and antastic!  Er...that last word is fantastic without the F, but who cares.  Rides Gone Wild packs more gameplay goodness into its watery worlds than any other racer out there.  It's the "Gran Turismo" of watercraft racers.  The AI is great without being cheap.  You always feel like you have a chance to win, even on the game's hardest difficulty.  Rarely is a game's challenge so evenly balanced.  Everything about this game deserves praise, most of all the gameplay.  It's deep, yet fast and exciting and unrealistic (in a good way) like an arcade game.

Graphics: 8.9
Rides Gone Wild is dressed to impress.  Don't let the screenshots fool you: this isn't a graphically-degraded sequel.  Rainbow Studios used a lot more background effects this time around, so it wouldn't have been easy (and perhaps not possible at all) to keep the graphics at the same level as the first game.  As much as I loved the prequel's water effects, the cartoony polygons work really well here.  You really can't complain.  If you do, then obviously you haven't played the game yourself.

Sound: 7.9
This sequel doesn't have the rockstar power of the first game, but the soundtrack, which features bands like The Exies and Audiovent, turned out good.  Better than good, actually.  Call me crazy, but the track from The Donnas is pretty enjoyable, and The Exies suits the game's style.

Difficulty: Medium
Rides Gone Wild doesn't stray far from the first game, which was challenging, but never frustrating.  You've got your work cut out for you if you want to get 100% completion.  Better start now if you want to be a Splashdown master before school begins!

Concept: 8
What's the most commonly used word in a gamer's vocabulary?  More.  They want "more" good games, "more" great sequels, and "more" variety in the sequels to the games that they love.  Rainbow Studios went all out with this one and gave us more than just an upgrade to the original.  The new stunts, the new tier system, the fantasy courses – it's all good.

Multiplayer: 8
This is a fun multiplayer game, but with the majority of the courses locked, you'll have to play by yourself for a while before you get to have the full multiplayer experience with your friends.  Of course, with a single-player mode as good as this game has, you won't feel like you "have" to do anything, 'cause you'll want to play the single-player mode until your thumbs are numb and your eyes begin watering uncontrollably.  (It's not healthy, but whoever said game addiction was?)

Overall: 9
Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild is the epitome of fun.  If you haven't gotten down with the first Splashdown, there is no better time than now.  The game is cheap -- you'll find it at most retailers for $20 or less.  And if you want even more excitement (we all do), then get wild and crazy with Rides Gone Wild.  There is so much to do, so much to unlock.  You'll have fun with the two-player mode, but the heart of the game is really the single-player experience.  It's addictive from the start, and the fantasy courses are so good that you'll want to race them again and again.  THQ was smart to grab Rainbow Studios while they had the chance -- now this masterpiece series is exclusively theirs.  And for those of you who own a PlayStation 2, this game is exclusively yours.