Get News and Updates, Post Comments on our HTH Facebook Fan Page

Looking for news on Vector Unit's upcoming Hydro Thunder Hurricane for XBLA?  We've set up a fan page on Facebook where we'll be posting regular updates, screen shots, video, and more.  It's also a great place to post your comments and interact with the development team.  

You can link to the new fan page by clicking this link:

Incidentally we turned comments off on the news articles here on the Vector Unit site.  We're a small company and don't have a ton of time to respond to individual comments, so we're trying to consolidate all of them in one place, on Facebook.  If you posted an anonymous comment earlier on this page that you want a real answer to, please email us at info@vectorunit.com and we'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

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Vector Unit Brings Back Arcade Favorite with Hydro Thunder Hurricane

Boston, MA – March 26, 2010, Microsoft Game Studios and developer Vector Unit today announced Hydro Thunder Hurricane, an Xbox LIVE Arcade-exclusive sequel to the legendary Midway speedboat racing arcade game.  Featuring all-new, over-the-top themed environments, rocket-powered speedboats, gorgeous visuals, and amazing dynamic water physics, Hydro Thunder Hurricane is the adrenaline dripping sequel fans have been waiting for.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane includes 8 brand new "theme park" environments, each set in a different location around the globe.  Each world is packed with animated surprises, destructible objects, and special events that players trigger in-game. New game modes include Ring Master, a series of slalom-style challenges with progressive difficulties;Gauntlet, an explosive new take on time trial; and a series of multi-event Championships. Fan favorite speedboats from the original Hydro Thunder also make a return like Razorback, Cutthroat, and the flying saucer shaped Rad Hazard with beautifully redesigned models, multiple unlockable skins, and articulated boost animations with massive rockets folding out from hidden compartments.  Each boat features unique handling characteristics.

"We're huge fans of the original Hydro Thunder," says Matt Small, Creative Director at Vector Unit.  "There's so much there that already works -- the exhilarating boost speeds, the crazy shortcuts, the gigantic jumps and drop-offs.  We knew we wanted to keep all of that -- even add more of it.  At the same time, we had to bring something new to the table, something more than just recreating the original game with high-res graphics."

Technical Director Ralf Knoesel adds, "We decided to take the ideas that worked from the original, and then start over from scratch.  The water physics engine is completely new. Everything affects the racing surface -- the boats leave wakes behind them that other boats can jump off or draft in, falling rocks and explosions create huge waves, we've got wave machines, whirlpools, the works.  The water is always changing, so you never get exactly the same race twice."

Hydro Thunder Hurricane introduces support for 8-player online racing on Xbox LIVE..  The game also allows for local split screen multiplayer with up to 4 players -- or any combination of local and online play.   In addition to races, players can team up in the new Rubber Ducky game mode.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is showcasing at Penny Arcade Expo East at booth #811 this weekend. The game launches summer 2010, exclusively available only on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Game X will be announced at PAX East

Vector Unit's top secret project, known only as Game X, will finally see the light of day at PAX East in Boston on March 26.  

The Vector Unit team will be on the show floor at the Hynes Convention Center, demo'ing the game on two kiosks in the Xbox LIVE Arcade booth.  You won't be able to miss us:  we'll be the two tall guys with circles under our eyes wearing bright orange Vector Unit shirts.

We're incredibly excited to be finally announcing the game -- the team here at Vector Unit, full timers and contractors alike, have put a lot of love and polish into every nook and cranny of this thing, and we hope players are as excited about the results as we are.

We're also grateful to be part of the Penny Arcade Expo, and to have the opportunity to demo the game face to face with real gamers.  

For more info on PAX East, visit their website at PAX East 2010.  I think the floor passes are sold out, but if you don't have passes already you can stand outside and take pictures of people dressed like Pikachu.