California Games II
The original California Games – first released in 1987 – is considered by many to be one of the best games from the late 8-bit era. Whether it was the original release on the Commodore 64, the slightly-cut-down version that came with the Atari Lynx, or a port from any one of around a dozen other platforms, the unique sun-drenched sports tend to conjure up fond memories from all who played them.
It was inevitable that such a highly-regarded game would be afforded a sequel, and Developer Epyx did not disappoint. By the time the game came out in 1990, 16-bit home computers had become commonplace, meaning that the Amiga, Atari ST and SNES were among the launch platforms.
Now available officially on Steam for the first time, you too can enjoy the five radical and awesome events:
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Hang-gliding
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Jet-skiing
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Snowboarding
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Bodyboarding
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Skateboarding
Just like the first game of the series, California Games II is easy to play but hard to master, with plenty of playground arguments about which event was the best.
So get ready to soar like a boss, dust some ice and kick some sweet ollies with this radical and bodacious sequel to one of the most popular games of all time!
From the original manual
_Yo! Dudes and dudettes!
Welcome back to California – land of Fun and Games! Get ready for the ultimate sequel: California Games II. It’s time for “fun in the sun” as you play five totally new events.
First, you’ll try Hang Gliding at San Francisco’s Fort Funston, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where the most daring hang gliders “hang out”. Next, you’ll take a helicopter ride to the top of Mt. Epyx for a wildly out-of-control Snowboarding run… all the way back down to the beach. Then you’ll take your surfjet out into Monterey Bay for the Santa Cruz Jet Surfing Competition. After that, you’ll compete in the Santa Cruz Bodyboarding Invitational. Finally, you’ll face the challenge of outlaw Skateboarding down the most aggro-cultural California Aqueduct.
Objectives
California Games II is a game for one to eight players. The object of the game is to score well in every event. Points are awarded for each event based upon your ranking among the other competitors. The player with the most points at the end of a competition earns the title of Supreme Dude. Practice to improve your skills in each event, compete with your family and friends, and soon you’ll be the Supreme Dude.
In competition if you break the record for an event, California Games II records your name and the new high score on the Most Excellent Dudes screen._
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MarineVerse Cup - Sailboat Racing
Excellent sail race game with a great community forming, and passionate developers keen to progress the game. if you want to learn about the intricacies and tactics of racing this is perfect. i’ve played it for a while now on rift s, and it works well, plenty of stats and race replays, leagues and multiplayer races can be found and the discord channel gives plenty of advice and ongoing support. look forward to more development in the future.
– Real player with 76.0 hrs in game
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Here’s the deal. This isn’t the prettiest game you’ll ever play. There’s no gorgeous vistas to take in as you sail one of a bajillion boats along and watch DVD movies on an In-Boat entertainment system. It’s not loaded with eye-candy fluff.
It is an incredibly good tool to TEACH YOU HOW SAILING WORKS. How to actually sail a boat, how to handle a boat, how to hold a boat so you move along at 11.9 knots instead of 11.7 knots. How to “trick the wind” to let you work on the weak side of irons. How to make a boat pass around 5 buoys in the shortest time in a “never seen it before and never see it again” dynamic situation…and then getting that little endorphin dump to hear your own name called out as the winner of yesterday’s daily race.
– Real player with 53.0 hrs in game
eSail Sailing Simulator
I came to eSail after putting in over 100 hours on Sailaway. I still go back to Sailaway occasionally as it has its own strengths, such as if you just want to head off into the depths of the ocean, but eSail is in another league and I can’t recommend it enough. As others have said, at the very least you’ll learn plenty about how to sail, which isn’t offered anywhere else to this degree. This review is mostly a comparison of the two, and hopefully that may help – when I was first trying to decide which one to go with, I didn’t have a clear idea of the differences.
– Real player with 810.0 hrs in game
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I have over 200 hours worth of game play, more if certain episodes were not scrubbed from memory (more on that later). I’ve achieved Master Explorer and had a fair few scrapes along the way.
Now, eSail is not what I would call a finished product, but it is playable, enjoyable and educational, what more could you ask for from a simulation? This is not as such a racing simulator, eSail aims to replicate a ‘realistic’ sailing experience. A lot of work has been put into wave motion and sail handling. To a lesser extent there is a basic navigation layout allowing you to plot a course and follow it, it has adequate mooring and anchoring features. There are still a few bugs with anchoring but of no real consequence, just take your time.
– Real player with 264.5 hrs in game
VR Regatta - The Sailing Game
UPDATE: It has been over 2 years since I initially reviewed this title. I have plenty of time in it both here on Steam as well as in the Oculus Quest port. The title has evolved a lot over the years, so my description in the original review doesn’t include any of the numerous elements that have been added to VR Sailing.
I just wanted to update my initial review because I remain extremely impressed with this title and especially the developer who is the most committed VR developer I’m aware of. VR Regatta is obviously a passion-project for this team, and they have gone to great lengths to continuously improving the title in order to spread their love and knowledge of sailing. It really is an awesome title, and I do recommend it to anyone who is slightly interested.
– Real player with 9.8 hrs in game
I don’t know anything about boats or sailing, but having played VR Regatta I feel a little wiser. This game is a sailing simulator and in general a relaxing VR experience. Features of the game include learning about the different parts of the boat, learning about wind and sails, and then of course actually sailing the boat in races or just free-sail relaxation modes. There is also an experimentation mode allowing you to sail on turbulent ocean waters and another mode that lets you walk around the surface of a galleon. It is still in Early Access right now so I feels to me like the game is still finding its identity.
– Real player with 4.2 hrs in game
Big Breezy Boat - Relaxing Sailing
This combined with its companion “VR Regatta” takes me back to the days when I could get in a boat and handle sails.
This is very immersive and will help everyone with any interest in sailing
The devs are responsive, and the community is great BUT these products are only for VR so be warned
Most of my time has been spent in the dinghy, just getting the feel of a much bigger boat
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
“Be free and go sailing on your own yacht surrounded by relaxing ocean!” describes it perfectly.
If you have a stressfull day and just want to unwind? Then this is for you.
Only con i can find is the day/night cycle
– Real player with 2.2 hrs in game
Pancake Sailor
Game is a scam. It is made so it will not close when you close it. This means you run out of the option to refund DLC’s you might buy for the game because it will run over the 2 hour limit without you knowing about it. I mentioned this in my refund request, but even though they claim refund requests are handled on a case by case basis, I was denied refund because the game had been running for more than 2 hours.
Although the game can be sat to run on a resolution of 7680x1440, it will only show the top part of the menu, making it impossible to play. Therefore, I asked for a refund. So no, I have not played for 49 hours, I
– Real player with 33.7 hrs in game
VR Regatta - The Sailing Game “Pancake Sailor”:
Pancake Sailor is a game within VR Regatta on the Steam platform. I completely enjoyed this game. Please take notice that VR Regatta - The Sailing Game is not free on Steam but is full worth the cost. Pancake Sailor is a free download which I fully recommend. Please note that you need to go to the website and get an invitation. I know it sounds like a lot of bother but trust me it is worth the effort this sailing simulation is simple enough for me to play on my home computer using keyboard commands and mouse camera views. I suggest you join in. Thanks, Greg for the great simulation. BruceBCampbell
– Real player with 13.0 hrs in game
Riding Seas
Riding Seas is a cartoon-style boat racing game that fits into the arcade racing games of the 2000s (WaveRace, Splashdown, …). A family friendly game, with varied, colorful and fun decorations in which you will find many references to cinema and / or video games.
The game offers:
Sailaway - The Sailing Simulator
Greetings.
This is a straightforward first ever review from someone that plays computer games as a hobby. It is divided in 2 parts (read just part 1, if you’re in a hurry).
Part 1
For those that love sailing, Sailaway is a wonderful simulator that sets together navigation in a open real world in real time with real weather conditions. You can sail along the sea coast and experience its geography and the real weather at the moment of your trip, or you can launch yourself in a round the world trip - it will take you months, just as in real sailing.
– Real player with 910.3 hrs in game
Updated review of Sailaway 2:
After a mishandled upgrade, which the developer has acknowledged and addressed, the simple facts are that while the new version has its bugs (you can still get stuck in the game with no working quit option, for example), it is a definite improvement over version 1. Just being able to walk freely around on deck now is a fantastic touch. The sail animations and water are also greatly improved. My biggest hate - the jumping landscape - is sorted (though buoys and the like still hop, which isn’t great). All the good remains - the ability to smash through the waves of the world in a simulation of the actual weather in your chosen location remains.
– Real player with 765.0 hrs in game
Ultra Boat Game!!!
I got the high score in six minutes.
– Real player with 0.5 hrs in game
It does what it says it does.
It is cheap and worth the current price for a brief fling with hellish boats.
The game is VERY simple. Drive your boat around obstacles, Oregon Trail styles.
It’s fine.
– Real player with 0.1 hrs in game
Shipped
This has become one of my go-to games to sit with some friends and just laugh and have fun. There is a little bit of a learning curve with the controls but it isn’t frustrating. The only real frustration you get is when your friends edge you out. I would like to see more game modes in the future; however, what the game currently has is more than enough for some hours of entertainment with friends.
The local multiplayer can support up to 8 friends or bots and is definitely a joy with more people. Simple yet extremely entertaining.
– Real player with 82.1 hrs in game
Español: No he probado el juego mucho rato pero COMPRA RECOMENDADA da igual si no tienes amigos con los que jugar, osi (en mi caso juego por Parsec), modo singleplayer ten buena como multiplayer. Muy buena banda sonora y en mi opinión mejora mucho si juegas con mando.
English(i’m not excellent at english): I don’t tried the game for too long,I TOTALLY recommend it to you if you don’t have any friends to play with or if do you have them(in my case I use Parsec to play online),very nice playing singlepayer. Very nice soundtrack and in my opinion the experience is much better with a controller rather than with a keyboard
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game