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The
original Wipeout was a massive hit during the infancy of the PlayStation. Along
with Destruction Derby, they both offered silky smooth graphics which gave us
all a small insight into the power of the PSX, but it was generally considered
that Wipeout was the better game due to its incredible gut-wrenching speed!
For
some bizarre reason Psygnosis have decided to give this game TWO names......
this review is being done one the European version of the game WIPEOUT 2097, but
it is believed that the USA version WIPEOUT XL is identical.
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For
the uninitiated amongst you, Wipeout is high-speed futuristic racing in the most
extreme sense. You must pilot any of the available anti-gravity craft, racing
and blasting your way to victory in order to progress through the various
tracks and levels available in order to become the champion and to survive!
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The
original game was beautiful to begin with and therefore the addition of even
more spectacular scenery leaves you with your eyes wide and jaw suitably
dropped, you just don't appreciate how detailed the tracks and backdrops all are
while racing, instead pass over the controller to a friend, sit back and enjoy
the ride. The game is almost as good to watch as to play!
Animated
objects have been added, on one track you race past a monorail train which runs
alongside you, birds can be seen flying around in the forest stage and fans
turning in the industrial zone.
Rain falls on some of the tracks and in
some cases rumbling thunder and striking flashes of lightening can be both seen
and heard.
To say that the graphics are perfect would be wrong, but you
have to look pretty hard to see any glitches in them and bearing in mind the
massive amount of work that the machine must be doing to keep everything moving
so quickly and fluidly I think that the programmers deserve every bit of praise
that they will no doubt get.
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For
those of you with a surround sound audio system this game is a real treat.
Sounds seem to come from everywhere.... as you move you craft left and right on
the track, so the sound follows it from speaker to speaker. The rush of the
track can be heard from the rear speakers as can the computerised announcer and
many of the huge explosions. The effects used throughout this game are just
perfect, a great amount of time has obviously been spent on making them just
right.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better..... the music
kicks in, its FIRE STARTER by The Prodigy (a massive worldwide hit in the
club-scene) you just have to crank up the volume to the MAX, eager to get in a
couple of quick games before the neighbors start complaining and the police show
up!
If you are into the club scene, then it just doesn't get any better
than this. I have spent quite a few hours listening to the various tunes and it
would be fair to say that this game resets the standards for in-game music.
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The
original version of this game had a difficulty curve that was so steep, you
needed all the skills of a mountain climber to be able to progress successfully
through the game. The tracks needed to be memorized perfectly, with all
acceleration and braking points needing to be executed perfectly. The major flaw
in it was the simple fact that even the slightest contact with the edge of the
track brought your craft to a standstill, meaning that one mistake and your
chances of winning the race disappeared into the distance. Many felt that the
game was a race against EACH TRACK, rather than outwitting your fellow racing
competitors.
Have the programmers listened to our winging and moaning?
Well
yes, as a matter of fact they have!
In order to make the game more
action-packed, up to 15 craft now participate over 8 new tracks. By far the most
radical enhancement of the game is the inclusion of energy levels. Take a hit
from a competitor and the energy meter drops, colliding with the barriers
results in further energy loss. Lose all of your energy and your craft explodes
in glorious pyrotechnical style. Should you decide that your energy levels are
dangerously low, you can quickly enter the pits and take on repairs. Unlike
Formula 1 all repairs are carried out whilst still moving, this means that you
rarely lose much time or positions during the pit-stop and thus makes them a
worth-while addition to the game.
Two or three good strikes with any of
the multitude of weapons on offer will completely blow up the opponents vehicle
and remove them from the rest of the race.
The difficulty curve has
been well tackled with the inclusion of new racing classes. The Vector Class has
been made for those of us who found the original too hard to master. The speed
of all of the craft is manageable and the design of the tracks is such that you
can concentrate on blasting you opponents into space dust. Even the true novice
will be able to complete the race in the top 3 after only a few games.
The
difficulty curve has been well tackled with the inclusion of new racing classes.
The Vector Class has been made for those of us who found the original too hard
to master. The speed of all of the craft is manageable and the design of the
tracks is such that you can concentrate on blasting you opponents into space
dust. Even the true novice will be able to complete the race in the top 3 after
only a few games.
The 2-Player Linkup mode enhances the game still further,
allowing either a head to head matchup or a full race against the computer
controlled racers.
Even the time trial mode has been spruced up. You now
race against a ghost-ship which will pace you around the lap, beat this ship and
you will achieve the best lap time, due to the fact that the spiritual
apparition is non other than a recording of the previous best lap-time!
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It
seems that all of the major annoyances of the previous version of the game have
been fixed. The sound effects and in-game music are miles ahead of the rest.
Secret cars to race and tracks to find will keep you playing for a very long
time. This game is a true second generation PlayStation title that sets
numerous benchmarks for others to follow. In both the sound, vision and
playability departments, this game would not be out of place in your local video
games arcade!
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MARTIN |
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GRAPHICS: |
Brilliant |
I
finally mastered the final track and moved onto the elimination stage. Now the
challenge has really begun.All six tracks must be raced again at Rapier speed
and similar to the origional Wipeout you must complete the race in the top
three in order to advance.I still find the game competitive but not so damn
frustrating as the first release.I will persevere with Wipeout 2097 until I win
access to the secret tracks. |
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SOUND: |
Brilliant |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Excellent |
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OVERALL
9/10 |
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JIM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Brilliant |
The
best arcade racer of its type on any format. While it takes some time to master
the controls, it is time very well spent as it reveals this game to be a true
classic. |
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SOUND: |
Brilliant |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Brilliant |
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VALUE: |
Brilliant |
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OVERALL
9.5/10 |
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