WipEout
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- This article is about the video game series. For the game show, see Wipeout (game show).
Wipeout is the title of a series of futuristic anti-gravity racing games, originally produced by Psygnosis for the PlayStation video game console, with other versions of the game produced for the Sega Saturn, DOS, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable formats.
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Overview
The gameplay differs from that of a traditional racing game with cars; the player instead controls vehicles which hover over the ground. In addition to this, the player can pick up weapons to fire at enemies, as well as defensive items. Examples of similar games are Hi-Octane and the popular F-Zero series.
As well as offering a fast and intense racing experience with high-quality 3D graphics, the Wipeout series also features popular electronic music from the time of release and modern design. The first game coincided with the release of the Sony PlayStation that targeted older gamers. These games influenced the video game industry, making video games increasingly popular with people in their twenties.
Wipeout (1995)
PSX_Wipeout.png
Format: Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, DOS CD-ROM
The original Wipeout was launched alongside the Sony PlayStation in Europe in September 1995, and was the first non-Japanese game for the console. Two months later in November 1995, it was released in the US. The game went to number one in the all format charts, with over 1.5 million units of the franchise having been sold to date throughout Europe and North America. A number of marketing hooks were built into the product, including music tracks licensed from non-mainstream dance acts and the hiring of cult design agency The Designers Republic to work on the game packing, manual, and in-game branding. The intention was to place Wipeout firmly within the context of the fashionable, club-going, music-buying audience; a somewhat older audience than what were traditional gamers at the time.
Launch activities for the game included installation of PlayStation consoles running Wipeout in popular night clubs, the release of an accompanying soundtrack music CD, and the sale of a range of Wipeout clubwear. The soundtrack featured popular techno groups such as Orbital, Chemical Brothers, Underworld and Leftfield.
An early concept video of the game was featured prominently in the 1995 film Hackers, in which Jonny Lee Miller's character beats Angelina Jolie's in a Wipeout match.
The Saturn version lacked some of the visual flair due to its difficult dual-processor setup that made 3D harder to do, along with the two-player mode of its PlayStation cousin, although some claimed it was easier to control.
Tracks
- Altima VII
- Karbonis V
- Terramax
- Korodera
- Aridos IV
- Silverstream
- Firestar Hidden track
Music tracks
- CoLD SToRAGE: Cairodrome
- CoLD SToRAGE: Cardinal Dancer
- CoLD SToRAGE: Cold Comfort
- CoLD SToRAGE: Doh T
- CoLD SToRAGE: Messij
- CoLD SToRAGE: Operatique
- CoLD SToRAGE: Tentative
- CoLD SToRAGE: Trancevaal
- CoLD SToRAGE: Brickbat (Saturn exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Planet 9 (Saturn exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Poison (Saturn exclusive)
- Leftfield: Afro-Ride (PlayStation exclusive)
- Chemical Brothers: Chemical Beats (PlayStation exclusive)
- Orbital (band): Wipeout (petrol mix) (PlayStation exclusive)
Wipeout 2097 / XL (1996)
Format: Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows CD-ROM, Mac OS/Mac OS X, Amiga
Wipeout 2097 (Wipeout XL in North America) moved the Wipeout brand forward, introducing new tracks, new craft, and new weapons such as the Quake Disruptor (which sent a ripple down the track) that became instant fan-favorites. To cater for the increase in the PlayStation owners, an easier learning curve was introduced whilst keeping the difficulty at top end for the experienced gamers.
Artists contributing to the in-game soundtrack included Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Underworld. An entire nightclub tour was also initiated in conjunction with Red Bull Energy Drink, which was featured prominently throughout the game.
Most fans of the series still regard Wipeout 2097 as the best title in the series.
Tracks
- Talon's Reach
- Sagarmatha
- Valparaiso
- Phenitia Park
- Gare D'Europa
- Odessa Keys
- Vostok Island
- Spilskinanke
Music tracks
- Future Sound Of London: We Have Explosive (PlayStation exclusive)
- Future Sound Of London: Landmass (PlayStation exclusive)
- Fluke: Atom Bomb (Straight Six Instrumental)(PlayStation exclusive)
- Fluke: V6 (PlayStation exclusive)
- Chemical Brothers: Dust Up Beats (PlayStation exclusive)
- Chemical Brothers: Loops Of Fury (PlayStation exclusive)
- Photek: The Third Sequence (PlayStation exclusive)
- Underworld: Tin There (edit)( PlayStation exclusive)
- Prodigy: Firestarter (Instrumental)(PlayStation exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Canada
- CoLD SToRAGE: Body In Motion
- CoLD SToRAGE: Kinkong (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Plasticity (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Messij Xtnd (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Tenation (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Surgeon (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Hatapik Murder (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Messij Received (Saturn/DOS exclusive)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Body Plus (Saturn exclusive)
Wipeout 64 (1998)
Format: Nintendo 64
The next move for the Wipeout brand was a Nintendo 64 version of the game. The publishing rights for the game went to Midway in the US and Europe and the game was released in the US pre-Christmas and the UK post-Christmas scoring a big success in the Nintendo charts. For the first time the game featured four-player multiplayer but most of the tracks, despite being given new names, were essentially the same as those found in Wipeout 2097.
Tracks
- Klies Bridge
- Qoron IV
- Sokana
- Dyroness
- Machaon II
- Terafumos
- Velocitar Hidden track
Music tracks
- PC Music: Chasing Radium
- PC Music: Feel At Home
- PC Music: Monolith Boy
- PC Music: Tomorrow Reborn
- PC Music: Sonic Trip
- PC Music: Miles Ahead
- Fluke (band): Goodnight Lover
- Fluke: Absurd
- Propellerheads: Bang On!
Wipeout 3 (1999)
Format: Sony PlayStation
The Wipeout series had been lying dormant for three years until Wipeout 3 was released on the 8th of September in Europe. The Designers Republic went for a far more neutral and simple color scheme for the design of the in-game menues and trackside landscapes. For most fans, the game's most notable achievement was the addition of analog control. Another new feature was the split-screen two-player option, apparently difficult to program with the PlayStation specifications, but it turned out to be just as fast as the single player experience. A cockpit view was also added; it proved the most challenging view to race with, but was a welcome addition. Wipeout 3 was also one of the few PlayStation games to run in high-resolution mode.
Tracks
- Porto Kora
- Mega Mall
- Sampa Run
- Stanza Inter
- Hi Fumii
- P-Mar Project
- Manor Top
- Terminal
- S101/NP62 Hidden prototype track
- S102/MG71 Hidden prototype track
- S103/AW72 Hidden prototype track
- S104/AW73 Hidden prototype track
Music tracks
- Sasha: Feisar
- Underworld: Kittens
- Sasha: Icaras
- Orbital: Know Where To Run
- Sasha: Auricom
- MKL: Surrender
- Propellerheads: Lethal Cut
- Sasha: Goteki 45
- Chemical Brothers: Under The Influence
- Sasha: Pirhana
- MKL: Control
- Paul Van Dyk: Avenue
- Sasha: Xpander
Wipeout 3: Special Edition (2000)
Format: Sony PlayStation
This version contained all the tracks from Wipeout 3, plus three from the original Wipeout and five from Wipeout 2097. All the old tracks were given a Wipeout 3 graphical make-over. This game is a collector's item for Wipeout fans as it's sort of a "greatest hits" of the whole Wipeout series on PlayStation. It uses the same soundtrack as Wipeout 3. (Note: Never released in North America.)
Wipeout Fusion (2002)
Format: Sony PlayStation 2
Although boasting next-gen graphics and much wider and longer tracks, the handling and feeling of Wipeout Fusion was something of a dissapointment for fans. Many unnecessary changes to the basic concept were made, and the resulting game was no longer a true Wipeout but a generic and fairly buggy sci-fi racer. Lack of air-time, the hated trackless sections, the mish-mash of weapons, an unrealistic upgrade system, lack of ship balance, the addition of loops and shortcuts and the cartoony look of the game were the main complaints.
A new and popular mode called Zone mode has become a hit with fans. The goal of this mode is to drive as many laps as possible on a track while the speed of your ship is slowly increasing; when your energy shield is destroyed, the game is over.
The in-game branding and menu design was done by Good Technology rather than The Designers Republic, who had worked on all of the previous titles.
Areas
(Each area contains three tracks.)
- Florion Height
- Mandrashee
- Cubiss Float
- Alca Vexus
- Vohl Square
- Tetmesh Bay
- Katmoda 12
- Devilia (Note: These were only playable in the league challenges to unlock new teams - they are recognised as they were point-to-point courses.)
Music tracks
- Future Sound Of London: Papua New Guinea (Hybrid Mix)
- Braniac: Neuro
- Blades & Naughty G: Beats Defective
- BT: SmartBomb (Plump DJs Remix)
- Cut La Roc: Bassheads
- JDS: Punk Funk
- Elite Force: Krushyn
- Elite Force & Nick Ryan: Switchback
- Amethyst: Blue Funk
- Utah Saints: Sick
- Plump DJs: Big Groovy Funker
- Humanoid: Stakker Humanoid 2001 (Plump DJs 2001 Retouch)
- Timo Maas: Old School Vibes
- Luke Slater: Bolt Up
- Orbital: Funny Break [One is Enough] (Plump DJs Remix)
- Bob Brazil: Big Ten
- Intuative: Wav Seeker
- Hong Kong Trash: Down The River (Torrential Rapids Mix)
- MKL: Synthaesia
Wipeout Pure (2005)
Format: Sony PlayStation Portable
Wipeout Pure takes the Wipeout series over to Sony's new PlayStation Portable. The game was released simultaneously with the release of the PSP during its North American launch. The developers expressed a desire to return to the handling of Wipeout 2097 and to make various changes to the track design. Most notably, the pit lane for recharging shields are absent, with the player instead able to replenish energy by absorbing the currently-carried weapon. The return to the style of past games and streamlining of the gameplay make up the "pure" essence of Pure.
Wipeout Pure is the first PSP title that supports downloadable content including extra vehicles, tracks, and artwork free of charge via the website. There will be a new single pack of downloadable content available every month for six months. Pure also uses the WiFi ability of the PSP for multiplayer racing.
Since the release of Wipeout Pure, a hidden web browser has been found in the game's Downloads section. By changing the DNS and access of the Sony PSP to a local machine, the PSP will look for http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html on the local machine instead of online. By creating a webpage on a local machine with links, the PSP can thus surf the internet before the actual firmware update is released. Using the d-pad to move around the links and pressing X button will refresh the page. http://homepage.mac.com/ablack6596/PSP/ has a full detailed explanation of how to get Wipeout Pure to browse the internet.
Tracks
- Vineta K
- Modesto Heights
- Chenghou Project
- Blue Ridge
- Sinucit
- Citta Nuova
- Sebenco Climb
- Sol 2
- Pro Tozo (Zone mode)
- Mallavol (Zone mode)
- Coridon 12 (Zone mode)
- Syncopia (Zone mode)
- Karbonis (from Wipeout)
- Sagarmatha (from Wipeout XL / 2097)
- Manor Top (from Wipeout 3)
- Mandrashee (from Wipeout Fusion)
- Exostra Run (Downloadable - not yet available)
- Ubermall (Downloadable - not yet available)
- Staten Park (Downloadable - available)
- Sebenco Peak (Downloadable - not yet available)
Music tracks
- Aphex Twin: Naks Acid
- CoLD SToRAGE: Onyx
- Cosmos: Kinection
- Drumattic Twins: Twister
- Elite Force: Cross the Line
- Freq Nasty: Grand Theft
- Friendly: We Got Juice
- Jay Tripwire: Room 2
- LFO: Flu-Shot
- Ming + FS: Hellion
- Paul Hartnoll: Ignition
- Photek: C Note
- Plump DJs: Black Jack 3
- Rennie Pilgrem & Roxiller: Bug
- T Power: The System
- Stanton Warriors: Night Mover
- Tayo Meets Acid Rockers Uptown: Crafty Youth
- Themroc: Mean Red
- Tiesto: Gold Rush
External links
- MobyGames' entry on the wipEout series (http://www.mobygames.com/game_group/sheet/gameGroupId,397/)
- Wipeout Zone (http://www.wipeoutzone.com)de:WipEout