Wipeout XL
- Publisher: Psygnosis
- Developer: Psygnosis
- Format: Playstation
- Genre: Futuristic Racer
- Players: 2
- Peripherals: Memory Card Support, Link Cable Support
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- Graphics: 8/10
- Sound: 10/10
- Control: 8/10
- Gameplay: 6/10
- Overall: 7/10
- Reviewer: Madgrad
- Reviewed On: 4.16.99
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Opening
Fascinating.....why is it that in the future many of the racing events have weapons built right into the vehicles? Its as if the minute we enter the 21st century, we lose all control of our blood lust, and begin dishing out ultra violence in all of our sports games, like racing and various ball games. The exception to this rule is major league hockey, which gets toned down more and more each year. But I digress. Wipeout XL is a violent futuristic racer from the lads at Psygnosis. In the game, you control a sleek anti-grav race vehicle as it speeds along several tracks, attempting to hit first place and not have the crap blown out of you by the other blood crazed racers. Although the concept is unique, the question is how does it hold up to modern racers like Gran Tourismo or Test Drive 5? Read on to find out....
Graphics
I must admit, that for a two year old game the graphics engine holds up quite well. It's almost on par with Colony Wars for graphics whore eye candy.
Each race team has its own race vehicle, and the designs are indicative of the capabilities of the vehicle. The fastest vehicles are long sleek..soooo looonggggg..*70's porn music starts playing* Aw goddammit, sorry, that just slipped out. The more maneuverable craft are stubbier, with better wings. All craft but one can use a wide variety of weapons to destroy the other craft. Each weapon has its own unique lighting and particle effects, so you'll be saying "WOW" as a missle slams up your tail pipe. I only have a few complaints about the graphics. One, the tracks themselves. For some reason, most of the tracks look very dull and almost sterile. Two, there are only two views to race with, first person and third. Both are useful, but I'll used to the wide variety of views in TD5 and GT. Finally, I hate the most powerful weapon in the game; the earthquake weapon, looks really sh*tty. It ripples the entire track,but it looks oddly two dimensional. Anyway, that's a niggling bit, and just my personal opinion. All in all, the graphics engine is decent.
Sound
Ahhhhhh....I'm still drooling after hearing this game. First off, the music in this game kicks @ss. I am beginning to enjoy techno music so this was right up my alley. Several big name groups were used in this title, and the effort put in shows. The in game sound is good to, with heavy engine noise, and meaty weapon effects. It's true enjoyable to listen to, and I have no complaints in the auditory department.
Control
ARGH! I WANT ANALOG CONTROL!!!! ARGH! Sorry....the digital control in this game was superb. You could truly feel the difference between the various craft, as they glide along the track at high speeds. I never had any problems controlling the craft, although I didn't particularly care for the brake set up. I can't wait for the Wipeout 3 with analog support and rumble effects...mmmmm...
Gameplay
So, it has good graphics, great sound, and spot on control, but how was the gameplay? Welllll.....I'm gonna catch hell for this one, but I was a little dissapointed. First off, the AI of the other craft blew. They were really retards! They missused all of the weapons, and 9 times out of 10 I could even dodge their homing missles. They did handle the track well, but I still managed to over take all of them. Truly bad.... Second, almost all of the tracks were too damn easy. The first four were cake walks, with any craft. The last two were great though, real suicide run tracks. Third, there were far too few tracks. No racing game should have any less than a dozen tracks in my opinion. So what do we have? A good looking, sweet sounding, tight controlling game with average game play. Its just not as good of a racer as GT, NFS3, or TD5. Its a blast to play through once, but after that I really don't feel the urge to go back for more. There is an option for a two player game via a link cable, but this is not enough to save the game. Split screen would have worked here too folks. So, should you buy it or not? Well, considering that you should be able to pick it up for $19.95, the answer is yes. It's good quick clean violent fun, but I warn you, it's not really as deep as the current crop of racers. And just try and aim that damn plasma bolt....
Overall
Overall, a decent racer, but no where near the best in the genre.
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