- The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is wipEout.
- This article is about the video game series. For the game show, see Wipeout (game show).
wipEout is the title of a series of anti-gravity racing games, originally produced by Psygnosis. The gameplay is different from that of a traditional racing game with cars, instead you race in spaceships which hover over the ground, in addtion you can pick up weapons to fire at enemies. Similar games are Hi-Octane and the popular F-Zero series. As well as offering a fast and intense racing experience with high-end graphics, the wipEout series also has popular electronic music from the time of release and modern design, making its target audience older than the average gaming age. The first game was in the generation of games on the release of the Sony PlayStation, that targeted the older gamer. These games changed the video game industry, making games popular with people in their twenties and not just children.
wipEout (1995)
Format: Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC CD-ROM
The original wipEout was launched together with 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 have 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 game packing, the 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 the traditional gamers.
Launch activities for the game included installation of PlayStation consoles running wipEout in popular nightclubs, the release of an accompanying music CD and the sale of a range of wipEout club-wear.
The soundtrack featured popular techno groups, including 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 of the game had extra music tracks (Brickbat, Planet 9 and Poison, while lacking the PlayStation version's Transvaal) and some claim better control, but lacked some of the visual flair (due to its difficult dual-processor setup making 3D harder to do) and the two-player mode of its PlayStation cousin.
Tracks:
- Altima VII
- Karbonis V
- Terramax
- Korodera
- Aridos IV
- Silverstream
Hidden track:
Music Tracks:
- Cairodrome
- Cardinal Dancer
- Cold Comfort
- Doh T
- Messij
- Operatique
- Tentative
- Transvaal (Not in Saturn version)
- Brickbat (Saturn exclusive)
- Planet 9 (Saturn exclusive)
- Poison (Saturn exclusive)
wipEout 2097 / XL (1996)
Format: Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC CD-ROM, Mac OS/Mac OS X
wipEout 2097 moved the wipEout brand forward, introducing new tracks and new craft. 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.
Tracklisting included The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Underworld. An entire nightclub tour was also initiated in conjunction with Red Bull Energy Drink that featured prominently throughout the game.
Fans of the series mainly believe this has the best gameplay of all the titles 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
- Future Sound Of London: Landmass
- Fluke: Atom Bomb (Straight Six Instrumental)
- Fluke: V6
- Chemical Brothers: Dust Up Beats
- Chemical Brothers: Loops Of Fury
- Photek: The Third Sequence
- Underworld: Tin There
- Prodigy: Firestarter (Instrumental)
- CoLD SToRAGE: Canada
- CoLD SToRAGE: Body In Motion
wipEout 64 (1998)
Format: Nintendo 64
The next move for the wipEout brand was a Nintendo 64 version of the game which was developed internally in the Liverpool Studios. 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 instant action with a variety of new tracks but essentially the same game as wipEout 2097.
Tracks:
- Klies Bridge
- Qoron IV
- Sokana
- Dyroness
- Machaon II
- Terafumos
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: Goodnight Lover
- Fluke: Absurd
- Propellerheads: Bang On!
wip3out (1999)
Format: Sony PlayStation
For PlayStation players, the wipEout series had been lying still for 3 years, until wip3out 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 ingame menues and trackside landscapes. A notable new feature was the splitscreen two-player option, apparently difficult to program with the PlayStation specifications, but it turned out ever so fast as the single player experience! Another new feature was the cockpit view, it proved the most challenging view to race with, but was a welcome addition. Wip3out also ran in hi-resolution graphics. It featured 8 different ships to race with, many of them were new models of earlier models (such as the Feisar ship).
Tracks:
- Porto Kora
- Mega Mall
- Sampa Run
- Stanza Inter
- Hi Fumii
- P-Mar Project
- Manor Top
- Terminal
Hidden prototype tracks:
- S101/NP62
- S102/MG71
- S103/AW72
- S104/AW73
Music Tracks:
- Sasha: Feisar
- Underworld: Kittens
- 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
wip3out: Special Edition (2000)
Format: Sony PlayStation
This version contained all the tracks from wip3out, plus 3 from the original wipEout and 5 from wipEout 2097/XL. All the old tracks were made with the wip3out graphics. This game is a collector item for any wipEout fan, it sort of sums up the whole wipEout series on PlayStation! It uses the same soundtrack as wip3out.
wipEout Fusion (2002)
Format: Sony PlayStation 2
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).
Track areas (three tracks in each):
- Florion Height
- Mandrashee
- Cubiss Float
- Alca Vexus
- Vohl Square
- Tetmesh Bay
- Katmoda 12
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 PSP
Announced at E³ 2004, this game will take the wipEout series over to Sony's new handheld console. The game is currently in development. In interviews, the developers have expressed a desire to return to the handling of 2097, and to make various changes to the track design. For example, the pit lane for recharging shields will be absent, with the player able to replenish energy by discaring the currently-carried weapon.
It has been announced that it will be one of the first PSP titles to support downloadable content (e.g. extra vehicles and tracks) over Wi-Fi. In this case it shall be free of charge.
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