Series playthrough: wipEout
Back story
These are some of my most beloved and fond memories from their generation. Part of the 3D boom in gaming and a key part of the first PlayStation's heritage. The way they combined fast racing, weaponry, stylish design and thumping electronic music was incredible. In a way it summarises my teenage generation and the 90s it was released in.
Before we begin, there are a few ways to play this trilogy. For physical purchase, the cheapest copies are on the PS1. They can still be found at decent prices, but they’re increasing over time. Otherwise, there have been official digital versions available for systems like the PlayStation 3, PSP and PS Vita through the years, but they've since been removed.
PC versions of wipEout 1 & 2 are possible to find, but expensive and troublesome to run on modern hardware. The Sega Saturn releases were neat ports back then, but they're more expensive due to their lower print runs and have far worse performance than their PS1 counterparts.
My recommendations are the PS1 versions, preferably the NTSC versions from the US or Japan, they have English text anyhow. I prefer playing PS1 on a CRT from time to time for that correct nostalgia factor. They all run solidly at 30 fps, 25 fps for PAL, except for wip3out which can drop framerate when races get crowded. Lower the ship count in a race to fix the latter.
However, a neat way of playing these today on large modern screens is through emulation. My favourite, is on the DuckStation emulator. Here you can run PS1 titles with polygon warping fixed at super high resolutions. My personal choice for closer resemblance of a CRT, is by running the game at a high resolution, 1440p is a sweet spot, then super-sampling down to 2x the original PS1 resolution, from 240p to 480p. Giving edges lots of anti-aliasing, then finally adding scanlines. It makes the games look closer to how they were intended to be viewed.
As a bonus, a clever programmer has ported the first wipEout to a brand-new PC build, named the Phantom Edition. It requires the original PS1 files to run. This port runs at high framerate, like 60 or 120 fps, with proper widescreen and controller support. Check it out here!
Anyhow, short answer is; play the PS1 versions. Either on an original console or through the DuckStation emulator. How you get hold of a copy is not for me to judge.
Now, let’s take a look at each title!
Review
Played on: PlayStation & SaturnReleased: 1995
I’ve spoken previously about the magic this title delivered when I first laid my eyes on it in a toy store. A distinctly different, European release from the substantial number of Japanese titles at the PS1 launch. WipEout captured the popularity of dystopian futuristic depictions, the rave music scene and edgy 90s artwork into one fast and aggressive package. Clearly aimed at teenagers and young adults.
Just like how F-Zero had felt like a showcase for the Super Nintendo, as a genre breaking new direction of racing, wipEout took that same anti-gravity feel into the 3D age and modernised it. There's something they just nail in this first trilogy of titles, that feels so right in the way the race ships hover, rise and dive in jumps and slide around corners. Extremely satisfying gameplay.
There’s a healthy amount of racetracks, six plus one bonus, to throw your ships into. Especially compared to the sparse amount in racers when it released. Outside of single races and time attack, there’s a simple campaign. Structured like a tournament, you need to finish in the top three in each race to progress. The total number of points win the tournament at the end, allowing you to settle for a second and third place in some races.
The first speed class available is Venom, finishing the tournament at this speed class unlocks the more challenging and faster class, Rapier. The latter impressively changes up the time of day and the colour of the sky box on each racetrack, another testament to the attention to detail if you look closely.
Although the choice of race ships is only four in total, with two colours themes representing each of the two teams racers, the diversity in their controls is lacking finesse. Feisar is a safe choice, slower top speed, but with better control. Handy for the last racetrack on icy Silverstream, which has some gruelling turns. I find AG Systems also manageable. Sadly, the visual difference between each race ship is negligible.
What stands out the most, for each time I play it, is how well each racetrack environment is designed. It has this 90’s, dystopian but colourful, 3D arcade aesthetic. Lots of sharp angles, but a fair share of detail with billboards for old Psygnosis titles alongside the scenery of mountains, futuristic bridges and dark cities. There's even a colourful variation of tarmac to race on, with iconic stripy and triangle warning arrows and the coloured glowing power-up and boost pads on the ground.
Pulling the first wipEout down a few notches, compared to it's two sequels, is the unforgiving and rather odd crash physics. A trait of it's release time, look at the Ridge Racer games for instance, resulting in a stupid unrealistic halt when you hit the sides. It feels incredibly unfair to come to an complete stop, being confusingly barrel rolled and left in the dust by the competitors simply by touching the sides of the racetrack. Although the racetracks all are wide, trying to squeeze past a competitor and hitting the wall is extremely frustrating.
Music is incredible and needs to be mentioned too. You'll need to check the region your game is from to see the correct one. I'm used to the PAL set list. Although we have bands like Orbital and Chemical Brothers on there, most of the tracks are made by Tim Wright's band Cold Storage. He does an excellent job at capturing the futuristic vibe that goes hand in hand with the visuals.
As mentioned, PC versions are hard to come by and run properly, so the best bet is the PS1 version. Go for the US or JP one and consider running it with enhancements in DuckStation, otherwise it's a solid experience on a real PS1. My gripe is the ruthless crash physics, even when simply touching the walls and not crashing straight into them.
As mentioned, PC versions are hard to come by and run properly, so the best bet is the PS1 version. Go for the US or JP one and consider running it with enhancements in DuckStation, otherwise it's a solid experience on a real PS1. My gripe is the ruthless crash physics, even when simply touching the walls and not crashing straight into them.
If you want a super neat way to play the original though, the Phantom Edition port I mentioned earlier, is amazing. You can switch to the 2097 crash physics, runs in a proper widescreen and any high framerate. Basically, perfecting the first game!
Although it was a fine port for it's day, the Saturn version doesn't hold a steady 30 fps like the PS1 version. To somewhat redeem itself, it has new and slightly more forgiving crash physics, although nowhere near 2097. It's a rather expensive purchase for basically and inferior version.
The first wipEout still manages to be visually appealing, varied in it's environments and has unique, well designed aesthetic. Cementing what wipEout was all about at a glance. It looked dangerous to race, it looks futuristic and it captivates onlookers as they pass by and spot the speedy gameplay and thumping electronic music.
Released: 1996
In a speedy release, common at the time, was a year of development between the first and second game. In 1996, wipEout 2097 followed, that's wipEout XL in the US, with a lot of improvements to the gameplay and features of the original.
Visually, there’s some neat effects at display. The race ships now have an impressive looking engine light in bright blue tailing behind them, sparks fly when hitting the edges or other vehicles and there's cool flame explosion when weapons hit competitors. Even cooler is the way the quake weapon turns the whole racing surface into a huge wave, crashing the competitors to the ground!
The first wipEout still manages to be visually appealing, varied in it's environments and has unique, well designed aesthetic. Cementing what wipEout was all about at a glance. It looked dangerous to race, it looks futuristic and it captivates onlookers as they pass by and spot the speedy gameplay and thumping electronic music.
Review
Played on: PlayStation & SaturnReleased: 1996
In a speedy release, common at the time, was a year of development between the first and second game. In 1996, wipEout 2097 followed, that's wipEout XL in the US, with a lot of improvements to the gameplay and features of the original.
Visually, there’s some neat effects at display. The race ships now have an impressive looking engine light in bright blue tailing behind them, sparks fly when hitting the edges or other vehicles and there's cool flame explosion when weapons hit competitors. Even cooler is the way the quake weapon turns the whole racing surface into a huge wave, crashing the competitors to the ground!
They’ve added some simple weather effects like rain, lightning and snow too. Tunnels sport a distinct, coloured lighting with black stripes, giving a unique visual sensation of speed.
Visual effect praise aside, I feel the racetracks are a bit of a hit and miss in their environmental design. They're neatly shaped, with increasingly difficulty layouts and while some retain the visual style and detail of the first game, others offer somewhat abstract and floating aesthetic, lacking some of the more grounded landscapes from the first game.
Visual effect praise aside, I feel the racetracks are a bit of a hit and miss in their environmental design. They're neatly shaped, with increasingly difficulty layouts and while some retain the visual style and detail of the first game, others offer somewhat abstract and floating aesthetic, lacking some of the more grounded landscapes from the first game.
The total number of race ships on offer is scaled down to one ship from each manufacture, but each one sports a distinct and memorable design. Qirex comes to mind as memorable design, with its split ship nose. Each one controls more distinctively different this time around too. A great improvement which feels more fair, making the faster ships more tempting to learn, albeit requiring quite a bit of skill to tame.
Crash physics are greatly improved, allowing gentle scraping of the racetrack side walls and the crashes are decided by angle and speed, rather than putting you at a complete, pre-determined, halt. The way competitors are thrown into the air from missiles or rockets, allowing you to swoop under them as you pass by, feels slick and helps keep you in momentum.
The weapon system is just perfectly balanced in 2097 too, with more difference between each weapon, plus a clear usage for each one. You can even fire backwards with some of them, further pushing your abilities to concentrate about flying and at the same time taking wise attack choices at high speed.
There's no denying, that when it comes down to control, physics and gameplay balance, wipEout 2097 is the pinnacle of the whole series. I just wish the racetrack designs had been closer to the first game overall.
Music features famous bands like Chemical Brothers and Prodigy, in addition to Cold Storage returning. The soundtrack is distinctively more aggressive and thumping. Sound effects for weaponry and ship engines is clearly improved, with a cool Dolby surround sound option; a real treat for those that had a audio setup for it in the 90s!
The increase in effects and detail comes at a cost, however. Running on an actual PS1 the framerate will drop from time to time. I recall setting the number of competitors down from 12 to 8, which fixes a lot of these drops. When playing on a DuckStation emulator, increasing the consoles CPU power fixes all this.
Music features famous bands like Chemical Brothers and Prodigy, in addition to Cold Storage returning. The soundtrack is distinctively more aggressive and thumping. Sound effects for weaponry and ship engines is clearly improved, with a cool Dolby surround sound option; a real treat for those that had a audio setup for it in the 90s!
When it comes to the campaign structure of 2097, I’m left a little baffled. They have these slick and cool menus, but upon further inspection there's a little focus on a proper progression. It's just a collection of single races, with three speed classes. Neat for beginners is the Vector speed class, the slowest one and a step below the speed the Venom speed, normal speed, from the first game.
However, you can only race the first two racetracks on Vector speed class, then you have you go up a class, to Venom, for the two next racetracks and finally to the fastest speed class, Rapier, for the two last racetracks. Why not simply allow players to race all the racetracks on their preferred speed class? This is, luckily, rectified by entering a cheat code, but it should be part of the default layout. Beginners might never win anything but the first two, perhaps the third and fourth, racetrack.
There’s also a challenge mode added, basically a tournament across all six racetracks in the highest speed class, Phantom. With no proper explanation that it is in fact a tournament. A simple cup system with a selection of racetracks on a choice of speed class would've been sufficient, but alas. Winning this "challenge" mode tournament grants you access to two further racetracks, which is neat, yet they're both locked to the Phantom class.
There’s also a challenge mode added, basically a tournament across all six racetracks in the highest speed class, Phantom. With no proper explanation that it is in fact a tournament. A simple cup system with a selection of racetracks on a choice of speed class would've been sufficient, but alas. Winning this "challenge" mode tournament grants you access to two further racetracks, which is neat, yet they're both locked to the Phantom class.
This tournament prolongs the lifespan somewhat, but again, the layout is confusing and locked to speed classes, rendering it impossible for people with lower skills to reach and enjoy. Locking away large parts of the total number of eight racetracks.
When it comes to which version to pick. Again the PS1 version, US or JP for 30 fps, running on DuckStation is your easiest option, allowing enhancements through emulation. The PC version is tricky to get running, not sure about how it performs, and the Saturn version runs badly, often dipping under 20 fps. Plus, they're more expensive purchases compared to the PS1 version.
At the end of my review, I’m at a dilemma here. The controls, physics and visual effect enhancements are top tier wipEout, best of the entire series, while the campaign layout and somewhat abstract racetrack designs are a step behind the first game.
At the end of my review, I’m at a dilemma here. The controls, physics and visual effect enhancements are top tier wipEout, best of the entire series, while the campaign layout and somewhat abstract racetrack designs are a step behind the first game.
I'm not in the "the series peaked here" club for 2097, as I feel all these first three wipEout releases have strong and weak sides.
Released: 1999
After a three year hiatus, Psygnosis returned with wipEout 3 in 1999. I still remember picking this up for a bargain, the next year on summer holiday, and enjoying it immensely.
The campaign, although simply a grid of racetracks and ships, somehow captivates and offers the biggest playthrough of the trilogy. With four speed classes, eight race ships and eight racetracks. You’re in for a 256-race campaign, if you want those gold markers on the whole grid! While it’s not necessary to play every ship on every racetrack on every class, I really recommend experimenting with a few ships within a speed class.
Review
Played on: PlayStationReleased: 1999
After a three year hiatus, Psygnosis returned with wipEout 3 in 1999. I still remember picking this up for a bargain, the next year on summer holiday, and enjoying it immensely.
The campaign, although simply a grid of racetracks and ships, somehow captivates and offers the biggest playthrough of the trilogy. With four speed classes, eight race ships and eight racetracks. You’re in for a 256-race campaign, if you want those gold markers on the whole grid! While it’s not necessary to play every ship on every racetrack on every class, I really recommend experimenting with a few ships within a speed class.
Although the fastest speed class, Phantom, feels like it’s almost breaking the physics engine with jumps send you flying into roofs and beyond the racetrack limits, the other ones are really enjoyable. How I manged to complete it all back in the day, I will not know.
Racetrack design is top notch, each one with its own colour tone and environment design. Brighter, but a more muted colour tone compared to the first two games. Featuring a lot of detail and variation in its racetrack environment buildings. There's also effects like beautiful sunsets at a ship dock with birds lifting from the racetrack on approach, rain covered tarmac on a rooftop, neon-lit racetrack to random snowfall in a city park. There's a lot to see alongside each racetrack.
Racetrack design is top notch, each one with its own colour tone and environment design. Brighter, but a more muted colour tone compared to the first two games. Featuring a lot of detail and variation in its racetrack environment buildings. There's also effects like beautiful sunsets at a ship dock with birds lifting from the racetrack on approach, rain covered tarmac on a rooftop, neon-lit racetrack to random snowfall in a city park. There's a lot to see alongside each racetrack.
There's more ship variety, although with eight of them there’s less difference between each on compared to 2097. They all have proper stats and have their strengths and weaknesses. AG Systems and Goteki 45 being two of my favourites.
Weaponry is further expanded, but sadly breaking 2097’s sweet spot of a unique and distinct weapon set. There’ are too many alike weapons here, some of them feel completely redundant too. It's a shame they wouldn’t allow you to turn some of them off. Do we need a shield, a cloak and a reflector as defensive weapon, when a shield is more than sufficient? Sometimes less is more.
Visually, it's a pretty release, right up there with late PS1 releases like Ridge Racer Type 4, with a lot of detail on the ships and effects. Each ship has moving airbrake flaps, a slightly worn body paint livery and a distinct engine light colour. There’re also small effects like snow and rain, the latter offering some neat shiny surface effects on the Manor Top racetrack. Cockpit view is added as third viewing option, albeit basic, and replay mode adds some stylish camera angles.
Weaponry is further expanded, but sadly breaking 2097’s sweet spot of a unique and distinct weapon set. There’ are too many alike weapons here, some of them feel completely redundant too. It's a shame they wouldn’t allow you to turn some of them off. Do we need a shield, a cloak and a reflector as defensive weapon, when a shield is more than sufficient? Sometimes less is more.
Visually, it's a pretty release, right up there with late PS1 releases like Ridge Racer Type 4, with a lot of detail on the ships and effects. Each ship has moving airbrake flaps, a slightly worn body paint livery and a distinct engine light colour. There’re also small effects like snow and rain, the latter offering some neat shiny surface effects on the Manor Top racetrack. Cockpit view is added as third viewing option, albeit basic, and replay mode adds some stylish camera angles.
The increase in effects and detail comes at a cost, however. Running on an actual PS1 the framerate will drop from time to time. I recall setting the number of competitors down from 12 to 8, which fixes a lot of these drops. When playing on a DuckStation emulator, increasing the consoles CPU power fixes all this.
Music changes its formula from 2097, relying on it mostly being made exclusive by DJ Sasha. He does an great job of making a unique music style accompanying the different visual style of wip3out, there's a thread of continuation between his tracks I feel. In addition, there are tunes by returning favourites Chemical Brothers and Orbital.
Talking of versions out there, this is a PS1 exclusive. Go preferably for the JP version, although the US version is fine for 30 fps. The JP version contains some of the fixes which wip3out: Special Edition features.
WO3 Special Edition, released in 2000, is a cool release on paper. With 8 extra racetracks, remade from WO1 and 2097 with the WO3 engine. A cool addition, but they look a little sparse in detail and don't have the vibe of the originals. Sadly, WO3 Special Edition was only released on PAL, is rare and expensive, and thus it's locked to 25 fps. I'd rather recommend the JP version.
As a package, wip3out is the best bargain of all the releases. There's a ton of stuff to get into here and it keeps the physics to 2097 in a satisfying manner, although they break somewhat on the fastest speed classes. When it comes to a well-balanced gameplay, with weaponry and a slightly floatier feel, it falls a short of 2097, but outclasses it in terms of racetrack design.
As a package, wip3out is the best bargain of all the releases. There's a ton of stuff to get into here and it keeps the physics to 2097 in a satisfying manner, although they break somewhat on the fastest speed classes. When it comes to a well-balanced gameplay, with weaponry and a slightly floatier feel, it falls a short of 2097, but outclasses it in terms of racetrack design.
Summary
All the first three wipEout titles offer something unique, as such I can't really choose one over the other. They all have strong and weak sides, leaving me to recommend them at the same rating.However, for beginners the third instalment might be your safest and most user friendly bet. You can play through the entire set of racetracks on easy, even turn off checkpoint time limits, weaponry and amount of competitors. Tailoring the experience to your own skill level.
It's been amazing replaying these titles, back to back. What a unique and awesome racing trilogy which screams 90s sci-fi, rave music and style. I highly recommend those who have never experienced them to go back and turn up the volume and enjoy them!
They really nail the feel of sliding through corners in a floating anti-gravity ship!