Wipeout XL

The sequel to WipeOut certainly lives up to its "extra large" billing. It has taken all the best elements of the original (twisted tracks, weapons and top-notch graphics and sound), eliminated a major flaw (sensitive wall collisions) and added killer weapons.

Bingo! We have a winner! Joe can very well be my reviewer for this game. I don't know how much more I can add to this review except for more in-depth response. WipeOut XL excels over its predecessor in every aspect of the game.

Any fan of the original WipeOut must have been eagerly awaiting the release of WipeOut XL. Of course, a lot of times a sequel doesn't do justice to the original. I'm happy to say that in this case, the sequel is in every way better than the original.

I visited my local arcade this weekend and I can easily envision Wipeout XL as one of those games that you have to insert 50 cents (remember when it was a mere quarter?) to play. The graphics, music, sounds, and gameplay are all excellent and are arcade quality and above. Wipeout XL is a great game of mindless flying and shooting. Good multiplayer modes will certainly help increase the longevity of this title, as would extra tracks, but this is a fun game even without those extras. You might conquer Wipeout XL fairly quickly, but it is one hell of a ride while it lasts.

Despite one major disappointment, the lack of the promised soundtrack, I found Wipeout XL to be an excellent and refreshing arcade racer. The graphics are stunning to say the least. The sense of speed captured by this game surpasses that of any other game in the past or present as far as I'm concerned, and the sound effects are perfect. If you have the system with the guts to handle this game, and even a system with the minimum requirements, this game rocks. The only thing keeping this game from reaching even a higher score, despite the music issue, would be more tracks to race. Six is plenty, but I WANT MORE!!!

So here we have it; the first 3D accelerated commercial release for the Amiga, and one of the true classic games of the nineties. WipEout 2097 was the game that made the Playstation, let's hope this definitive version can do something to kickstart high-end Amiga gaming. If you've got the hardware to run it and even remotely like this kind of game, do yourself a favour and get out your cheque book. It may be a little dated now the follow-up, Wip3Out, is available on other platforms, but it's still a magnificent, adrenaline pumping game that has never looked so good as it does on the Amiga.

WipeOut XL is probably the best racing you can buy for the PlayStation. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, with some of the best light sourcing and effects ever. The control is smooth, the gameplay is fast, and the music is just awesome. It's games like this that make you proud to be a PlayStation owner.

The first version of WipeOut was a good racing game that satisfied people who were looking for speed and action in a video game. Now that excitement is back even stronger in WipeOut XL (WipeOut 2097) with improved graphics, game play, sound and much more! The results are just splendid and make the first version of the game seem dull when compared to this one.

The artificial intelligence has been tweaked up a few notches and will aggressively attempt to eliminate players right from the start. Wipeout XL is linkable, providing head-to-head racing action for two Playstations. Wipeout fans, this is a must buy. For those of you who have lived under a rock for the past year, get with it and reach for XL.

Wipeout 2097 is a fun, nonviolent racing game that's a blast to play. However, it's fairly short, offering only eight race courses.

Wipeout XL requires a 3D accelerator and as a showcase for cutting edge 3D technology, it's an unqualified success. As a gameplay experience, its long-term play value is hindered by a lack of gameplay options, vehicles and tracks. But it serves a purpose, and serves it well - it'll humble the most devoted PlayStation or Nintendo 64 owner.

The controls feel antiquated without the analog stick control option, and the draw distance just isn't fair enough ahead to enable you to plan accordingly. Even so, if you're digging the new PSP version of the franchise, you could do worse than checking out this predecessor.

Okay, I'll admit, I like playing videogames. But I'm not very good at them. Many of the games I loved I didn't even finish. It really doesn't matter what the genre is, I usually get stuck halfway. Earthworm Jim? Played it, loved it, didn't finish it (though part two was easy, even for me). Panzer Dragoon Zwei? Same story here. Racing game are no different. I didn't ever finish Daytona USA and, though I could see the top quality of Sega Rally, I didn't really like the game - way too hard for me. Before I continue my review of WipEout 2097, you must realize that WipEout also belongs to the category of games I consider 'too hard for my sake'. But I've played my share of games, so I consider myself able to judge WipEout fairly.

Originally released for the PlayStation in 1996, Wipeout XL is a futuristic racing game involving speeding antigravity ships, winding tracks, and powerful weapons. The PC version's Direct3D support gives this new release a nice face-lift, while still keeping intact the fast action and stylized graphics that console players have come to know and love. All in all, Wipeout XL is a good racing game that makes great use of the Direct3D API. It delivers the kind of fast moving gameplay that until recently was only available on console systems. Game-starved 3-D accelerator owners should definitely check it out.

Consequently, when I heard that an installment from the Wipeout series that I liked so much on the PlayStation was coming over to the Mac, I had pretty high hopes. It was like little magical fairies, or Santa Claus, if you will, made real the #5 entry on my imaginary top 10 list of things that are really cool. Somewhere between the opening of the CD case and the writing of this review, those high hopes were pulverized with a meat tenderizer, immolated in a bonfire, and thrown off Mt. Everest.

These weaknesses aside, the game is beyond fun, the kind of thing you may not devote hours to playing, but the kind of game you’d keep accessible in the Dock or as an alias on your desktop, it’s that good in short doses. Like the arcade game that draws you away from the person you’re shopping with or the person you logically shouldn’t be getting cuddly with, but do anyway, WipeOut 2097 has an irresistible racing/action allure that’s hard to resist and that’s much harder to put down.

Das eigentlich Bemerkenswerte an wipEout 2097 ist, daß Psygnosis die Mankos des Vorgängers nicht entfernt hat. Wieder sind die Gegner etwas unfair, wieder ist die Steuerung zu ungenau. Zwar gibt es neue Waffen und Strecken, eine nennenswerte Verbesserung fand nur bei der grafischen Umsetzung statt - das an und für sich flotte Actionrennspiel hätte Besseres verdient gehabt.

There are some other nice features sprinkled throughout Wipeout 2097, and there some more annoyances as well. In the end, however, it's all about the race. Wipeout 2097 is sure to keep you entertained for a while. You'd better get very good very quickly, however, or you're likely to become frustrated and/or bored with the game before you can get to the really good stuff.

Acht verschiedene Level sind nicht die Welt. Vor allem nicht in Anbetracht der Tatsache, daß die letzten beiden nur von wirklich versierten Fahrern erreicht werden. Schließlich gilt es nicht nur, gegen elf beinharte Computergegner zu bestehen. Zudem kämpft der Spieler gegen die störrische Steuerung, die ihn viel zu oft in die Randbegrenzung schießen läßt.