Wipeout

[WIP]

About

Wipeout is a series of futuristic anti-gravity racing games initially developed by Psygnosis, later known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Studio Liverpool. Initially released in 1995, the series would later become known as a PlayStation franchise, with popularity especially in Europe, where the game was released as a launch title for the console in the region. The series has garnered general acclaim for its fast-paced technical gameplay, bold visual design, and electronic soundtrack.

Gameplay

Gameplay consists of racing anti-gravity vehicles as part of a team around tracks. While in the first game there were four teams to choose from, later games would feature other teams from different parts of the world. Item pickups and weapons are also available that can slow down other racers, similar to kart racers, though starting with Wipeout 2097/XL, these pickups also had the ability to destroy and eliminate others from a race. Other game modes were also introduced in later installments such as Zone, an endurance mode where the vehicle accelerates automatically and gets faster every ten seconds, and Eliminator/Combat, where dealing damage to and destroying opponents are emphasized.

History

Wipeout was developed by the Liverpool-based Psygnosis who, prior to creating the series, were known for developing well-received computer games for the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga, alongside publishing the Lemmings series of games. Initially a concept between Psygnosis developers Nick Burcombe and Jim Bowers, the game was released on September 29th, 1995 for the original PlayStation as a European launch title, followed by a North American release a few months later on November 21st, 1995, along with ports for Microsoft Windows and the Sega Saturn. Prior to its release, the game was featured in the 1995 cult film Hackers as an arcade machine.

The first installments employed a unique graphic design aesthetic putting emphasis on bold colors, geometric shapes, and futuristic texts thanks to the likes of Sheffield-based design house The Designers Republic, though later installments tried to , and an electronic soundtrack initially supplied by electronic artists such as The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers.

The game was followed up by Wipeout 2097 (released as Wipeout XL in North America) in 1996, and Wip3out (Wipeout 3 in North America) in 1999, with the latter released exclusively for the PlayStation. An installment of the series was also released for the Nintendo 64, aptly titled Wipeout 64, in 1998. By the early 2000s, Psygnosis had become a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment and were renamed to SCE Studio Liverpool. The first game for the series developed under their new name was Wipeout Fusion for the PlayStation 2. Two installments for the series were also released for the PlayStation Portable, Wipeout Pure in 2005, and Wipeout Pulse in 2008, with content and tracks from the two games released as part of Wipeout HD for the PlayStation 3 that same year. HD would also receive an expansion pack, Wipeout HD Fury, released in 2009.

In January 2012, Wipeout 2048, a prequel to the entirety of the series, was released for the PlayStation Vita. This would also be the last installment developed by Studio Liverpool, as they would close down in August of that year. Despite this, a remastered compilation featuring 2048, HD, and HD Fury was released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4 titled Wipeout Omega Collection, developed by Sony XDev, Clever Beans and EPOS Game Studios. The compilation would also receive an update that would allow utilization of Playstation VR.

Reception

The Wipeout series has received consistently positive reviews with each installment.

Fandom

The Wipeout series sports a subreddit and wiki dedicated to the series' installments.^[1][2]

Search Interest

External References