Wipeout XL

Developer: Psygnosis     Publisher: Psygnosis     Released: September 30, 1996     Genre: Racing

The early PlayStation lineup was not very good in retrospect. But one of the bright stars of the Sony’s console debut was Wipeout. With its fantastic graphic design and look it was one of the best looking futuristic racing games on the market. But its gameplay had flaws that kept it from being the great game it could be. Wipeout XL is the realization of its predecessor’s potential, smoothing out its flaws and being accessible to gamers of all skill levels. This is the game Wipeout should have been.

Wipeout XL takes place decades after the first game with the AG Racing League featuring faster hovercars with more weapons and a new propulsion system to deal with the increase in speed. This is the game’s way of explaining away the awful physics and damage model of the original. What this means is a game that is much better to control in general. Crashing into walls no longer causes a dead stop unless you are full speed. Now you merely scrape the surface and slow down slightly. Right away it gives leeway to make mistakes and adjust to the new controls.

The air brakes allow sharp turning, to the point of making 90 degree turns with skill. They are not so intuitive at first. The longer you hold the air brakes the sharper the turn, meaning you will have to begin in advance. When done right not only will you navigate the turn but come out of it at full speed. The early courses serve as perfect practice as they feature few sharp turns and on Vector class rival ships are not as aggressive. Psygnosis have done a bang up job making the game accessible and deserve praise.

The accessibility extends to the game’s single player mode, or lack thereof. There is no campaign as you know it at the start. Instead you have three classes: Vector, Venom, and Rapier. Each is basically easy, intermediate, and hard mode with each featuring subtle and major differences. You are free to tackle the game’s six courses on any difficulty with your gold medals carrying over to each. With no pressure to earn points lest your campaign end early players can advance at their own pace.

Speaking of which I found the pacing of the difficulty to be near perfect. I would even say it might be a little too perfect. As you go through each class the number of laps, top speed, and enemy AI increase. Normally passive rivals will actively target you with their weapons and even purposely ram into you. But even with that in mind I was able to master air braking in less than an hour and earn gold medals on every track soon after. I can see why Psygnosis may have erred on the side of caution in terms of the game’s difficulty. Wipeout was criticized for its brutal difficulty with most never seeing all of its content. Going in the opposite direction at least means gamers are more willing to stick with it through any frustration.

For those that do want a challenge Wipeout XL does have it if you are willing. Earning gold on all courses will unlock Challenge Mode 1. This is the game’s season mode but instead of points you have to place first or repeat the track. You face beyond Rapier class opponents in challenge mode and you only have three continues to boot. But if you persevere you unlock Phantom class, the fastest class that features two new courses. The speed in Phantom class is unbelievable; adrenaline junkies will be in heaven. For your trouble in completing Challenge mode you only get challenge mode 2, which is a seasonal mode featuring all eight tracks. I have never seen it myself which should give you an idea of the difficulty in earning it.

Even though Wipeout XL was released in the PlayStation’s second year it still holds up as one of the platforms better looking titles. Designer’s Republic return and have redesigned the game’s front end and logos to be sleeker and more high tech. From a technical perspective the game is shifting hundreds of thousands of polygons to eliminate the seams and warping inherit to the system. Each track is smartly designed to hide pop-up although it is still there. Most tracks take place at night and highlight the game’s real-time lighting in concert with the new weapons. Combined with the impressive speed and you have a showcase for the hardware.

The award winning techno soundtrack returns with an all new selection of Euro hits to tap your feet to.  It isn’t all loud electronica; there are some ambient tracks in the mix.  It matches the pace of the game perfectly and I say that as someone who isn’t a fan of the genre.

In Conclusion

Wipeout XL is one of the best PlayStation games of all time and a fantastic racing game overall. It is one of the highest rated games on the system for a reason. Amazing presentation, great gameplay, and easy accessibility make Wipeout XL a must in any PlayStation library. The only thing missing is two-player split screen but that is a small pox on an otherwise great package. One of the PSOne’s best racing games.