Date played: June 9th
Platform: PS4
The mid 90's were a strange time. The internet was just starting to be more common. Techno music and raves were at the height of their popularity. Hackers was a "cool" movie. The whole world was going through a transformation, thanks to the World Wide Web. At the same time, 3D graphics were becoming more and more common in video games.
That's when WipEout was born. A product of it's time, but also something that is so well designed, it might just be timeless. Racing games were still in their early days, at least for those attempting 3D graphics. I had been playing many PC games at this time, like The Need For Speed, Stunts, Screamer and Ridge Racer. Of course, I can't forget about F-Zero also, since WipEout so obviously inspired by it. It wasn't "really" 3D, but it was the first futuristic racer with a third person view.
Then I played Wipeout XL on PC. That was a fucking revelation! The antigravity craft soared around the twisting futuristic tracks, to the beat of heavy techno music. I fell in love right away and became a hardcore WipEout fanboy. This is seriously one of my top five game franchises in history, up there with Mario and Civilization. I played them all. The original on Saturn, XL on both PC and Playstation, Wip3out on PS1, WipEout 64, Fusion on PS2, Pure and Pulse on Vita, HD and Fury on PS3 and finally, 2048 on Vita. The series is fucking glorious and the only one I really don't like as much is Fusion.
WipEout Omega Collection gathers Wipeout HD, Fury and 2048 in one place. The graphics are improved for all games, but it's most apparent with 2048, since it was only released on Vita. It's really impressive actually. I really loved 2048 when I played it, and it's definitely one of my favorites in the series, so seeing it look so motherfucking good is quite a treat.
I played a few events in all three games. I played a shit ton of these games when they first released, so I still have the tracks memorized quite well, at least so far. I just love racing these things so much... I particularly enjoyed Zone mode in WipEout HD. In this mode, the craft accelerates constantly and speeds up gradually. The objective is to stay alive as long as possible. At first it's pretty easy, but soon enough, I was gripping the controller harder than a fat kid holds on to a candy bar, wrestling against physics as I tried to keep control of my ship.
That's what WipEout is all about. Fast, white-knuckled piloting in flashy environments, sleekly designed craft and thumping music. Bliss.
Platform: PS4
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| My first victory |
That's when WipEout was born. A product of it's time, but also something that is so well designed, it might just be timeless. Racing games were still in their early days, at least for those attempting 3D graphics. I had been playing many PC games at this time, like The Need For Speed, Stunts, Screamer and Ridge Racer. Of course, I can't forget about F-Zero also, since WipEout so obviously inspired by it. It wasn't "really" 3D, but it was the first futuristic racer with a third person view.
Then I played Wipeout XL on PC. That was a fucking revelation! The antigravity craft soared around the twisting futuristic tracks, to the beat of heavy techno music. I fell in love right away and became a hardcore WipEout fanboy. This is seriously one of my top five game franchises in history, up there with Mario and Civilization. I played them all. The original on Saturn, XL on both PC and Playstation, Wip3out on PS1, WipEout 64, Fusion on PS2, Pure and Pulse on Vita, HD and Fury on PS3 and finally, 2048 on Vita. The series is fucking glorious and the only one I really don't like as much is Fusion.
WipEout Omega Collection gathers Wipeout HD, Fury and 2048 in one place. The graphics are improved for all games, but it's most apparent with 2048, since it was only released on Vita. It's really impressive actually. I really loved 2048 when I played it, and it's definitely one of my favorites in the series, so seeing it look so motherfucking good is quite a treat.
I played a few events in all three games. I played a shit ton of these games when they first released, so I still have the tracks memorized quite well, at least so far. I just love racing these things so much... I particularly enjoyed Zone mode in WipEout HD. In this mode, the craft accelerates constantly and speeds up gradually. The objective is to stay alive as long as possible. At first it's pretty easy, but soon enough, I was gripping the controller harder than a fat kid holds on to a candy bar, wrestling against physics as I tried to keep control of my ship.
That's what WipEout is all about. Fast, white-knuckled piloting in flashy environments, sleekly designed craft and thumping music. Bliss.
