Wipeout (video game)
Encyclopedia
Wipeout is the first in a series
of futuristic racing video game
s developed and published by Psygnosis. It was originally released in 1995 for Sony PlayStation and PCs running MS-DOS
, and in 1996 for Sega Saturn
. In 2007, it was re-released for download on the PlayStation Store
, first for PlayStation Portable
on March 8, then made playable on PlayStation 3
months later.
racing league, piloting one of a selection of craft in races on several different tracks. There are four different racing teams to choose from, and two ships for each team. each ship with its own distinct characteristics of acceleration, top speed, mass, and turning radius. By piloting their craft over power-up
pads found on the tracks, the player can pick up shields, turbo boosts, mines, shock waves, rockets, or missiles, which protect the player's craft or disrupt the competitors' craft.
There are seven race tracks in the game total, six of them located in futuristic versions of countries such as Canada
and Japan
, with a seventh, hidden track set on Mars
.
. Aimed at a fashionable, club-going, music-buying audience, The Designers Republic created art for the game's packaging, in-game branding, and other promotional materials. Music tracks were licensed from non-mainstream electronica
acts to create an original soundtrack album
to promote the game.
The game's vehicle designs were based on Matrix Marauders, a 3D grid-based strategy game
whose concept was developed by Psygnosis employee Jim Bowers. Nick Burcombe, the game's future designer, was inspired to create a racing game using the same types of vehicles from his experience with Powerdrome
, F-Zero and Super Mario Kart
. The name "Wipeout" was given to the game during a pub conversation, and was inspired by the eponymous song. Designing the game's tracks proved to be difficult due to the lack of draw distance
possible on the system. However, the player received completely random weapons, resembling Mario Kart in their capability to stall rather than destroy opponents.
Wipeout was released alongside the PlayStation in Europe
in September 1995. It was the first non-Japan
ese game for the console
. Two months later in November 1995, it was released in the U.S
. The game went to number one in the all format charts, with over 1.5 million units of the franchise having been sold to date throughout Europe and North America.
Launch activities for the game included installation of PlayStation consoles running Wipeout in popular night clubs, the release of an accompanying soundtrack music CD, and the sale of a range of Wipeout clubwear.
The Saturn version of the game, released in 1996, lacked some of the visual flair due to its difficulty to utilize multi-processor configuration. Particle effects were dropped in favor of simple sprites for weapon graphics, however, it ran slightly faster than its PlayStation counterpart.
In 1996, an OEM edition of Wipeout was bundled with new Sony Vaio PCs utilizing ATI's 3D Rage chipset. This 3D accelerated edition using the ATI3DCIF API provided additional resolutions of up to 640x480 pixels as well as bilinear filtering
. This version also made use of the 3D Rage's MPEG acceleration.
Location: Canada
Aridos IV
Location: United States
Karbonis V
Location: Japan
Korodera
Location: Russia
Silverstream
Location: Greenland
Terramax
Location: Germany
Firestar
Location: Hidden Track
soundtrack was composed by Tim Wright under the alias CoLD SToRAGE. Additional songs by Leftfield
, The Chemical Brothers
, and Orbital
were included in the PAL
version of the PlayStation game, while the Saturn version included three songs by Rob Lord & Mark Bandola.
A separately sold Official Soundtrack Album
was released to promote the game. This music album featured a selection which contrasted against the music included within the game, with CoLD SToRAGE
being the most notable omission given his prevalence within the game.
Wipeout (video game series)
Wipeout is a series of futuristic anti-gravity racing games developed by SCE Studio Liverpool. The series is well-known for its fast-paced gameplay and high-quality 3D visual design, as well as its association with electronica and electronic dance music.-Gameplay:Wipeout is a racing series that...
of futuristic racing video game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
s developed and published by Psygnosis. It was originally released in 1995 for Sony PlayStation and PCs running MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, and in 1996 for Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
. In 2007, it was re-released for download on the PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
, first for PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
on March 8, then made playable on PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
months later.
Gameplay
Set in the year 2052, players compete in the F3600 anti-gravityAnti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
racing league, piloting one of a selection of craft in races on several different tracks. There are four different racing teams to choose from, and two ships for each team. each ship with its own distinct characteristics of acceleration, top speed, mass, and turning radius. By piloting their craft over power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
pads found on the tracks, the player can pick up shields, turbo boosts, mines, shock waves, rockets, or missiles, which protect the player's craft or disrupt the competitors' craft.
There are seven race tracks in the game total, six of them located in futuristic versions of countries such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with a seventh, hidden track set on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
.
Development and release
Wipeout was developed and published by Psygnosis, designed in part by The Designers RepublicThe Designers Republic
The Designers Republic was a graphic design studio, founded on 14 July 1986 by Ian Anderson, and based in Sheffield, England. It was known for its anti-establishment aesthetics, while simultaneously embracing brash consumerism and the uniform style of corporate brands, such as Orange and Coca-Cola...
. Aimed at a fashionable, club-going, music-buying audience, The Designers Republic created art for the game's packaging, in-game branding, and other promotional materials. Music tracks were licensed from non-mainstream electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
acts to create an original soundtrack album
Wipeout (album)
-External links: * ...
to promote the game.
The game's vehicle designs were based on Matrix Marauders, a 3D grid-based strategy game
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
whose concept was developed by Psygnosis employee Jim Bowers. Nick Burcombe, the game's future designer, was inspired to create a racing game using the same types of vehicles from his experience with Powerdrome
Powerdrome
Powerdrome is a futuristic racing game by Michael Powell. Players race jet-engined, anti-gravity bikes called 'blades' around closed tracks; in a manner followed by games such as F-Zero and Wipeout.-Original:...
, F-Zero and Super Mario Kart
Super Mario Kart
is a go-kart racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The first game of the Mario Kart series, it was launched in Japan on August 27, 1992, in North America on September 1, 1992, and in Europe on January 21, 1993. Selling eight million copies...
. The name "Wipeout" was given to the game during a pub conversation, and was inspired by the eponymous song. Designing the game's tracks proved to be difficult due to the lack of draw distance
Draw distance
Draw distance is a computer graphics term, defined as the maximum distance of objects in a three dimensional scene that are drawn by the rendering engine. Polygons that lie behind the draw distance won't be drawn to the screen....
possible on the system. However, the player received completely random weapons, resembling Mario Kart in their capability to stall rather than destroy opponents.
Wipeout was released alongside the PlayStation in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in September 1995. It was the first non-Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese game for the console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. Two months later in November 1995, it was released in the U.S
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The game went to number one in the all format charts, with over 1.5 million units of the franchise having been sold to date throughout Europe and North America.
Launch activities for the game included installation of PlayStation consoles running Wipeout in popular night clubs, the release of an accompanying soundtrack music CD, and the sale of a range of Wipeout clubwear.
The Saturn version of the game, released in 1996, lacked some of the visual flair due to its difficulty to utilize multi-processor configuration. Particle effects were dropped in favor of simple sprites for weapon graphics, however, it ran slightly faster than its PlayStation counterpart.
In 1996, an OEM edition of Wipeout was bundled with new Sony Vaio PCs utilizing ATI's 3D Rage chipset. This 3D accelerated edition using the ATI3DCIF API provided additional resolutions of up to 640x480 pixels as well as bilinear filtering
Bilinear filtering
Bilinear filtering is a texture filtering method used to smooth textures when displayed larger or smaller than they actually are.Most of the time, when drawing a textured shape on the screen, the texture is not displayed exactly as it is stored, without any distortion...
. This version also made use of the 3D Rage's MPEG acceleration.
Tracks
Altima VIILocation: Canada
Aridos IV
Location: United States
Karbonis V
Location: Japan
Korodera
Location: Russia
Silverstream
Location: Greenland
Terramax
Location: Germany
Firestar
Location: Hidden Track
Music
The game's electronicaElectronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
soundtrack was composed by Tim Wright under the alias CoLD SToRAGE. Additional songs by Leftfield
Leftfield
Leftfield are a British duo of electronica artists and record producers, namely Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, who formed in 1990 in London, England...
, The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
, and Orbital
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
were included in the PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
version of the PlayStation game, while the Saturn version included three songs by Rob Lord & Mark Bandola.
| Track listing | |
|---|---|
|
A separately sold Official Soundtrack Album
Wipeout (album)
-External links: * ...
was released to promote the game. This music album featured a selection which contrasted against the music included within the game, with CoLD SToRAGE
Cold storage
Cold storage may refer to:* A form of refrigerated storage* Cold Storage, a musician also known as Tim Wright * Cold Storage , a supermarket found in Singapore and Malaysia* COLD...
being the most notable omission given his prevalence within the game.
Critical reception
The game received positive reviews upon release.- Official UK PlayStation Magazine: 8 out of 10 (80%)
- IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
: 8.0 out of 10 (80%) (PlayStation version reviewed) - EdgeEdge (magazine)Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
: 8 out of 10 (PlayStation version reviewed)
External links
- Discogs entry: European PlayStation edition
- Discogs entry: North American PlayStation edition
- Discogs entry: Sega Saturn edition