Wipeout 3
Encyclopedia
Wipeout 3, released as Wip3out in Europe and Japan, is a futuristic racing video game
developed and published by Psygnosis exclusively for the Sony
PlayStation. The title is the fourth game in the Wipeout
series, and was released in Europe and North America in September 1999. The game was re-released in Europe as Wipeout 3: Special Edition in August 2000. Players control extremely fast anti-gravity
ships and use weapons to force enemies out of the race.
Developer Psygnosis hired design studio The Designers Republic
to create a simple colour scheme and design for in-game menus and race courses, to create what a Psygnosis staff member called "a believable future". The game is one of the few PlayStation titles to run in high-resolution mode, offering crisper graphics and visuals, and also notable for having a widescreen correction option. Wipeout 3s soundtrack is composed of techno
and electronica
tracks selected by DJ Sasha
and features contributions by Orbital
and The Chemical Brothers
.
The game was positively received on release; critics lauded the graphics, music, and minimalist design elements. The high level of difficulty, perceived lack of new content and courses, and lack of new game features were seen as the game's primary faults. Despite generally good press, the game was a financial disappointment. Wipeout 3 was the last title in the series to appear on the PlayStation; the next entry, Wipeout Fusion
, was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2
platform in 2002.
Wipeout 3 is a racing game that retains the same basic elements of its predecessors, and introduces players to the F7200 Anti-Gravity Race League. Players control futuristic anti-gravity
ships owned by racing corporations and pilot them on eight circuits. Each craft is equipped with an energy shield that absorbs damage sustained on the track; if the shield is disabled, the player's craft can be knocked out of the race. Shields are regenerated in a pit lane that is set apart from the main course. The less time spent in the pit lane, the less the shield will regenerate.
In addition to shields, each racing craft contains air brake
s for navigating tight corners, as well as a "hyper-boost" option. Players can activate the hyper-boost to increase their speed, but the boost drains energy from the shields, making the craft more vulnerable. Using special speed pads on the course allows players to increase their speed without resorting to the boost.
Scattered across each raceway are weapon grids that bestow random power-up
s or items. Wipeout 3 adds new weapons in addition to the five retained from previous games. Several weapons are defensive; for example, the gravity shield protects the craft from attacks and collisions for a time period. Offensive weapons are also available; craft can use rockets, missiles and mines to disable competitors. Players can use an auto-pilot power-up to safely coast through difficult turns.
The default game mode awards medals to the top three finishing hovercraft. Each contestant must reach checkpoints on the course within a certain amount of time, or be ejected from the race. Winning consecutive gold medals unlocks new circuits and hovercraft. Wipeout 3 features several other game modes, including challenges to complete courses in a set time. In the "Eliminator" mode, players gain points for destroying competitors and finishing laps. The "Tournament" mode has players compete on several tracks, with points being awarded on race placement. Players can engage in two-player racing via a split-screen
option.
s, used to offer smoother control of the player's craft.
Psygnosis turned to the graphic design
studio The Designers Republic
to assist in development. The Designers Republic, known for its underground techno album covers, provided "visual candy" to Wipeout 3s graphics, designing the game's icons, billboards, color schemes, and custom typefaces. The look and feel of the futuristic courses was bounded by a desire to retain a believable sensibility; Wipeout 3 lead artist Nicky Westcott said that "[Psygnosis] tried to make it look like a believable future, instead of making the sky toxic orange with 10 moons flying around and the world gone mad. It's very low-key [and] a lot more refined." Wipeout 3s graphics were improved over previous games in the series, and the title was the first in the series to run at high-resolution mode (720 x 480, or 480i
).
, Orbital
, and the Propellerheads
. Psygnosis' development manager, Enda Carey, focused on bringing together music early in the game's development cycle, instead of as an afterthought or last-minute addition to the game. Unlike previous soundtracks, Psygnosis selected a single music director, DJ Sasha
, who worked with artists to create a cohesive soundtrack. Sasha included several of his own tracks made specifically for the game. The game disc is a Mixed Mode CD
that allows Wipeout 3s soundtrack to be played in a standard compact disc player. To promote Wipeout 3 and its game music, Psygnosis sponsored a Global Underground tour for Sasha. Game pods featuring Wipeout 3 were placed at parties and venues, accompanied by a tie-in marketing campaign.
, and a metascore of 89 at Metacritic
. IGN
named Wipeout 3 the most accessible game of the series, and in 2007 the title was named the 92nd best game by the site. Despite generally positive reviews of the game, Wipeout 3 was not a commercial success.
The fast-paced gameplay and graphics were singled out as strong features of the game. Jack Schofield of The Guardian
was surprised by the level of detail, stating that the "graphics are better than you'd expect the [PlayStation] to deliver". Both GamePro
and Game Revolution
reviewers praised the new game features, specifically the new weapons and ability to challenge friends via splitscreen. The Designer Republic's style was consistently praised as helping to make the racing locales seem real, though David Goldfarb of the magazine International Design stated that the "techno-meets-Nihonpop-art visuals" had been executed better in previous entries of the series. Wipeout 3s soundtrack and sound effects were also lauded.
A major fault reviewers found with Wipeout 3 was the steep learning curve of the game. David Canter of The San Diego Union-Tribune
described the difficulty progression as "ludicrous", with the tournament game mode going from "easy as pie to tough as nails". Though the use of the analog stick was positively noted as helping to increase control over the onscreen craft, GamePro found that proper handling required large amounts of patience and practice.
Reviewers who gave Wipeout 3 lower marks noted a sense of disappointment that the series broke little new ground. Stuart Miles of The Times
admitted Wipeout 3 was a good game, but felt that he had been expecting much more from the sequel: "It's as if the programmers have concerned themselves more with the overall look and feel, rather than further developing the existing gameplay." Alistair Wallace of Gamasutra
, in a retrospective on Wipeout 2097
, remembered that "I enjoyed [Wipeout 3] because it was more of the same and I loved it, but I think the series ran out of its innovation. Doing loop the loops isn’t a big deal really." GameSpot
summed up its review of the game by judging Wipeout 3 an excellent racer, but not able to beat Wipeout 2097 as the best futuristic racing game of all time.
, was released in 2002 exclusively for the PlayStation 2
. The game introduced new tracks, ships, and weaponry, as well as enhanced artificial intelligence.
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...
developed and published by Psygnosis exclusively for the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation. The title is the fourth game in the Wipeout
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...
series, and was released in Europe and North America in September 1999. The game was re-released in Europe as Wipeout 3: Special Edition in August 2000. Players control extremely fast anti-gravity
Anti-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...
ships and use weapons to force enemies out of the race.
Developer Psygnosis hired design studio The Designers Republic
The 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...
to create a simple colour scheme and design for in-game menus and race courses, to create what a Psygnosis staff member called "a believable future". The game is one of the few PlayStation titles to run in high-resolution mode, offering crisper graphics and visuals, and also notable for having a widescreen correction option. Wipeout 3s soundtrack is composed of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and 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...
tracks selected by DJ Sasha
Sasha (DJ)
Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
and features contributions by 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...
and 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...
.
The game was positively received on release; critics lauded the graphics, music, and minimalist design elements. The high level of difficulty, perceived lack of new content and courses, and lack of new game features were seen as the game's primary faults. Despite generally good press, the game was a financial disappointment. Wipeout 3 was the last title in the series to appear on the PlayStation; the next entry, Wipeout Fusion
Wipeout Fusion
Wipeout Fusion is a 2002 racing video game that has been the only original release of the Wipeout series of racing games for PlayStation 2...
, was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
platform in 2002.
Gameplay
Anti-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...
ships owned by racing corporations and pilot them on eight circuits. Each craft is equipped with an energy shield that absorbs damage sustained on the track; if the shield is disabled, the player's craft can be knocked out of the race. Shields are regenerated in a pit lane that is set apart from the main course. The less time spent in the pit lane, the less the shield will regenerate.
In addition to shields, each racing craft contains air brake
Air brake (road vehicle)
Air brakes are used in trucks, buses, trailers, and semi-trailers. George Westinghouse first developed air brakes for use in railway service. He patented a safer air brake on March 5, 1872. Originally designed and built for use on railroad train application, air brakes remain the exclusive systems...
s for navigating tight corners, as well as a "hyper-boost" option. Players can activate the hyper-boost to increase their speed, but the boost drains energy from the shields, making the craft more vulnerable. Using special speed pads on the course allows players to increase their speed without resorting to the boost.
Scattered across each raceway are weapon grids that bestow random 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...
s or items. Wipeout 3 adds new weapons in addition to the five retained from previous games. Several weapons are defensive; for example, the gravity shield protects the craft from attacks and collisions for a time period. Offensive weapons are also available; craft can use rockets, missiles and mines to disable competitors. Players can use an auto-pilot power-up to safely coast through difficult turns.
The default game mode awards medals to the top three finishing hovercraft. Each contestant must reach checkpoints on the course within a certain amount of time, or be ejected from the race. Winning consecutive gold medals unlocks new circuits and hovercraft. Wipeout 3 features several other game modes, including challenges to complete courses in a set time. In the "Eliminator" mode, players gain points for destroying competitors and finishing laps. The "Tournament" mode has players compete on several tracks, with points being awarded on race placement. Players can engage in two-player racing via a split-screen
Split screen (computer graphics)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of related graphical and textual information on a computer...
option.
Development
In developing the next entry in the Wipeout series, developer Psygnosis retained many of the developers of the original game in order to preserve the distinctive racing experience of earlier games. At the same time, Psygnosis sought to make the game more accessible to new players of the fast-paced racer, and kept early courses easier for these players; the difficulty was adjusted for later courses so that experts still experienced a challenge. Wipeout 3 was the first Wipeout game to take advantage of PlayStation controllers with analog stickAnalog stick
An analog stick, sometimes called a control stick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joystick, consisting of a protrusion from the controller; input is based on the position of this protrusion in relation...
s, used to offer smoother control of the player's craft.
Psygnosis turned to the graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
studio The Designers Republic
The 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...
to assist in development. The Designers Republic, known for its underground techno album covers, provided "visual candy" to Wipeout 3s graphics, designing the game's icons, billboards, color schemes, and custom typefaces. The look and feel of the futuristic courses was bounded by a desire to retain a believable sensibility; Wipeout 3 lead artist Nicky Westcott said that "[Psygnosis] tried to make it look like a believable future, instead of making the sky toxic orange with 10 moons flying around and the world gone mad. It's very low-key [and] a lot more refined." Wipeout 3s graphics were improved over previous games in the series, and the title was the first in the series to run at high-resolution mode (720 x 480, or 480i
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
).
Music
Wipeout 3, continuing the tradition set by the first game, contains techno and electronica offerings from various artists, including The Chemical BrothersThe 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...
, 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...
, and the Propellerheads
Propellerheads
Propellerheads were a British big beat musical ensemble, formed in 1995 and made up of electronic producers Will White and Alex Gifford. The term propellerhead is slang for a nerd, and when Gifford and White heard a friend from California use this in a conversation, they thought it the perfect name...
. Psygnosis' development manager, Enda Carey, focused on bringing together music early in the game's development cycle, instead of as an afterthought or last-minute addition to the game. Unlike previous soundtracks, Psygnosis selected a single music director, DJ Sasha
Sasha (DJ)
Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
, who worked with artists to create a cohesive soundtrack. Sasha included several of his own tracks made specifically for the game. The game disc is a Mixed Mode CD
Mixed Mode CD
A Mixed Mode CD is a Compact Disc in which two different data types are combined. Typically the first track is a data track while the rest are audio tracks...
that allows Wipeout 3s soundtrack to be played in a standard compact disc player. To promote Wipeout 3 and its game music, Psygnosis sponsored a Global Underground tour for Sasha. Game pods featuring Wipeout 3 were placed at parties and venues, accompanied by a tie-in marketing campaign.
Reception
Overall, critical reception of Wipeout 3 was positive; the game has an aggregate average of 87% based on 29 reviews at Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, and a metascore of 89 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. IGN
IGN
IGN 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...
named Wipeout 3 the most accessible game of the series, and in 2007 the title was named the 92nd best game by the site. Despite generally positive reviews of the game, Wipeout 3 was not a commercial success.
The fast-paced gameplay and graphics were singled out as strong features of the game. Jack Schofield of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was surprised by the level of detail, stating that the "graphics are better than you'd expect the [PlayStation] to deliver". Both GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
and Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
reviewers praised the new game features, specifically the new weapons and ability to challenge friends via splitscreen. The Designer Republic's style was consistently praised as helping to make the racing locales seem real, though David Goldfarb of the magazine International Design stated that the "techno-meets-Nihonpop-art visuals" had been executed better in previous entries of the series. Wipeout 3s soundtrack and sound effects were also lauded.
A major fault reviewers found with Wipeout 3 was the steep learning curve of the game. David Canter of The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
described the difficulty progression as "ludicrous", with the tournament game mode going from "easy as pie to tough as nails". Though the use of the analog stick was positively noted as helping to increase control over the onscreen craft, GamePro found that proper handling required large amounts of patience and practice.
Reviewers who gave Wipeout 3 lower marks noted a sense of disappointment that the series broke little new ground. Stuart Miles of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
admitted Wipeout 3 was a good game, but felt that he had been expecting much more from the sequel: "It's as if the programmers have concerned themselves more with the overall look and feel, rather than further developing the existing gameplay." Alistair Wallace of Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
, in a retrospective on Wipeout 2097
Wipeout 2097
Track listing Saturn/Windows versions * CoLD SToRAGE: "Canada"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Body in Motion"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Kinkong"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Plasticity"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Messij Xtnd"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Tenation"* CoLD SToRAGE: "Surgeon"...
, remembered that "I enjoyed [Wipeout 3] because it was more of the same and I loved it, but I think the series ran out of its innovation. Doing loop the loops isn’t a big deal really." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
summed up its review of the game by judging Wipeout 3 an excellent racer, but not able to beat Wipeout 2097 as the best futuristic racing game of all time.
Rerelease and sequel
A special edition of Wipeout 3 was released exclusively in Europe on July 14, 2000. Wipeout 3 Special Edition featured no changes to gameplay, but did add eight courses from previous Wipeout titles, for a total of 16 tracks. Special Edition also allowed for four-person multiplayer, using two televisions and two PlayStation consoles. Wipeout 3 was the last game in the series to ship for the aging PlayStation. The next entry in the Wipeout series, entitled Wipeout FusionWipeout Fusion
Wipeout Fusion is a 2002 racing video game that has been the only original release of the Wipeout series of racing games for PlayStation 2...
, was released in 2002 exclusively for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The game introduced new tracks, ships, and weaponry, as well as enhanced artificial intelligence.