Once again, Psygnosis has set new standards for game software this time
with their futuristic racing simulation for the Playstation, entitled
"Wipeout".

Psygnosis is not a newcomer to the game field; they=92ve been building
next-technology games since the time of the first Atari STs and Amigas.
Back then, they were recognized as the publishers who pushed the hardware
platform to new limits.  With their release of Wipeout (and of Destruction
Derby), they reclaim that title.

In Wipeout, you take the pilot=92s chair in a slick hover-vehicle and race
among what has to be some of the most beautifully illustrated tracks ever
to grace a color monitor.  As you dash over a variety of surface materials,
you can catch power-ups which activate assorted offensive and defensive
systems.  In tournament mode, your goal is to qualify (place 3rd or better)
in each race, and you have three chances on each track to do so.  Wipeout
also features a single-track racing mode, in addition to two player
competitive racing through
the use of the linkup cable. 

I am loath to use the words "gaming experience" because its such an
over-used marketing brainwash technique, but in this case it applies.
Wipeout is dripping with atmosphere.  The graphics are by far and away 
the best I have ever seen on the PSX or any other home system.  Not only
are the tracks wonderfully detailed, but the frame rate is truly amazing.
And pixellation? Wipeout's never heard of it.  The track slides by without
the slightest indication of the "chunkies".  The track designers use the
graphics engine to great effect; the tracks swoop, dive, curl, and perform
other gymnastics that had me gasping for breath.   And it does this at a
lightning-fast thirty frames per second.

More on the environment.  While this is a racing game, it's not your
typical "skid around the corner" control system that has become almost
monotonous on other track-oriented venues.  You're flying a *hover* ship,
and this racer behaves exactly like it should.  You don't so much skid as
you do bank off of raised track sections.  And when your hover racer
returns to the ground after a large jump, it'll bounce appropriately.

The music is perfect for the game=92s setting; Its a subdued new-wave
 techno mix that's neither distracting nor ostentatious.  The sound effects
are solid, and distort perfectly whether you're submerged in a tunnel or
whistling through a canyon.

All in all, this is a game where you turn off the lights, slap on the
headphones, and then forget you're sitting in your den on the planet Earth.

Now, for all the beauty that is Wipeout... the veteran programmers at
Reflections need to keep reminding themselves of game design.  Psygnosis
kept falling into this pit-trap on other systems too (and only jumped out
every now and then with such blockbusters as Lemmings).  They'd build
ground-breaking graphics engines and then forget to build a solid framework
of design within it.  While Wipeout's variety is satisfactory, there could
have been  *so* much more in terms of replayability.  For example, the
player only has their pick of four vehicles (eight really, but they're just
sets of two with different paint jobs).  Why couldn't the player customize
their own stats, or upgrade their racer as they won more events?  Why
 a linear track progression?  And why only 6 of them (initially available)?
Wipeout won't fall into the "show the title off to your friends for 30mins
and then let it gather dust" category, but it has symptoms of that disease.
If I had such a dedicated and talented team as Reflections on my staff, I'd
be sure to design a game system worthy of their efforts.

And the documentation....   Don't read it.  It doesn't help.  Like the rest
of the package, its rich with atmosphere, but it doesn't tell you what you
need to know.  How does mass play a part in your racer?  What does the
airbrake do?  Why do the power-ups flash different colors?  I realize
there's an appeal to discovering these factoids through experimentation,
but some basic guidelines would have helped.

Enough with the gripes. Wipeout is a good game.  Its graphics and sound are
mind-blowing.  Now, slap those sub-routines into a sophisticated and
involving game engine, and you'll have *the* game for 1996.

WIPEOUT for the Sony Playstation
Graphics: 10, Sound: 9, Control: 9, Documentation: 2, Game Design: 7


Steve Luminati ----------------------------------- luminati@ix.netcom.com
Webmaster, Radio DJ, SF Author, Half-Elf, and Part-time Psychopath
"Everyone should believe in something: I believe I'll have another drink."