Wipeout Playstation Publisher: Psygnosis Developer: Psygnosis Players: 1-2 (via link cable) Difficulty: Easy Camera: Far Chase, Cockpit

Background and Tracks Look Very Good The Current Weapon Is Displayed In Icon Form Near The Top Center Make Sure To Hit As Many Of These Things As Possible. These Give Your Craft A Boost TACH- O -METER Control: (5) Graphics: (4.5) Sound: (4) Replay Value: (4) Overall: (Not The Average) (4)

Pepsi. Probably the greatest soft drink known to man, at least the real men that have actual taste buds. No, none of that cheap Coca Cola Classic here my friend. I am a pure Pepsi fan bar none. Hell I even have a Pepsi T-shirt. Every know and then I reach for a tall refreshing glass of it whenever my throat begs to be quench. You are probably saying to yourself "Uh oh do we have a sell out on our hands here, what is his problem?". Well fear not I am using this as an example. Anyway, some nights I open a Pepsi and place the unused Pepsi back into the refrigerator. Next day, here I come, ready to drink, I pick up the can, take a sip and nearly gag. That is what most games that are a couple years old end up to be. Play the game for a while, let it sit, come back, borrrrriinnnnnnggggg!!!! Now back to an analogy. Some days I will pick up a 12 pack of root beer when I feel like spending a few extra dollars. Same thing happens, I get up, get a root beer, drink some, place the rest in the refrigerator, come back the next day, take a sip and wait, what is this? Oh yes still quenching and same great taste. What I am getting at now is Wipeout. Released way back at the original launch of the Playstation back in 1995. Many of the first launch titles have been upgraded to better things but the Wipeout series is here with a lot of innovation and a lot of pure, unadulterated fun.

Wipeout is not your ordinary racer, oh no. No Formula 1 racers we all have grown up with, no nascars ripping around the corners, but hover-crafts. These hovercrafts are very aerodynamic, twin boosters, and can handle any course with ease. Being able to pick up and play is what gives this game some points. Now being able to pick up and master is another thing. Learning how to take turns, run over boosts at the right time, and ,most importantly, not fun into or brush up against the walls. Walls can absolutely make or break a race. More often then none I found myself racing towards the finish, right in front of the leader, then misjudge a turn and end up in third place. This only happened in the beginning though. Once I had the technique down the game was cake from thereafter.

Upon beginning Wipeout there are a few modes of play. There is the basic grand prix mode where you select a racer, race in six races, and try to end up the racer with the most points. Second, there is a single racer option for those who do not have the time to play six tracks. Speaking of time, this game has a extremely long load time. This is probably due to the fact that it was an original release and all the code was not working out to today's game loading procedures. Anyway, thirdly, there is an option to race head-to-head with a friend. In order to play this though you need a link-cable, something we here at the office just do not have. It sounds like it could be fun though.

There are a number of tracks to choose from, six in the beginning and eventually more open up. The tracks range from desert, to ice, to fire, to completely futuristic. While racing you will probably not notice too much but some parts of the tracks are kind of bland, not much to look at. Other parts of the tracks, however, are wildly decorated with signs galore, most of which are just generic symbols on backgrounds. As for track design Psygnosis hit the nail on the head. Jumps, curves, hard banks, bumps, obstacles, boosts, and power-ups have all helped make the tracks wonderful. Power-ups range from the normal rockets and missiles to your average turbo boosts and more. But, sadly, many of these have been overshadowed by today's standards for projectiles. The rockets just look like glowing balls. Turbo boost throws you completely out of control if not used right. As far as the receiving end goes, explosions leave a lot to be desired for. Basically the craft seems like it stalled for a second. Aside from the turbo boost, the rest of the power-ups just slow your opponents down. There are no leader missles that hunt down the leader, nothing that totally turns your opponents around, nothing. This might be good for those video-game players that like a simulation feel with a slight hint of arcade action.

The music that plays in Wipeout is pretty good. It gets a little obnoxious when you play it for a while though. A good feature is being able to change the music in a race just by pressing start, heading to the bottom of the menu, and changing it. Sound effects are average. There is an announcer that says "Rocket" or "Missle" when another opponent has fired either object. This is good when deciding whether or not to use a shield or not. The announcer may not be talking about the guy right behind you, it might be the racer in front of your craft firing at the leader. You have to just use your instinct when deciding when to use the shield power-up or not.

Wipeout is a great game. It has great looking tracks, some good beats to race with, and GREAT CONTROL. I would recommend this for the gamer that enjoys racimg but for the average gamer I would pass this title up. The reason for that is because there are many newer games available that have updated upon this style of racing plus there really is not that many modes to keep you busy for more then a month or so. But I mean, hey, if you have have 20 bucks to blow I would highly recommend this oldie but goodie.