GR:
"The year of our Gaming Lord is 1995. And here you are, frothing at the mouth, dancing yourself into hyper-limbed oblivion to Bobby Brown’s 2 Can Play That Game in some sweat pit of a nightclub at 3:34am. Blurry-eyed, you look past the hive of raving turquoise shell suits to see a crummy CRT telly on the wall, beaming the first dose of PS1 directly into your eyeballs. The future of the racer… no, the future of gaming is upon you. Welcome to WipEout, perspiring ‘90s clubber. You’ve just been introduced to PlayStation."
The WipEout series was, at one point, considered to be a dazzling showcase for new Sony hardware. The original game accompanied the PS1's release in the West and arguably did a lot of sell the console to sceptical punters, while WipEout Pure and WipEout 2048 were jaw-dropping launch titles for the PSP and PS Vita, respectively.
PS4 sadly didn't get a WipEout at launch, although it did get the excellent Omega Collection in 2017, a pack which pulled together content from WipEout HD and the aforementioned PS Vita entry and holds the distinction of being the only instalment to top the UK sales charts. Had things turned out a little differently, we could have been playing one of the most dramatic reimaginings of the series yet seen on PS4; an entry which would have retained the anti-gravity mechanics but evolved the on-track action into something closer to a traditional racing game.
Game preservationists Forest of Illusion have released the source code for the original Wipeout PS1 online, as well as its Windows port.
Featuring historical context and an interview with the designer, we take a look at the controversial WipEout poster that caused uproar in the UK press.
Amazing poster and one of the best racing franchises in the games industry - Period
No game give you the speed and rush like WipEout and the music is a key component to the game
Must make lots more WipEout's
mourne for that late 90s and 00s swag. All the cool stuff never known by dumb child me, curses!
Wipeout never really got the praise it deserved. It's a fantastic game albeit very difficult. I feel bad Sony wasn't able to keep the studio alive.
A true classic. Loved every minute of it.
Some feel Wipeout was one of the first true adult themed games for consoles because of it having the first soundtrack made intirely of music from actual artists that you could buy on your own. And its difficulty. Sony showed early that they were willing to take risks and look at different kinds of IP's for the PS1. Wipeout is a true classic.