Wipeout Fusion
Sony didn’t want to bring their own racer over, but why?
Tags: Wipeout: Fusion Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 21st, 2003
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Wipeout: Fusion (title page) | |||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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Some people say that there are too many racing games out for the PS2. While it is true that there is a glut of mediocre racers out there, true quality and innovation within the genre (at least on the PS2) can be found in only a handful of titles. The Wipeout series has been around in various incarnations for a while, appearing on a couple of different consoles. This game (along with another Nintendo first party game) set the benchmark for this style of racing – futuristic above the ground high-speed racing.
Now Bam! Entertainment takes over where Sony Europe leaves off. Developed at Sony’s Liverpool studios, the new agreement between the two publishers sees the game being released in North America where (for reasons we just can’t fathom) Sony decided not to release the game.
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The year is 2160 – 110 years of anti-gravity racing (and corporate sponsorship) has brought the sport to this level. The new season is about to commence, and the new teams are ready. This year includes Feisar, G-Tech Systems, Van-Uber Racing Development, Auricom Research Industries, EG-R Technologies, Piranha Advancements, Tigron Enterprises and Xios International. The International Federation of Anti-Gravity Racing (IFAGR) pays top dollar to winning teams, so each team’s corporate sponsors will do almost anything to ensure that their teams have the proper equipment to come out ahead. This is also why pilots are such a hot commodity, so rivalries are bound to flare up.
Each team’s vehicles are similar, but with varying qualities. Some have better shielding, others may have better handling in the curves, while others have better acceleration. After several races, money is awarded and upgrades are available for purchase. Money is awarded based upon race position, damage, and other factors.
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Weapons are a vital part of this league, and the IFAGR has supplied numerous weapons throughout the tracks (of course you can select to play without them as well in other modes). You have too many to choose from to go into here, so a short list may be called for: grenades, mines, proton cannons, flamers, and plasma bolts are some of what racers will find on the tracks.
Also, specific to each team are some super weapons (after unlocking them by attaining the proper license in the game). These include: super missiles, seismic field, and a nitro rocket. Also during multiplayer racing, there are other weapons such as a hunter missiles and control jammers. All of these will help delay (if not outright eliminate) your opponents to help speed you on to victory.
The graphics in the game are nice, but nothing spectacular. The environments are crisp and the courses are well designed. There isn’t a lot of room for variation, since this is an established racing league, each course has certain guidelines to follow. With that said, there are some rather magnificent looking courses. This is what happens when you take your time (and have first party support) when developing a game.
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The sound is another feature-laden area. The quality (and number) of songs is astounding for this type of title. Bands range from some well known acts (like The Future Sound Of London and Orbital) to other lesser known. The music falls under the “techno” or “electronica” heading, but never really stays in one groove too long (thankfully). The ships each have decent sounds, and the weapons are also adequate. A few more effects would have been nice, but isn’t essential.
Blazing down the courses at such high rates of speed produces a lot of wear and tear on a vehicle. Shields are required to keep your craft together from the accidental scrapes alongside the walls of each track – not to mention keeping the missile coming up your rear from eliminating you from the race. Each track has a pit area where shields can be regenerated. Since the courses are longer now than in previous racing seasons, some strategy is in order to keep yourself alive until you can make it to the pit.
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Wipeout Fusion handles smoothly with no real noticeable dropoff in framerate. While the load times are frustratingly long at times, the length of some of the courses makes up for that. Ships go where you tell them to go for the most part, and those that do not can be upgraded after winning a little bit of scratch.
The wealth of modes available to choose from can be a little overwhelming if not disconcerting. Arcade lets you jump into one race and get the feel for the track. AG League is where you will select (carefully) your corporate sponsored team and participate in League Racing. Multiplayer options include an Arcade Mode (single race, 10 laps) AG League (progress through any unlocked series of tracks) and Custom League (after unlocking them all, there are 42 courses from which to choose from). Unfortunately, there is only 2 player support. More would have been enjoyable.
The Challenge Mode is where teams will be able to unlock their special weapon. Challenges range from finishing first in a race or perhaps just surviving a certain number of laps, eliminate a certain number of other ships, or finish a course in a certain amount of time. There are other features of the game (such as the Zone Mode or Time Trial) but you most likely get the picture – Wipeout Fusion is packed with plenty of ways to play. There’s enough replay value here that the game is a bargain at full price.
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Wipeout Fusion is one of those titles that will stay in gaming rotation for a while. It’s good enough to buy, play for a while, easy to set aside, and real easy to put back in. The number of options available (and the length of time it will require to finish all of them) will have you playing the game for a long time. It’s also the kind of game you can play for an hour or so and then be done with for a while, but keep coming back to. If racing is of interest to you at all, this is definitely worth a purchase.
This incarnation of the racing franchise finally finds a home on a next generation console, showcasing just how ahead of the times it always has been. The technology has only now caught up with what the series is capable of. Fast gameplay and tons of features turn what could be an ordinary churned out sequel into a new benchmark for anti-gravity racers.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| A wealth of modes, a huge number of courses, and top notch gameplay all combine to make a kick-ass game. | 8.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
| Certain vehicles are hard to handle, and the load times can be frustrating. | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Like speed? Get this game. | |
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Tags: Wipeout: Fusion
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 21st, 2003 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
