Wipeout 64
Reviewed by Scott McCall
The venerable PlayStation racing franchise is now on N64.
Developed by Psygnosis in about 8 months, Wipeout 64
takes the best of the original and XL and wraps it into an
N64 package. Sporting an improved two-player mode, an all-new
multi-player mode, and a new track and vehicle or two, Wipeout
fans should be in for one helluva ride. But what about non-Wipeout fans?
If you never experienced Wipeout before, there are a few things
you should know. Wipeout is a futuristic racing game with
weapons. In a way, it's kind of like F-Zero with its energy pits
(meaning each craft has an energy meter) and futuristic theme.
But then again, it really isn't like it. This future is much more
dark and glum, and the weapons, which are picked up by riding
over arrows on the track, add a different dimension. Also, there
is one gameplay decision that developers chose to make that will
make or break the game for you: When you hit another craft or a
wall, you come to an almost dead stop. There is no room for
error. But that's probably why a lot of people like the series.
Wipeout 64 contains seven tracks, four classes, five crafts,
and 15 weapons/power-ups (10 normal and 5 super). Just in
case you're familiar with the PlayStation versions, I'll list them
here. The tracks are Klies Bridge, Qoron IV, Dyroness, Sokana,
Machaon II, Terafumos, and Velocitar. The classes, going from
slowest and easiest to fastest and hardest, are Vector, Venom,
Rapier, and Phantom. And the crafts are Feisar, AG Systems,
Auricom, Qirex, and Piranha II.
One thing that makes Wipeout 64 and its siblings stand out is
the many interesting ways to play. The following choices are
available from the Game Select menu: Challenge, Single Race, Time
Trial, Multiplayer, and Options. Challenge is the heart and soul
of the one-player experience. There are a series of challenges
for you meet, from Race to Time Trial to Weapon. In the Race
Challenge, for example, you might have to use a certain craft
and get a certain place. Or you might have to destroy a certain
number of enemies in the Weapon Challenge. There are six different
challenges under each challenge type. You can only play the next
challenge by beating the previous one, but there are awards for
doing so. The Single Race is a sole one-player battle against the
computer competition. Time Trial, which is different from the
Time Trial Challenge, lets you race by yourself and makes a ghost
car (it doesn't save) for you to compete against. It saves your best
times, of course.
Finally, there's Wipeout 64's Multiplayer mode, which lets two to
four humans race together. First of all, let's discuss how it looks.
The two-player mode looks very good and moves briskly. But the
best part is that there are 15 crafts on the track at once! The
three- and four-player modes, however, are quite different. How
so? Well, all the scenery was removed to keep the game running
fast. So that means all you'll see is the track, your friends, and a
generic, flat background -- that's it. It almost feels like you're
racing on a completely different level. But the trade-off is
probably worth it for fast multi-player racing. The Multiplayer
mode is setup in a "League" fashion. You can go into the Options
screen and toggle the number of races for the League. Then you
get 5 points for first place, 3 points for second place, and 1
point for third place. You also get 3 points for eliminating
another craft. Additionally, the screen layout can be configured
by pressing Top C at the "Team Select" screen. Also, the L
button can be used to enter initials and the R button can be used
to change the controller configuration.
There are also many Options to toggle. You can load and save
data, switch the controller configuration, view records,
change audio levels, and toggle a few game options. Those game
options, most of which only affect the Multiplayer mode, are
Weapons (on or off; also affects Single Race), Default View
(external or internal), Catch Up (on or off), Checkpoints (on
or off), Computer Ships (on for 13 other crafts in two-player
and 1 other craft in three-player or off), and League Races (1, 3, 5, or 7).
The control of Wipeout 64 is definitely one area of improvement
over the PSX version. The analog Control Stick, which is your
only choice, works wonders for the game. No more incessant
tapping of the pad is needed; just using gradual pressure on the
stick makes it easier to navigate bends. Otherwise, the control
is pretty straightforward. The default scheme has the A button for
acceleration, the B button to fire your weapon, Bottom C to drop
a weapon you rather not have (running over arrows doesn't pick
anything up unless you have nothing), Top C to toggle the view,
and Z and R for air braking around bends.
Like most games that come out of Europe, Wipeout 64 razzles
and dazzles on the screen. The graphics aren't blurry, but they
aren't pixelated, either. The backgrounds and surroundings are
more detailed than most N64 racing games, and there are some
cool lighting effects. But let's talk about what Wipeout 64
isn't. It's not as fast as F-Zero X no matter how you slice it.
And there may be 15 crafts on the track in the one- and
two-player modes, but no more than three appear on the
screen at one time, versus the maximum of 30 that can
appear on the screen in F-Zero X. There is also a surprising
amount of pop-up, even though it is pushed back far enough and is
cleverly hidden at times.
Wipeout 64 is also impressive yet not mind-blowing in the
sound department. The game doesn't use MIDI, which enables
higher quality music (albeit in mono) and more freed cycles for the
graphics. There are remixed versions of Fluke's "Goodnight Lover"
and "Absurd" and Propellerheads' "Bang On," along with some
music from the computer version of Wipeout XL. The fast-paced
techno is good, but I wasn't as impressed as others. There's also
quite a bit of sampled speech for when you pick up weapons.
If you liked Wipeout before, you'll know what to expect. In fact,
you may experience a feeling of dŽjˆ vu. So you must decide
whether or not Wipeout 64 is worth purchasing for the multi-player
mode, which has great two-player racing but only average
four-player action. If you've never played Wipeout before,
definitely try before you buy, since the game can be likened to
Top Gear Rally in that you're either going to like it or not like
it. So whether you agreed with me or not about that game may
be a good indication of whether you'll like Wipeout 64 or not. It's
a great conversion, but Wipeout 64 is still not my cup of tea.
Adjust accordingly. Give me F-Zero X, please.
Graphics: 4.0 out of 5
Sound: 3.9 out of 5
Control: 4.1 out of 5
Gameplay: 3.4 out of 5
Lastability: 3.9 out of 5
Overall: 3.6 out of 5