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Okay, before anyone says this should be in the reviews section, it is. This is the full version of it. When I wrote the review, this is what I wrote initially but being around 8000 characters, I had to shorten it down quite substantially to post at UKreviews. So instead of losing all this hard work I thought I’d post it here for all the world to see. :-D
It is still in the reviews section but it is a far shortened version of this. This is the uncut version! (I thought the title created a bit of curiosity and if you're reading this, it probably did. HA!) :-D
-----------
“Faster, tougher, bigger, better.”
Wipeout has returned to debut on PS2 in the form of Wipeout Fusion. The G-forces, the roller coaster-like tracks, the anti-gravity crafts and of course, the massive array of destructive weaponry all return to make this simply the best Wipeout game yet.
You start with the choice of 3 crafts (with a further 5 that are unlocked as you progress), each with hugely varying statistics which really do alter their race performance. Some are muscle cars that are seemingly invincible, but have the turning ability of a sedated rhino on roller skates. Others are the more nimble, lightly armoured crafts which specialise in tight manouvering. There is such variety that everyone will find a craft that suits their style of play. Each craft can be upgraded using money that is earned during League Mode (more on that later). Upgrade to a certain level and you unlock that particular team’s lead pilot, who can then be upgraded himself to a higher degree.
Then there are the tracks. 24 in total, spread over 8 unique environments. There are 3 tracks in each environment which can all be raced in reverse as well, giving an impressive 48 tracks if you’re the optimistic sort. Some are winding, narrow tracks placed in the middle of huge cities. Others have multiple routes with deadly obstacles like giant boulders and pillars of rock. However, if you’re feeling slightly intimidated, you should know that you’re let in easy. The first environment has wide open spaces with long, sweeping corners. It soon revs up to the more tricky tracks though, forcing you to navigate underground mining complexes and expansive cities. It really is a unique experience, giving the most freedom I have ever seen in a racing game.
The modes of play are in no short supply either. The typical arcade mode pits you against 15 other racers, each intent on 2 things – destroying you, and crossing the finish line first. This mode is where later tracks are unlocked. Get a gold medal on one track and you are able to move on to the next. It starts off very easy with the enemy crafts not doing much to prevent you getting an easy victory. However, it soon becomes not so much a race for victory, but a race for survival. The amount of weapon blows you take in a single race is mind blowing. Just as well for the pit lane then. At the end of each lap, you can go into the pit lane and recharge that all important shield energy. Leave it to long or get a bit over-confident and you’re craft will end up as a crumpled heap of scrap metal.
Next comes League Mode. Here, you participate in a number of races in which your goal is to rack up as many points as you can. Obviously, crossing the finish line in a high position is a good way to do that, but destroying enemy crafts also gives you a boost of points. A much needed boost at that since later leagues do prove a heck of a challenge. As with Arcade mode, achieve a Gold medal in a league and you can progress to the next. This mode is where the various other crafts are unlocked. After every couple of leagues, you are offered a chance to race against a new craft. Beat them and they become selectable from the craft selection screen.
Challenge mode pretty much speaks for itself. You choose a craft and then take part in a number of challenges of varying style and difficulty. Some require you to simply destroy as many crafts as you can, others get a fast lap time, and some even pit you against a superior craft, give them a huge head start and expect you catch up within a certain time limit. Get Gold on each challenge for a particular craft and you unlock the ‘Gold Challenge’ where you must race a craft over one lap, with minimal shield energy and no weapons, and come out on top.
The last 2 modes are secret modes. Time trial and Zone. Zone is where the true speed of the game really shows. You race around a track and just attempt to survive for as long as possible. The pit lane and brakes are disabled (as are weapons as it is only you on the track). Hitting speed boosts gives you bonus points but also speeds you up yet more, and it is impossible to slow down without ramming yourself into a wall. Survive for 300 seconds and you get a medal and are then able to move on to the next zone. There are 10 zones in total, each increasing in difficulty. When your craft explodes, you are given a web code which can be entered on the official Fusion website (www.wipeoutfusion.com). This enters you into a league table where you can see how your performance compares with other gamers throughout the world.
The graphics in Wipeout Fusion are nothing short of spectacular. It is even more impressive when you consider the speed at which everything moves at (with the exception of the loading times). Dazzling effects are dotted all over the tracks. Water falls which conceal hidden pathways, enormous futuristic domes, vast rocky canyons which spew up sand as your thrusters burn away making it very difficult for trailing crafts to see where they’re going, and even the good old lens flare.
However, the game is not without it’s faults. The music for example, is close to unbearable. Repetitive tunes which all sound the same constantly play and are very off putting, particularly if you despise them as much as myself. I often find myself muting my TV in order to escape the dreadful music. Believe me, putting on your own music is a far better option. It’s a shame though as the actual sound effects are really good. The whistling of rockets as they fly past your craft, the dreaded high pitched beeping alarm signifying an incoming missile or earth quake are both touches which add a much ‘realer’ feel to the racing. However good these may be though, they don’t make the in game music any more bearable so unless there is a ‘music: off’ option, my TV will remain muted whilst playing this game.
Then there is the most frustrating fault of all. The clipping. The clipping is, for lack of a better word, criminal!! Finding yourself on the finishing straight with the view of a gold medal which constantly eludes you in sight, only to find yourself hit in the back with a missile, go straight through the wall and end up on the other side of the finish line but on the same lap is more than a tad frustrating. Continuing to play after that happens is a real test. Do you carry on and put it to the back of your head, or do you take out the disc and stamp on it repeatedly until it murmurs an apology? Problem is, you’re not likely to get an apology from a DVD and you’ll probably crack before it does. One for the patient gamer for sure.
In the end, Wipeout Fusion could have been greatly improved given a few more weeks to tweak it. The awful clipping means many gamers won’t give it the chance it deserves. They will get annoyed quickly, get a bad first impression and never play it again. A shame considering this is one of the fastest, most furious games you’re ever likely to play. If you can put up with the all too often fault in the clipping then nothing should stop you from picking up a copy of this immediately. Don’t pass judgment too hastily. Give it time, and you’ll be rewarded.
It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’ll take a hell of a long time to complete.
It is still in the reviews section but it is a far shortened version of this. This is the uncut version! (I thought the title created a bit of curiosity and if you're reading this, it probably did. HA!) :-D
-----------
“Faster, tougher, bigger, better.”
Wipeout has returned to debut on PS2 in the form of Wipeout Fusion. The G-forces, the roller coaster-like tracks, the anti-gravity crafts and of course, the massive array of destructive weaponry all return to make this simply the best Wipeout game yet.
You start with the choice of 3 crafts (with a further 5 that are unlocked as you progress), each with hugely varying statistics which really do alter their race performance. Some are muscle cars that are seemingly invincible, but have the turning ability of a sedated rhino on roller skates. Others are the more nimble, lightly armoured crafts which specialise in tight manouvering. There is such variety that everyone will find a craft that suits their style of play. Each craft can be upgraded using money that is earned during League Mode (more on that later). Upgrade to a certain level and you unlock that particular team’s lead pilot, who can then be upgraded himself to a higher degree.
Then there are the tracks. 24 in total, spread over 8 unique environments. There are 3 tracks in each environment which can all be raced in reverse as well, giving an impressive 48 tracks if you’re the optimistic sort. Some are winding, narrow tracks placed in the middle of huge cities. Others have multiple routes with deadly obstacles like giant boulders and pillars of rock. However, if you’re feeling slightly intimidated, you should know that you’re let in easy. The first environment has wide open spaces with long, sweeping corners. It soon revs up to the more tricky tracks though, forcing you to navigate underground mining complexes and expansive cities. It really is a unique experience, giving the most freedom I have ever seen in a racing game.
The modes of play are in no short supply either. The typical arcade mode pits you against 15 other racers, each intent on 2 things – destroying you, and crossing the finish line first. This mode is where later tracks are unlocked. Get a gold medal on one track and you are able to move on to the next. It starts off very easy with the enemy crafts not doing much to prevent you getting an easy victory. However, it soon becomes not so much a race for victory, but a race for survival. The amount of weapon blows you take in a single race is mind blowing. Just as well for the pit lane then. At the end of each lap, you can go into the pit lane and recharge that all important shield energy. Leave it to long or get a bit over-confident and you’re craft will end up as a crumpled heap of scrap metal.
Next comes League Mode. Here, you participate in a number of races in which your goal is to rack up as many points as you can. Obviously, crossing the finish line in a high position is a good way to do that, but destroying enemy crafts also gives you a boost of points. A much needed boost at that since later leagues do prove a heck of a challenge. As with Arcade mode, achieve a Gold medal in a league and you can progress to the next. This mode is where the various other crafts are unlocked. After every couple of leagues, you are offered a chance to race against a new craft. Beat them and they become selectable from the craft selection screen.
Challenge mode pretty much speaks for itself. You choose a craft and then take part in a number of challenges of varying style and difficulty. Some require you to simply destroy as many crafts as you can, others get a fast lap time, and some even pit you against a superior craft, give them a huge head start and expect you catch up within a certain time limit. Get Gold on each challenge for a particular craft and you unlock the ‘Gold Challenge’ where you must race a craft over one lap, with minimal shield energy and no weapons, and come out on top.
The last 2 modes are secret modes. Time trial and Zone. Zone is where the true speed of the game really shows. You race around a track and just attempt to survive for as long as possible. The pit lane and brakes are disabled (as are weapons as it is only you on the track). Hitting speed boosts gives you bonus points but also speeds you up yet more, and it is impossible to slow down without ramming yourself into a wall. Survive for 300 seconds and you get a medal and are then able to move on to the next zone. There are 10 zones in total, each increasing in difficulty. When your craft explodes, you are given a web code which can be entered on the official Fusion website (www.wipeoutfusion.com). This enters you into a league table where you can see how your performance compares with other gamers throughout the world.
The graphics in Wipeout Fusion are nothing short of spectacular. It is even more impressive when you consider the speed at which everything moves at (with the exception of the loading times). Dazzling effects are dotted all over the tracks. Water falls which conceal hidden pathways, enormous futuristic domes, vast rocky canyons which spew up sand as your thrusters burn away making it very difficult for trailing crafts to see where they’re going, and even the good old lens flare.
However, the game is not without it’s faults. The music for example, is close to unbearable. Repetitive tunes which all sound the same constantly play and are very off putting, particularly if you despise them as much as myself. I often find myself muting my TV in order to escape the dreadful music. Believe me, putting on your own music is a far better option. It’s a shame though as the actual sound effects are really good. The whistling of rockets as they fly past your craft, the dreaded high pitched beeping alarm signifying an incoming missile or earth quake are both touches which add a much ‘realer’ feel to the racing. However good these may be though, they don’t make the in game music any more bearable so unless there is a ‘music: off’ option, my TV will remain muted whilst playing this game.
Then there is the most frustrating fault of all. The clipping. The clipping is, for lack of a better word, criminal!! Finding yourself on the finishing straight with the view of a gold medal which constantly eludes you in sight, only to find yourself hit in the back with a missile, go straight through the wall and end up on the other side of the finish line but on the same lap is more than a tad frustrating. Continuing to play after that happens is a real test. Do you carry on and put it to the back of your head, or do you take out the disc and stamp on it repeatedly until it murmurs an apology? Problem is, you’re not likely to get an apology from a DVD and you’ll probably crack before it does. One for the patient gamer for sure.
In the end, Wipeout Fusion could have been greatly improved given a few more weeks to tweak it. The awful clipping means many gamers won’t give it the chance it deserves. They will get annoyed quickly, get a bad first impression and never play it again. A shame considering this is one of the fastest, most furious games you’re ever likely to play. If you can put up with the all too often fault in the clipping then nothing should stop you from picking up a copy of this immediately. Don’t pass judgment too hastily. Give it time, and you’ll be rewarded.
It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’ll take a hell of a long time to complete.
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Okay, before anyone says this should be in the reviews section, it is. This is the full version of it. When I wrote the review, this is what I wrote initially but being around 8000 characters, I had to shorten it down quite substantially to post at UKreviews. So instead of losing all this hard work I thought I’d post it here for all the world to see. :-D
It is still in the reviews section but it is a far shortened version of this. This is the uncut version! (I thought the title created a bit of curiosity and if you're reading this, it probably did. HA!) :-D
-----------
“Faster, tougher, bigger, better.”
Wipeout has returned to debut on PS2 in the form of Wipeout Fusion. The G-forces, the roller coaster-like tracks, the anti-gravity crafts and of course, the massive array of destructive weaponry all return to make this simply the best Wipeout game yet.
You start with the choice of 3 crafts (with a further 5 that are unlocked as you progress), each with hugely varying statistics which really do alter their race performance. Some are muscle cars that are seemingly invincible, but have the turning ability of a sedated rhino on roller skates. Others are the more nimble, lightly armoured crafts which specialise in tight manouvering. There is such variety that everyone will find a craft that suits their style of play. Each craft can be upgraded using money that is earned during League Mode (more on that later). Upgrade to a certain level and you unlock that particular team’s lead pilot, who can then be upgraded himself to a higher degree.
Then there are the tracks. 24 in total, spread over 8 unique environments. There are 3 tracks in each environment which can all be raced in reverse as well, giving an impressive 48 tracks if you’re the optimistic sort. Some are winding, narrow tracks placed in the middle of huge cities. Others have multiple routes with deadly obstacles like giant boulders and pillars of rock. However, if you’re feeling slightly intimidated, you should know that you’re let in easy. The first environment has wide open spaces with long, sweeping corners. It soon revs up to the more tricky tracks though, forcing you to navigate underground mining complexes and expansive cities. It really is a unique experience, giving the most freedom I have ever seen in a racing game.
The modes of play are in no short supply either. The typical arcade mode pits you against 15 other racers, each intent on 2 things – destroying you, and crossing the finish line first. This mode is where later tracks are unlocked. Get a gold medal on one track and you are able to move on to the next. It starts off very easy with the enemy crafts not doing much to prevent you getting an easy victory. However, it soon becomes not so much a race for victory, but a race for survival. The amount of weapon blows you take in a single race is mind blowing. Just as well for the pit lane then. At the end of each lap, you can go into the pit lane and recharge that all important shield energy. Leave it to long or get a bit over-confident and you’re craft will end up as a crumpled heap of scrap metal.
Next comes League Mode. Here, you participate in a number of races in which your goal is to rack up as many points as you can. Obviously, crossing the finish line in a high position is a good way to do that, but destroying enemy crafts also gives you a boost of points. A much needed boost at that since later leagues do prove a heck of a challenge. As with Arcade mode, achieve a Gold medal in a league and you can progress to the next. This mode is where the various other crafts are unlocked. After every couple of leagues, you are offered a chance to race against a new craft. Beat them and they become selectable from the craft selection screen.
Challenge mode pretty much speaks for itself. You choose a craft and then take part in a number of challenges of varying style and difficulty. Some require you to simply destroy as many crafts as you can, others get a fast lap time, and some even pit you against a superior craft, give them a huge head start and expect you catch up within a certain time limit. Get Gold on each challenge for a particular craft and you unlock the ‘Gold Challenge’ where you must race a craft over one lap, with minimal shield energy and no weapons, and come out on top.
The last 2 modes are secret modes. Time trial and Zone. Zone is where the true speed of the game really shows. You race around a track and just attempt to survive for as long as possible. The pit lane and brakes are disabled (as are weapons as it is only you on the track). Hitting speed boosts gives you bonus points but also speeds you up yet more, and it is impossible to slow down without ramming yourself into a wall. Survive for 300 seconds and you get a medal and are then able to move on to the next zone. There are 10 zones in total, each increasing in difficulty. When your craft explodes, you are given a web code which can be entered on the official Fusion website (www.wipeoutfusion.com). This enters you into a league table where you can see how your performance compares with other gamers throughout the world.
The graphics in Wipeout Fusion are nothing short of spectacular. It is even more impressive when you consider the speed at which everything moves at (with the exception of the loading times). Dazzling effects are dotted all over the tracks. Water falls which conceal hidden pathways, enormous futuristic domes, vast rocky canyons which spew up sand as your thrusters burn away making it very difficult for trailing crafts to see where they’re going, and even the good old lens flare.
However, the game is not without it’s faults. The music for example, is close to unbearable. Repetitive tunes which all sound the same constantly play and are very off putting, particularly if you despise them as much as myself. I often find myself muting my TV in order to escape the dreadful music. Believe me, putting on your own music is a far better option. It’s a shame though as the actual sound effects are really good. The whistling of rockets as they fly past your craft, the dreaded high pitched beeping alarm signifying an incoming missile or earth quake are both touches which add a much ‘realer’ feel to the racing. However good these may be though, they don’t make the in game music any more bearable so unless there is a ‘music: off’ option, my TV will remain muted whilst playing this game.
Then there is the most frustrating fault of all. The clipping. The clipping is, for lack of a better word, criminal!! Finding yourself on the finishing straight with the view of a gold medal which constantly eludes you in sight, only to find yourself hit in the back with a missile, go straight through the wall and end up on the other side of the finish line but on the same lap is more than a tad frustrating. Continuing to play after that happens is a real test. Do you carry on and put it to the back of your head, or do you take out the disc and stamp on it repeatedly until it murmurs an apology? Problem is, you’re not likely to get an apology from a DVD and you’ll probably crack before it does. One for the patient gamer for sure.
In the end, Wipeout Fusion could have been greatly improved given a few more weeks to tweak it. The awful clipping means many gamers won’t give it the chance it deserves. They will get annoyed quickly, get a bad first impression and never play it again. A shame considering this is one of the fastest, most furious games you’re ever likely to play. If you can put up with the all too often fault in the clipping then nothing should stop you from picking up a copy of this immediately. Don’t pass judgment too hastily. Give it time, and you’ll be rewarded.
It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’ll take a hell of a long time to complete.
It is still in the reviews section but it is a far shortened version of this. This is the uncut version! (I thought the title created a bit of curiosity and if you're reading this, it probably did. HA!) :-D
-----------
“Faster, tougher, bigger, better.”
Wipeout has returned to debut on PS2 in the form of Wipeout Fusion. The G-forces, the roller coaster-like tracks, the anti-gravity crafts and of course, the massive array of destructive weaponry all return to make this simply the best Wipeout game yet.
You start with the choice of 3 crafts (with a further 5 that are unlocked as you progress), each with hugely varying statistics which really do alter their race performance. Some are muscle cars that are seemingly invincible, but have the turning ability of a sedated rhino on roller skates. Others are the more nimble, lightly armoured crafts which specialise in tight manouvering. There is such variety that everyone will find a craft that suits their style of play. Each craft can be upgraded using money that is earned during League Mode (more on that later). Upgrade to a certain level and you unlock that particular team’s lead pilot, who can then be upgraded himself to a higher degree.
Then there are the tracks. 24 in total, spread over 8 unique environments. There are 3 tracks in each environment which can all be raced in reverse as well, giving an impressive 48 tracks if you’re the optimistic sort. Some are winding, narrow tracks placed in the middle of huge cities. Others have multiple routes with deadly obstacles like giant boulders and pillars of rock. However, if you’re feeling slightly intimidated, you should know that you’re let in easy. The first environment has wide open spaces with long, sweeping corners. It soon revs up to the more tricky tracks though, forcing you to navigate underground mining complexes and expansive cities. It really is a unique experience, giving the most freedom I have ever seen in a racing game.
The modes of play are in no short supply either. The typical arcade mode pits you against 15 other racers, each intent on 2 things – destroying you, and crossing the finish line first. This mode is where later tracks are unlocked. Get a gold medal on one track and you are able to move on to the next. It starts off very easy with the enemy crafts not doing much to prevent you getting an easy victory. However, it soon becomes not so much a race for victory, but a race for survival. The amount of weapon blows you take in a single race is mind blowing. Just as well for the pit lane then. At the end of each lap, you can go into the pit lane and recharge that all important shield energy. Leave it to long or get a bit over-confident and you’re craft will end up as a crumpled heap of scrap metal.
Next comes League Mode. Here, you participate in a number of races in which your goal is to rack up as many points as you can. Obviously, crossing the finish line in a high position is a good way to do that, but destroying enemy crafts also gives you a boost of points. A much needed boost at that since later leagues do prove a heck of a challenge. As with Arcade mode, achieve a Gold medal in a league and you can progress to the next. This mode is where the various other crafts are unlocked. After every couple of leagues, you are offered a chance to race against a new craft. Beat them and they become selectable from the craft selection screen.
Challenge mode pretty much speaks for itself. You choose a craft and then take part in a number of challenges of varying style and difficulty. Some require you to simply destroy as many crafts as you can, others get a fast lap time, and some even pit you against a superior craft, give them a huge head start and expect you catch up within a certain time limit. Get Gold on each challenge for a particular craft and you unlock the ‘Gold Challenge’ where you must race a craft over one lap, with minimal shield energy and no weapons, and come out on top.
The last 2 modes are secret modes. Time trial and Zone. Zone is where the true speed of the game really shows. You race around a track and just attempt to survive for as long as possible. The pit lane and brakes are disabled (as are weapons as it is only you on the track). Hitting speed boosts gives you bonus points but also speeds you up yet more, and it is impossible to slow down without ramming yourself into a wall. Survive for 300 seconds and you get a medal and are then able to move on to the next zone. There are 10 zones in total, each increasing in difficulty. When your craft explodes, you are given a web code which can be entered on the official Fusion website (www.wipeoutfusion.com). This enters you into a league table where you can see how your performance compares with other gamers throughout the world.
The graphics in Wipeout Fusion are nothing short of spectacular. It is even more impressive when you consider the speed at which everything moves at (with the exception of the loading times). Dazzling effects are dotted all over the tracks. Water falls which conceal hidden pathways, enormous futuristic domes, vast rocky canyons which spew up sand as your thrusters burn away making it very difficult for trailing crafts to see where they’re going, and even the good old lens flare.
However, the game is not without it’s faults. The music for example, is close to unbearable. Repetitive tunes which all sound the same constantly play and are very off putting, particularly if you despise them as much as myself. I often find myself muting my TV in order to escape the dreadful music. Believe me, putting on your own music is a far better option. It’s a shame though as the actual sound effects are really good. The whistling of rockets as they fly past your craft, the dreaded high pitched beeping alarm signifying an incoming missile or earth quake are both touches which add a much ‘realer’ feel to the racing. However good these may be though, they don’t make the in game music any more bearable so unless there is a ‘music: off’ option, my TV will remain muted whilst playing this game.
Then there is the most frustrating fault of all. The clipping. The clipping is, for lack of a better word, criminal!! Finding yourself on the finishing straight with the view of a gold medal which constantly eludes you in sight, only to find yourself hit in the back with a missile, go straight through the wall and end up on the other side of the finish line but on the same lap is more than a tad frustrating. Continuing to play after that happens is a real test. Do you carry on and put it to the back of your head, or do you take out the disc and stamp on it repeatedly until it murmurs an apology? Problem is, you’re not likely to get an apology from a DVD and you’ll probably crack before it does. One for the patient gamer for sure.
In the end, Wipeout Fusion could have been greatly improved given a few more weeks to tweak it. The awful clipping means many gamers won’t give it the chance it deserves. They will get annoyed quickly, get a bad first impression and never play it again. A shame considering this is one of the fastest, most furious games you’re ever likely to play. If you can put up with the all too often fault in the clipping then nothing should stop you from picking up a copy of this immediately. Don’t pass judgment too hastily. Give it time, and you’ll be rewarded.
It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’ll take a hell of a long time to complete.