Wipeout Fusion

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Wipeout Fusion

Developer(s)	Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (UK); Bam! Entertainment (US)
Designer(s)	Sony Studio Liverpool, Good Technology
Release date(s)	February 2002 June 2002
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)
Platform(s)	Sony PlayStation 2

Wipeout Fusion is the only release of the Wipeout series of racing games for PlayStation 2. Players compete in the F9000 anti-gravity racing league, which is set in the year 2160.

1 Gameplay
2 Zone mode
3 Criticism
4 Teams
5 Areas
6 Music tracks
7 Reviews
8 See also

[edit] Gameplay

Tracks are changed somewhat from previous Wipeout games. Each track in Fusion is now a group of 3 tracks, each of which can be run in forward or reverse mode. Many tracks also contain a "trackless" section, generally a wide tree- or boulder-strewn field which offers several paths for pilots, making navigation tricky. Several tracks feature split sections, in which there are multiple paths for players to follow. A few tracks also contain shortcuts, which are hidden behind false walls, or require a turbo boost power-up to successfully navigate.

The basic single-race and league modes are still the core of the game, and the two-player split screen mode is continued from Wipeout 3. The single race mode, called Arcade mode, is used to unlock new tracks. When a player wins a gold on a given track, either another course in that same track group, or another group of tracks, is unlocked. AG League mode has had some changes to it from previous Wipeout titles: instead of having league challenges which encompass the entire set of tracks in sequence, there are a progression of leagues, each with a selection of between 3 and 7 tracks. The outcome of each race is scored by points, which are awarded for both finish order and eliminations. Total points determine the winner of the league. A win on a given league challenge unlocks the next (more difficult) league, or in some cases, a personal challenge against one of the pilots of a new team. Beating a pilot's challenge unlocks the team for which that pilot flies.

Challenge mode, which was introduced in Wipeout 3 has been enhanced in Fusion. Each team has its own set of 6 challenges, selected from race, time, or elimination. Each challenge must be completed with a medal to unlock the next challenge in the sequence, and the final challenge for a team must be unlocked with a gold medal in each of the other challenges.

Fusion features an increase in the use of weapons; weapon pads are more plentiful, and the AI pilots seem quite a bit more aggressive with weaponry than in previous Wipeout incarnations. New weapons have been added to the game, including the proton cannon, grav stinger, flamethrower, and gravity bomb, as well as super weapons: super missiles, seismic field, power swarm, and nitro rocket. A couple of the weapons have also been modified (the 5 mines are now dropped individually, instead of in a single-fire sequence), and all weapons which normally fire forward may now be fired backward; in particular, the quake disruptor, a weapon that previously could only be fired forward, may be fired to the rear.

Another fairly large change from previous Wipeout titles is the addition of ship upgrades. AG League races, in addition to points, also net the player credits based on performance in race (finishing order), damage (to other players), skill, and time. These credits are used to upgrade the top speed, thrust (acceleration), lateral stability, brake force, weapon power, and shield strength of a single ship. The upgraded ship is available in Arcade mode as well, though is only available to the pilot whose ship it is; the other pilot on a team must have his/her ship upgraded separately. Upgraded ships are not used in Challenge mode; each challenge is played with the base unmodified craft.

The in-game branding and menu design was done by Good Technology rather than The Designers Republic, who had worked on all of the previous titles.

[edit] Zone mode

A new and popular mode called Zone mode has become a hit with fans. The goal of this mode is to drive as many laps as possible on a track while the speed of the player's ship is slowly increasing; when the ship's energy shield is destroyed, the game is over.

[edit] Criticism

Although boasting next-gen graphics and much wider and longer tracks, the handling and feeling of Wipeout Fusion was something of a disappointment for fans. Many unnecessary changes to the basic concept were made, and the resulting game was no longer a true Wipeout but a generic and fairly buggy sci-fi racer. Lack of air-time, the hated trackless sections, the mish-mash of weapons, an unrealistic upgrade system, lack of ship balance, the addition of loops and shortcuts and the cartoony look of the game were the main complaints.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Teams

Main article: Wipeout teams

The player initially only has access to the first three teams. The rest are unlocked by winning 1-on-1 races with the lead pilot of that team during AG League mode.