Wipeout (series)

Wipeout
Genres	Racing game
Developers	Psygnosis/SCE Studio Liverpool
Publishers	Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Platforms	PlayStation
First release	Wipeout 29 September 1995
Latest release	Wipeout 2048 19 January 2012

Wipeout (trademarked as WipEout)^[1] is a series of futuristic anti-gravity racing games developed by SCE Studio Liverpool. The series is well known for its fast-paced gameplay and high-quality 3D visual design running on the full resolution of the console the game belongs to; its association with electronic dance music (mainly Goa trance, Uplifting Trance and Big beat), as well as its continuous collaboration with certain artists (The Chemical Brothers, Optical, FSOL, Cold Storage, Kraftwerk, Orbital, Aphex Twin and others). The series identified itself with a strong graphical design, provided by The Designers Republic.

Gameplay

Wipeout is a racing series that features vehicles that hover over futuristic racetracks. The series is known for its speed and consequential difficulty. The fastest speed the vehicles can reach on their own is roughly 800 kilometers per hour, although the player can boost their speed even further by driving over [usually] blue chevron shaped tiles which can potentially increase the vehicle's speed up to the speed of sound (1225 kilometers per hour). The player can compete against CPU controlled players or live opponents in a variety of game modes, such as races, time trials and others. Power-ups (or "pick-ups") are also available and come in offensive ("weapon") and defensive ("item") varieties. Such power-ups can be obtained by driving over an "X" shaped tile on the ground. One of the most iconic offensive weapons of the series is the "Quake" which creates a fiery wave that travels down the track in front of the user, essentially hitting every opponent ahead of them. Weapons are capable of dealing damage in most installments and enough damage will completely destroy or "eliminate" an opponent, permanently removing them from the race in most cases.

Games

Teams

• FEISAR (Federal European Industrial Science And Research)

European team that have been in every game since the series began. Their high-thrust, tight-handling craft are a popular choice for players.

Appears in: All games

• AG Systems

Japanese team with craft that have fast acceleration yet weak shielding.

Appears in: All games (as G-Tech Systems in Fusion)

• Auricom Research Industries

American team with average, balanced craft.

Appears in: All games

• Qirex Research and Development

Russian team with craft that sacrifice handling in favor of speed and shielding.

Appears in: All games (as Tigron Enterprises in Fusion)

• Piranha Advancements

Brazilian team with craft known for very high speeds.

Appears in: 2097 onwards (as Pir-hana in 2048)

• Assegai Developments

Team from the United African Nations with craft that display high agility yet poor durability.

Appears in: 3, Pure, Pulse and HD

• Goteki 45

Team from the Pacific Islands with high-speed, highly durable craft

Appears in: 3, Pure, Pulse and HD

• Icaras

British team with craft built for pure speed rivalling that of Piranha at the expense of shielding.

Appears in: 3, Pure, Pulse and HD

• Van-Über Racing Developments

German team that pilot craft with high agility but light on shields.

Appears in: Fusion and Pure

• Harimau International

Malaysian eco-restoration team with craft high on speed and handling.

Appears in: Pure, Pulse and HD

• Triakis Industries

Australian team with craft known for high speed and near-impenetrable shielding.

Appears in: Pure, Pulse and HD

• EG.X Technologies

A merger of two teams originally from China (EG.r) and Finland (Xios) with very fast craft.

Appears in: Fusion (as EG.r Technologies and Xios International), Pulse and HD

• Mirage

A team from the United Arab Emirates with mantis-shaped craft that are average in all stats.

Appears in: Pulse and HD

History

The Wipeout franchise began with the release of the original Wipeout in 1995. Three more Wipeout games were released by the end of the decade, all developed by Liverpool-based developer Psygnosis. In 1999, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe acquired Psygnosis and its intellectual property, including Wipeout. As part of the acquisition, the name "Psygnosis" was changed to "SCE Studio Liverpool". After the acquisition, the titles to follow experienced drastic changes in physics and gameplay. Five more Wipeout games were developed, two on the PlayStation 2, two for the PlayStation Portable, a downloadable title on the PlayStation 3 (Wipeout HD, which is also available on Blu-ray disc packaged with the Fury expansion), and a launch title for the PlayStation Vita (Wipeout 2048). Sony Liverpool had been working on a Wipeout game for the upcoming PlayStation 4 console when the studio was closed on 22 August 2012.^[2]

A Wipeout "arcade" game was also featured in the 1995 movie "Hackers". The actual game footage was pre-rendered CGI and the actors merely pretended they were playing the game.

Influence

With its use of music by contemporary electronica artists and strong, unique design elements, the series was at the forefront of the drive to make video games appealing to adults, specifically the 20-30 age group. The first game was considered instrumental in the tremendous success of the PlayStation.

References

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived April 25, 2011)
• Wipeout Zone
• Wipeout series at MobyGames
• Cold Storage - Tim Wright, the creator of Wipeout music & sound effects