The Final Word game review

WipeOut -- Psygnosis

Blazing along at 30 frames per second, this is 3-D, fully texture mapped racing in the future. The year is 2052 AD, and you command one of eight Anti-Gravity cars running for first place. Six demanding courses await you along with the weapons of your opponents. WipeOut from Psygnosis is ready to go on the PlayStation.

Ferrari Man
When I first saw WipeOut running at the E3 show, I couldn't believe my eyes. Looking at it today, I still can't. The graphics in this game are simply beyond anything I though possible on a home system only a few short years ago. However, it is here now -- and once you unwrap the nice graphics, you have a solid -- although standard -- racing game underneath. There are no real new innovations in WipeOut, although they make excellent use of the existing genre. The gameplay takes a little while to get used to. However, once you get beyond this initial learning curve, the game becomes incredibly addictive. Don't make a quick judgement on this game. Even if you can't stand the control at first, play for a little while, it will definately grow on you. A big winner from Psygnosis.

Dr. Otto
As a hovercraft designer myself I was already predisposed to this game to begin with, but quite simply put I think it'll be some time before the arcade can deliver a race experience like this... Six beautifully rendered tracks, eight characters and grav sleds, a high frame rate for ultra-smooth motion and speed that'll melt your face off faster than Andrah's breath after a chilito. It's good to see a game that not only meets the expectations of the pre-release hype but actually surpasses it. The only reason this one gets dinged is the inertia heavy flight physics is going to turn off a lot of people from the start, but those of us involved with hi-tech vehicle research and destruction find this to be a concept that's way overdue (...destruction? I meant testing...)

E.Phoenix
Unreal. WipeOut is a completely beautiful game that is very challenging and almost completely unlike any racing game you have ever played. It took a while for me to get used to the control, but when I did, a whole new game opened up. With my newfound skill, I no longer bounced around the track like a hockey puck, instead, I careened around corners like a pro and actually won a few races.

R.I.P.
To date, this is the best next generation title I have seen in play. This title sets new standards in gameplay on consoles, and even for arcade titles. The one thing you have to keep in mind though... when you play this game, you have to REALLY play this game in order to really appriciate it. You need to spend a few days on it, and learn the flight dynamics of the vehicles. The learning curve is quite high, but once you've mastered the vehicles in the game, the emmersion factor is tremendous. The soundtrack to this game, while missing three tracks from the European release, is still some of the best techno I've heard in a video game to date. Sound effects are right on, including echo to both effects and music as you cruise through tunnels. As well, this game is not a quick win over... once you've achieved control, and solved the initial set of tracks, you get to repeat all of the tracks again, at atleast twice the speed, and with different environmental conditions (night is now day, day is now night), along with having boost pads now in new locations. Essentially, throw out everything you know and relearn the game to beat the second class of tracks. Wow... I could go on for hours here, but I wouln't. Play this game... I mean REALLY play this game... and rememeber... lead-in to your turns.

>>>>> 93.5/100 <<<<<		Ferrari Man	Dr.Otto	E.Phoenix	R.I.P.
Graphics		5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0
Sound		4.0	5.0	5.0	5.0
Gameplay/Control		4.0	4.5	4.5	5.0
Longevity/Playability		4.0	5.0	4.0	4.5
Overall		4.5	5.0	4.5	5.0
Total		21.5	24.5	23.0	24.5

(12/95)