Imagine a racing game. Imagine space hover-pods. Imagine being able to obliterate competitors. Imagine blistering speed. Imagine pumping techno tracks by artists such as Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers..... Welcome to Wipeout 2097.
For those of you who haven't played the original and can't fully benefit from the improvements here's the low down on the sequel. There are initially six tracks available two of which are classed as easy, two medium and two hard. The vehicles are similar whereby the easiest handles better and the hardest goes faster. The options screen allows you to turn weapons on or off, select music tracks and select mono or stereo modes. Once you have your craft, track and options selected you're ready to roll.
Your craft hovers seemingly weightless above the track. You can see the competitors in front of you. The music kicks in. The countdown begins...three....two....one......GO! And you're away. From this moment you can't blink. The pace is so frenetic that if you don't have time to notice the superbly rendered backgrounds which range from lush green forest terrain to the hustle and bustle of a heavy industrialised city. Not only do you have to manouvre these tricky courses with expert precision and finish first, you can hinder opponents progress with weapons with you pick up en route. But beware, they can shoot back!
Weapons include mines, rockets, electrovolts to hinder and destroy opponents. There are also shields to collect and a handy autopilot function to manouvre you round that tricky chicane. It's just a case of flying over a specific ground target to obtain one of the afore mentioned functions or weapons but you can only hold and use one at a time so once you've dropped your mines, that's it until you find something else. You have a shield level which can be depleted buy bouncing off walls or by being hit by opposition firepower and if your shield drops to a concerning level you can always pop into the pits where they will be replenished. Once you have mastered the six available tracks and obtained gold medals in all of them you will be allowed to proceed to the bonus levels which contain all new tracks and craft which will keep you busy for a while longer.
The graphics in Wipeout 2097 are superb but the game plays so fast that it's hard to appreciate them. It's only when you watch someone else play that you notice how impressive they are. The vehicles are nicely drawn and the animation is excellent right down to sparks flying as your wing just grazes a crash barier as you flash past it. Backgrounds are probably too good for the game as like I said you probably won't appreciate them.
Wipeout 2097 would probably be a very good racer without the inclusive soundtrack but this array of techno house type tunes are what make it an excellent racer. It just adds that extra futuristic type feel to it and the tempo of the music seems to spur you along. The spot effects are nice too with sort of hover type swoosh engine noises, crashes and bangs as contenders are eliminated and the scrape of metal against metal as you go wing -to wing with another ship.
Initially this game doesn't seem to offer a lot for it's money compared to other racers. Six courses and three craft seem quite poor compared to the array of cars and circuits in most driving games. But Wipeout 2097 isn't most driving games. The sheer pace, looks and sounds of the game will take your breath away while the vast array of weapons available to obliterate competitors in your way adds a sense of sheer nastiness. Add to this the bonus circuits and vehicles available as you progress and you have a super racing game at your disposal. There's also an added incentive that it's now platinum and must be a steal at £19.99.
