WipEout XL (PlayStation, 1996)

This is my absolute favorite Wipeout game (known as Wipeout 2097 in the rest of the world!) The sound track is amazing and will get your adrenaline pumping and really get you into the game! The high speeds, the weapons and the easy as pie instructions.... it just takes some practice to learn when to steer at corners without hitting the walls... but once you get the hang of it it's fun and most of all VERY addictive! I used to have this game as well as Wipeout 3 but more often than not played this one!!! This is the type of game that you will simply not stop playing until your head hurts and your eyes can't focus anymore!

The higher levels do get very difficult but are a great challenge!

This game is lot of fun, it is futuristic racing, as you race you pick up power ups and can shoot them at the other players. The game is very fast, and has awesome soundtrack to it. I would describe it as Mario Cart on coke :)

my favorite racing game as a kid. had to get it back you know.and it was just as good now as it was then.

Good packaging and jewel case (included) protected disk well during transit. As expected with older disk, resurfacer needed in order to restore to near-original condition. Excellent rare find.

### Background ###

Wipeout XL is the second game in the successful Wipeout series and it is by far the most popular and most widely recognized of the futuristic racing series. Because of it's popularity, Wipeout XL was also released for Sega Saturn, Windows, Mac and Amiga platforms but none were as successful as the PS1 version. In Europe, the PS1 version is known as "Wipeout 2097".

### Strengths ###

- Graphics -
Pushes the PS1's hardware to it's absolute limits but still manages to maintain a rock solid frame rate 99.99% of the time. Sometimes, friends of mine accidentally think this game is for the PS2 due the high quality of the graphics.

- Soundtrack -
Unmatched. Quite possibly, the best soundtrack ever made for a racing game. No joke. If you are a fan of electronica music from the 90's, then this game is for you!

- Racing Speed -
Describing the game's speed as simply "fast" would be a huge understatement, "Breakneck" is a more accurate description. Even blinking your eyes can cause you to loose a race. Honest, it happened to me once.

- Weapons & Items -
Adds another element to the otherwise standard racing concept. The weapons and items are very uniquely designed and can change the outcome of a race either to your frustration or your glee.

### Weaknesses ###

- Game Progression -
Initially, the game progression is very confusing and you are left wondering "Now what?".You do eventually come understand how to progress in the game but then you think to yourself "That's really weird." and your right, it is weird. Each track must be raced individually and a medal attained (by coming in first). Only when this is achieved on all the tracks can you advance. This is a trend that continues in the series to this day, but is implemented in a far more intuitive and easier fashion.In Wipeout XL this progression sequence is awkward and plagued by long load times due the constant need to back to the main menu.

- Flaws in Game Modes -
The game has the basics: single race, time trial and tournament modes. Unfortunately, the modes are missing serious depth and lack polish. Take the tournament mode for instance, it is not immediately available as it needs to be unlocked first.Why? Once you have completed the tournament it is no longer available, for practice or for fun, because it is completely replaced by the higher level tournament. There is no reason that the lower level tournament had to be removed. Minor,yes, but frustrating none the less and the game modes are littered with small frustrations just like that.

- Multi-player -
Get this, multi-player is only possible with 2 TV's hooked up to separate PS1's which then have to be connected together with a "PS Link Cable". Can you picture that setup? Just to play multi-player? It's obsoletely ridiculous is what it is. To put it simply, there is no Multi-player, 'forgetaboutit'.

### Final Thoughts ###

Wipeout XL is for gamers looking for an dynamic, intense and challenging experience. This is not the type of game you play to relax. Most decisions are made in a split second and are driven more by instinct than by thought thus requiring a significant amount of practice to master the game. Even though the game has only a few game play modes you can always find something fun and challenging to try. I still play it every now and again. Given the success of the Wipeout Series, especially Wipeout XL, the odds of not enjoying this title are slim and I would highly recommend purchasing this title.