WipEout 2097

Another Visit To Sequelsville For Psygnosis. As shrewder readers may already have ascertained, this is the follow-up to last year's WipeOut. The 2097 refers to the year, because in a century's time everyone will be flying around in hover ships shooting each other (as well as wearing shiny silver clothes and taking holidays on the moon). One of the flagship titles for the PlayStation. Wipeout on the PC was what is known in the trade as a bit shit and was hampered by ill-defined graphics and the fact that it jerked like a two dollar whore.

As with most sequels these days. Wipeout 2097 is a case of same meat, different gravy. Again the player is put at the helm of a futuristic craft and required to hurtle around a variety of courses at unlikely speeds, obliterating anyone who gets in the way. The major improvement is in the graphics, which utilise accelerator cards with Direct3D capabilities. The landscapes are particularly crisp and vary from leafy jungle scenarios to bleak frozen wastelands, with some passable weather effects thrown in for good measure.

The game still manages to shift at some pace and the racing is a competitive enough affair, livened up by large doses of ugly, wanton violence. Rockets, missiles, electrobolts, thunder bombs, plasma bolts and mines are all fair game, as well as a somewhat perturbing earthquake effect where a section of the track ripples in a sinister fashion, buffeting rival craft asunder. Further power-ups arrive thick and fast in the shape of turbo, autopilot and shield, and a major part of the gameplay involves weaving all over the track picking up the various treats.

Much of the Wipeout marketing has revolved around the soundtrack, with chart acts such as The Chemical Brothers and New Order appearing on the PlayStation version. Alas, the PC market wasn't deemed significant enough to merit the licensing costs and instead we arc treated to the generic bleeps of non-household name Cold Storage, the 'choons' bearing a freak resemblance to those of the first game. As Psygnosis have tried to ram home. Wipeout 2097 is the ideal game for returning clubbers still chewing their faces off with time on their hands. Rather than staring into middle space, contemplating the wretchedness of your futile existence, you might as well pretend to be piloting a hover ship 100 years into the future while tapping your foot to some glib dance music.

Essentially. Wipeout 2097 is a console game, but despite its cerebral limitations, it does have a vaguely mesmerising quality and tends to induce a reservoir of drool to collect on your lower lip as you sway gently in your chair, occasionally forgetting to blink. The inclusion of a championship option would have been a welcome addition, adding some longevity to the challenge. As it stands Wipeout 2097 provides a cheap visceral thrill for as long as you want it. Let it into your life and you will not be disappointed.