Wipeout 2097 (known as Wipeout XL in North America and Japan) is a 1996 racing video game created and released by Psygnosis for the PlayStation. It is the second game in the Wipeout series and follows the original game, which was released the year before. The game was later made available on Microsoft Windows and the Sega Saturn the next year, and also on Amiga and Macintosh computers.
The original game introduced the F3600 anti-gravity racing league in 2052. Wipeout 2097 takes place over 40 years later and introduces the F5000 AG racing league, which is faster, more competitive, and more dangerous. This game added new features, including a damage system, new weapons, and new tracks. The Sega Saturn version used its 3D Control Pad for smooth movement, while the PlayStation version required the optional NeGcon twist controller for the same feature.
Wipeout 2097 was highly praised when it was released. Reviewers noted major improvements in controls, graphics, and gameplay compared to the original game. The game included a soundtrack with music from real artists, such as The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, which was an early example of using licensed music in video games. Both Wipeout 2097 and its predecessor have been listed by many publications as some of the greatest games ever made.
Gameplay
In Wipeout 2097, gameplay builds on the original game by adding new race tracks and weapons while keeping core elements the same. Players compete against computer-controlled opponents or other racers, aiming to finish races in the best position. The game uses futuristic hover vehicles that move differently from regular cars. These vehicles travel at high speeds, and special brakes are used to navigate turns.
The game introduces a weapons system, letting players attack opponents during races. Each vehicle has a limited amount of shield energy. If this energy is used up by attacks or crashes, the vehicle is destroyed. However, players can restore their vehicle’s health at pit stops, but this takes a short amount of time from the race. A new weapon called the Quake Disruptor creates a wave on the track, launching other vehicles into the air.
Wipeout 2097 includes three difficulty levels: Vector, Venom, and Rapier. Each level increases in challenge, with faster speeds and more complex tracks. The game has a progression system that lets players unlock extra content. Winning gold medals on all tracks in the first three classes unlocks a full season mode. Completing this mode reveals additional hidden tracks. In Challenge mode, players must finish each race in first place to advance. If a player finishes worse than third place three times, they lose the mode.
The game includes multiple racing teams, each with vehicles that handle differently. FEISAR, the European team, offers a balanced vehicle with good turning and strong shields, making it ideal for beginners. Auricom, the American team, provides faster vehicles than FEISAR and AG Systems, suited for more skilled players. AG Systems, the Japanese team, has vehicles with higher speed than FEISAR’s but less ability to turn sharply. Qirex, the Russian team, has the fastest vehicles in the game, but they are harder to steer. Each team’s vehicle has unique strengths and weaknesses, letting players choose based on their driving style and skill level.
Development
Wipeout 2097 was created by Psygnosis, a game development company from Liverpool. The artwork for the game was designed by The Designers Republic, a design group based in Sheffield. The game took seven months to develop. To help more players enjoy the game, the developers made it easier for beginners to learn, while still keeping the game challenging for experienced players. Originally, the game was meant to be an addition to the original Wipeout, not a new game. No sequel was planned, but Andy Satterthwaite, who worked on the original game's MS-DOS version, was asked by Psygnosis to become an internal producer. During an interview, he suggested making a sequel, but instead, he helped create extra tracks for the original game. The add-on was named Wipeout 2097 to avoid confusion with a full sequel. In the United States, the game was called Wipeout XL because American players might not understand the idea of a game set in the future. The name Wipeout XS was considered first, but it was changed because "XS" could also mean "extra small." Satterthwaite worked with a team of three coders (two of whom were new), six artists, and Nick Burcombe.
The game’s design was influenced by Japanese culture because the team worked with The Designers Republic. Nicky Westcott was the lead artist and helped improve the original vehicle designs. She also collaborated with the designers and coders to create the tracks. Special tools in Softimage were used to build the tracks, and the team tested each other’s work for feedback. Satterthwaite realized he could do more than just create tracks. Work on the tracks began in January 1996, with the goal of selecting eight tracks from twenty created in a month. The tracks’ designs were expected to be finished by June, with the game planned for release in October. Despite the workload, Satterthwaite had three coders who were not involved in the project. The original game’s collision code was completely redesigned to make cornering easier by reducing the stop caused by hitting walls.
Burcombe wanted to improve the original game’s ship controls and added a new weapon, leading to new power-up ideas. Westcott explained that the team worked closely together due to the tight deadline. A major change was how ships reacted when they hit track edges. In the original game, ships stopped immediately, but the team wanted them to scrape the edges instead, which took longer to develop. Ghost vehicles were only in the European version because Atari had a patent on them in the United States. The team aimed to let players win races in any ship and made sure each ship felt unique and valuable. Months of work were spent adjusting the artificial intelligence to balance the game’s difficulty. Sony wanted a feature that allowed players to link up with others, but this was difficult due to syncing problems and differences in frame rates between PAL and NTSC systems. Additional content, such as harder tracks and a prototype ship, was added because the team was both excited and stressed, and they described the development as "a time of great energy and intense exhaustion."
A full nightclub tour in the United Kingdom was organized with Red Bull energy drink, which appeared in the game before the drink became popular in the United States. The game was first shown as a pre-alpha demo at the May 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Wipeout 2097 was released in 1996 and sold about a million copies. Versions for the Sega Saturn and Windows PC were released in 1997. Later, the game was also made for the Amiga in 1999 and for Mac OS in 2002.
Music
The original Wipeout game was one of the first racing games to use a lot of electronic music, including songs by artists like Leftfield, The Chemical Brothers, and Orbital. This use of licensed music was unusual for the time and helped create the game's unique identity. The game and its soundtrack were influenced by the 'future UK' style of the 1990s, which included techno-inspired visuals and the growing popularity of electronic music and rave culture. The game's marketing focused on young people who enjoyed club music, showing how closely the game was connected to 1990s rave culture.
Wipeout 2097, called Wipeout XL in North America, added more music to this idea with a soundtrack that included songs by more well-known electronic artists. The game featured tracks by The Prodigy, Fluke, Underworld, and Photek, along with returning artists like Leftfield and The Chemical Brothers. The music helped create the game's fast-paced, futuristic feel, and the soundtrack was often linked to the rise of big beat and techno music in the mid-1990s. Fluke created a song called "Atom Bomb" specifically for the game, which came with a music video set in the Wipeout universe.
In addition to licensed songs, Tim Wright, who used the name CoLD SToRAGE, wrote original music for the game. Wright wanted his songs to have slower beats but still feel energetic to match the game's fast visuals. He used the big beat style, inspired by artists like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim. This style uses strong bass sounds, sudden musical changes, and samples to keep the music exciting even with slower tempos. Wright said it was hard to get his songs included because the soundtrack had many well-known artists.
Sony promoted Wipeout 2097 by displaying PlayStation consoles playing the game in nightclubs. They also sold clothing inspired by the game. The game disc could be used as a music CD, and a separate album with different songs was also released.
Reception
In the United Kingdom, it was one of the nineteen best-selling PlayStation games in 1996, according to HMV.
Air Hendrix gave the PlayStation version a perfect score of 5 out of 5 in all categories (FunFactor, control, sound, and graphics) in GamePro, stating that it had many improvements over the original WipeOut. He noted that the controls were easier to use, and the game had better graphics and smoother movement. Tom Ham of GameSpot also praised the improved controls and the new ability to destroy opponents. He liked the detailed backgrounds, clear sound effects, and more challenging computer players, calling the game "a must buy." IGN said the game had better music, more racers at once, stronger computer players, more weapons, and better graphics than the original. They called it "a game that makes you proud to own a PlayStation." In 1996, Next Generation ranked Wipeout 2097 as the 32nd best game of all time, saying it showed how good PlayStation games could be. Edge gave both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions a score of 8 out of 10, noting better graphics and enjoyable gameplay.
Electronic Gaming Monthly editors named Wipeout 2097 the best music game of 1996 and a runner-up for best graphics, losing to Super Mario 64. In 1997, The Official PlayStation Magazine listed it as the fifth best PlayStation game, and Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked the PlayStation version as the 96th best game of all time, calling it "the first game of the cyberpunk style 'electronic age.'" In IGN's list of the top 25 PlayStation games, it ranked 13th, noted as the best racing game of its time and preferred over other games in the series. In 2003, Wipeout 2097 was added to GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time. It is ranked as the third-best PlayStation game at GameRankings, with an average score of 94.75% from ten sources.
Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine said the Saturn version was not as good as the PlayStation version but was a better copy of the game than the Saturn version of the first WipeOut. He called it the second best racing game on the Saturn, after Sega Rally Championship.
Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot reviewed the PC version, saying that its Direct3D support made it look better while keeping the fast action and colorful graphics that PlayStation players liked. He said the new music was not as good as the PlayStation version's techno tracks but still recommended the game. Next Generation said that if someone had a 3D graphics card, they should buy the game because it had nearly perfect gameplay, exciting music, and excellent visuals.