When I was playing this game on the PS1's early days, it really feeled like I was in the future...
Psygnosis created and also have invented the whole "future-racing-game" style. Without Wipeout, we should probably never got so many future-racing games we have got already... And it's exist a lot of "Wipeout clones" out there, but noone comes even close to the the original Wipeout and either the second one how also was great "Wipeout 2097".
But this game, the first Wipeout is one step better than all it's followers.
First of all I must say how funny it is to make reviews like this on old classic games. I mean the "only" thing how can do those reviews is your own old memories from the game when you played it [plus ofcourse a computer :-)].
I was 12 years old when I owned and played Wipeout! Now I'm 20½ years old! (It was soon a decade when I played Wipeout at last.)
And today when I think back when I was playing Wipeout, I just become happy! I had so many funny hours with this game...
And the first time I played it I had never seen a racing game like that before! (Who in the word had that!?)
Here is some different things how did make Wipeout so incredible GREAT:
** The speed it had, it was so incredible fast!
** The graphic was so incredible wonderful. And like everybody knows, the 3D was something new with PS1. -And on that way, the graphic was totally perfect, all the effects in the game, lights etc was so perfect! And were something new in this racing style.
** It had a very good sound, but the music was something more than "just good"... It was a cool mix off great technomusic and really fitted into the game! No other soundtracks could fitted in better than this...
** I don't like usual racing or rally games, not then and not now.
But Wipeout was something else, this was something more... Exept from the incredible speed it had, you could also pick up different weapons and shoot the "enemies"! This is the absolute best Wipeout game in the series, and I'll tell you why:
1)The first is that, only Wipeout and Wipeout 2097 is the really great ones! The later ones in the serie just feels like upgraded versions of those two games without something new at all, i'ts nothing new and fresh that the two first games offered.
2) Now, why I think the original is a step better than 2097? Here is why:
** I was totally chocked first time I played Wipeout, had never seen something like that before, the second game - 2097 was great to, but I wasn't "paralyzed" when I started to play the game. "I had seen it before."
** The second and biggest reason: (About the weapons)
I loved that Wipeout had weapons, so you maked your "enemies" freezing for a while or just maked them more slowly. But Psygnosis exaggerated a lot with the new weapons in 2097, with them you could now, for the first time - destroy other "enemies". I know this is a big reason, why many people like the 2097 more than the original (and many don't like the original Wipeout because you can never been destroyed or destroy others.)
But for me, Wipeout is still a racing game and not a "Twisted Metal" or "Destruction Derby" game, -where you most destroy the others.
So isn't hard for me to choose... The original Wipeout is the best in the series, I recommended Wipeout 2097 also, but the first one is magic...