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fusionfrenzy
14th September 2008, 11:18 AM
A discussion with Lance in the hate topic has inspired me to make this, long overdue thread. So here goes:

1.The Environments
This was fleshed out in the other topic, but basically, the way in which the environments created this picture of mundane, ordinary gritty urban sprawl using a pallet of grungey greens and dark reds, and contrasted this scene of inner-city cluster and industrial life with the pure-adrenaline thrill of ag-racing tearing through its midst; a glorious ray of hope and excitement in otherwise normal and even decadent places - the docks of Porto Kora, the train tracks and apartments of Stanza Inter, the factories and industry of Hi-Fumi. No other Wipeout has painted such a realistic picture of the future so relevant to the present.

2.The Handling
Wipeout 3, for me, has the best handling of any game. The way the ships bobbed and pitched through every corner really felt like floating, felt like pulling a heavy craft through tight turns should feel. The way the ships would pitch up and down as well as from side to side meant that should you go up an incline too low, you could prang straight into the track itself. No Wipeout since has felt so real in its ships' handling, so feisty yet so smooth, so nuanced and yet so simple.

3.The Styling
I know, many people hated the styling, but I loved it. The bland beige menus, the angular fonts, the sharp edges which defined the game itself. The fact that the menus, the fonts, the colours, were so decidedly unremarkable is what made the racing feel so remarkable by contrast. This living, breathing, screamingly-fast world wrapped inside a front-end of ordinary, almost uninteresting design. It is the same design feel that was imbued on every environment, a deliberate attempt at the unremarkable to make the racing stand out all the more. Plus, the fonts and low-fi feel felt simultaneously old-school and futuristic.

4.The Tracks
This isn't the same point as #1- i'm talking about the tracks themselves as racing tracks. Every one was designed to perfection, in my mind. From the corkscrew of Mega Mall, to the pit lane on Stanza Inter, the 90 degree turns at Manor Top, the threading-the-needle hairpin on Hi-Fumi, to the jump and S-bend of P-Mar Project. These are all classics. Every track a true pilot's track, begging to be repeated, enjoyed and perfected, which when combined with the feel of the handling, was a true joy.

5.The Soundtrack
Wipeout 3 had a pretty unique soundtrack, one which suited the game well. Every song was a mixture of thumping beats, blood-pumping percussion and adrenaline-inducing electronica. The one track which summed up the feel of the entire soundtrack was for me, Xpander. There is no other game that can compare to the sense of euphoria which this song can create; Icaras. Manor Top. Phantom. Xpander building up and up to it's explosive peak at max volume as you race the perfect lap. Gaming bliss.

6.The Teams
This was (to my knowledge) the first Wipeout to set the standard of 8 teams, something which has stuck ever since. And what great teams; the fragile yet graceful and achingly fast Icaras, the chunky Goteki 45, the aggressive but likeable purple block Quirex, and the slow-but-effortless-to-drive Assegai. Every team had its own personality, every ship felt like an extension of that personality, and each felt different enough to warrant playing every ship on every track, and getting a different experience each time, yet always unmistakeable Wipeout.

7.The Grid of Golds
Not sure what to call this, but you all know what I mean. This is the only Wipeout to ask you to play every track, with every ship, on every speed class. This meant that there were 64 Golds to get on every speed class, 256 in all. Playing Tournaments felt kind of aimless compared to the achievement that was seeing that grid of golds before your eyes, as you strugged to add Goteki on Manor Top Phantom to finish it off. I loved this feature and would love to see it back soon.

8.Hyperthrust
I can't remember enough about Wipeout 1 and 2097 to know for sure if they had it (I dont think so), but I know that this was a defining feature of Wipeout 3, one which i'd love to see return. The intensity of Hyperthrusting was unparalleled, coming onto the home straight on Mega Mall as you round the last corner, then bury your finger into the R1 button and scream past every competitor, engine whine building to an unbelievably-high pitched crescendo. Part of the skill of piloting in Wipeout 3 was knowing how far to push it, when to put in a bit of hyperthrust to shave off some vital lap time, and when you'd misjudge it and send your ship clanging from wall to wall- and of course, when you'd run your shields too low too soon and limp to the pits on 33.33 energy- the cutoff point for hyperthrusting your energy away. A mechanism for separating the the truly skilled pilots from the amateurs.

9. The Energy Trails
This may seem like a minor point, but it was essential. The way the energy trails blazed out behind each craft, trailing off behind it like the tail of a comet was very beautiful. The way the neon glow, which was almost phosphorously-bright blurred and streaked behind each craft as it weaved through corners was so realistic, so effortlessly cool. And the way that different teams' trails were different colours showed an attention to detail on Psygnosis' part which is unmatched by any other Wipeout, in my opinion.

10. The Weapons
The weapons were so well balanced in this game. The plasma bolt was a joy to use; you could turn your ship into a pit lane, firing off a bolt of death, picking off a competitor just before you enter the pits. The wonderful way the plasma behaved meant you didnt even have to fire it in a straight line to make a kill if you were experienced with it. Yes, it was overpowered but it was a joy to use. Then there were the satisfyingly blasty rockets, the multiple-target missiles and a flawless autopilot which was fun to deploy just as you went towards a wall to watch it turn your craft at an impossible angle to avoid it. And the way in which the weapon pads glowed pink or yellow to pick up offensive/defensive weapons outlines that impressive attention to detail lavished throughout the game.

andy
14th September 2008, 07:42 PM
100% agree with everything you've said. good to see a thread about the good things in wip3out rather than the bad bits cos this is really long overdue xD

i love the handling, its the reason ive been playing this year after year. i love hyperthrust too, so much better than turbos and it is pulled off so well.

the variations in the ships are perfect, and with different piloting styles that need to be used for different ships, you play one track a number of different ways depending on which ship you're in, and that adds to the playability, and also gives them their own unique personalities. theyre all vastly different, yet perfectly balanced at the same time and because theyre varied, there's usually a ship for everybody.

i like seeing the big grid fill up with golds, looks good and its really satisfying, and much easier to read than with other installments of wipeout where you have to look at each track to see if youve got gold or not and when you need to do that, i just dont bother, but in w3 its all nicely set out and it makes me want to complete everything.

and the tracks are brilliant. my favourite bits are right hand split on stanza inter, the 90degree at hi fumi and the tunnel bit near the end thats really tight, the corner before the bumps on sampa run and i loved all of manor top. :P

the designs are stunning, from trackside environments to the ships to the cd case and the functional menus.

the music is perfect. just as youd expect music in the future to be- modern, sharp and fast. from the moment you start a race and xpander or control comes on, everything just feels right and you are in the future in a big machine on a racetrack, and its just perfect. everything in the game feels in place and complements every other aspect. the sound effects are top notch too with big explosions, engine noises and ambient sounds like the crowds and seagulls, the noise of the pitstops and the scrapes and clangs off the walls, which makes it feel realistic and like you're racing through a living world.

Xavier
15th September 2008, 02:06 PM
I just got W3O yesterday (1c for the game, $10 for shipping!) and played it for the first time.

Wow, they sure ramp up the difficulty level! Vector class is pathetically easy to win -- I won my first tournament without even knowing that hyperthrust existed! :)

Same with the first challenges -- really easy. Then, suddenly, things get really tough. The second series of tracks at Venom class give me my comeuppance as I struggled to place in the top three in even one of them.

And I love those seagulls! I assumed they were some kind of obstacle and sent them flying with a quake!

Medusa
16th September 2008, 02:14 PM
Yeah, no kidding it's about time, haha! I'll just add to your points...or rephrase your praise, whatever.

1. Environments - it was realistic!! Megacity wasn't some pristine, superclean clump of skyscrapers and megaliths, it was a bunch of buldings of varied height, with seagulls crapping all over the track and trains chugging along because let's face it, a city needs something to feed it and its economy!!

2. Handling - yep, lovely floating feeling and deliciously difficult to master with the different ships. Hooray! I'm going to play W3O now...

3. Styling - it ruled. TDR rules. This was the first wipeout to have a really wicked font in addition to wicked logos (sorry, but I thought the WO1 and XL fonts were kind of bubbly-looking and not-so-hot). Ads in-game weren't overdone in neon and giant letters like they were in the PSP games, they were made to look as if they were there for the fans, not the pilots! Because seriously, who's really gonna spend money for the space required for giant letters when they can put up a normal sized sign? Or a rotating G45 sign?? SO COOL THIS GAME'S ADS WERE! Yoda knows best!

4. Tracks - W3O showed how you keep the tracks feeling old-school while adding new elements (corkscrews...). It didn't need to add in different moves or track elements to make the game fresh, because each track was so awesomely inspired. Each track had its own definite feel - there was no confusing it with another track.

Yeah, it's just an incredible game, beautiful and totally wipeout. That's all I can say.

andy
16th September 2008, 10:51 PM
i really like the font in wip3out too. the other wipeouts have fonts that are too rounded and not very futuristic. they just dont feel right to look at. the wip3out font is nice and angular. bit hard to begin with because some of the letters look very similar, but you get used to it.

i also find that newer wipeouts are very cartoony and exagerated. i mean, look at talons junction with its silly big bellows/pump things and the visible radio waves on de konstruct. its hardly believable anymore. i prefer 3's graphics to any other wipeout, even over what i've seen in HD.

DawnFireDragoon
17th September 2008, 03:47 PM
i agree with the points you make and the fact this is a long overdue thread. been playing this again recently, along with the other two ps1 masterpieces and i love it! one of the best games in the series and on the ps1 entirely in my opinion.

Kscorps
13th October 2008, 07:00 PM
I seriously need to pick this one up.

XpanDrome2097
28th July 2009, 01:37 PM
I gotta make a revaluation of this cool game.
Wip3out is great, very great.
Am playing on this since two weeks on my PS2 (I've found a new one in a game store) and the negative sensation about this game was destroyed....I love it!
I've lost my copy of Wip3out some years ago, but now I've bought a new one....and I've rediscovered one of the most good game that I've played on the first times that I've taked in my hand the PSX controller (I've played W3O after 2097) :).

- The general style and graphic: simple but very cool, absolutely amazing!
- The soundtrack is really decent, some tracks are pretty good ("Xpander" by Sasha, for example);
- The handling....I gotta make a revaluation about this point, is very realistic (Icaras especially)!
- The design of the ships is very aggressive;
- The tracks....so cool, very futuristic!!!!

I love this game YEAH!
From some points of view I prefer W3:SE, but this game rocks!
And W3 close the perfect triad of the WipEout games: WipEout, 2097/XL and Wip3out....

XpanDrome2097
20th August 2009, 10:17 PM
Sorry for the double post, but this is a more advanced analysis :).
After some hours in intensive play, finally I can say that Wip3out: SE is the advanced level of Wip3out and WipEout games in general, the perfect game in the saga with WipEout 2097.
The positive points of Wip3out (SE and not) in general:

- The track design is perfect and the grey atmosphere makes you feel into a very realistic future, with a bit of dark inside, very similar to blade runner;
- the graphic style, the ships, very serious, very cool;
- the internal camera, cool feature too;
- "Xpander" by Sasha (one of the best WipEout musical track in history);
- the aerodynamic and the handling of the ships is absolutely realistic, it can makes you feel like a real flyer;
- very fast game, with HD graphic (for the time that was coming out);
- the new versions of Assegai and Icaras are really perfect ships indeed;
- the classic tracks of the first 2 WipEout games with the Wip3out graphic style;
- the general soundtrack is a perfect for the game's atmosphere;
- the new Qirex model: a serious monster, THE REAL super-ship.

Wip3out: SE is second only to WipEout 2097/XL, but under some points of view WO3 is better than its predecessor.

phl0w
20th August 2009, 10:38 PM
Agree with everything you "love" about WO3.

1. Environments - it was realistic!!
So very true, Medusa. I often said it in other topics: For me Wip3out has the best graphics so far. Sure, they don't feature the same polygone-count as Fusion, Pure, Pulse, HD (obviously), or the same lightning, and GFX has improved greatly since then. But technically outstanding doesn't equal beautiful or "better" per se in my book.

Chill
28th August 2009, 08:26 PM
Oh hell yeah fusion frenzy! everything you've depicted was so right, it felt like it brought a feeling back that had been dead for a while now... This is why Wipeout 3 is a classic!

Compared to Wipeout HD, Wipeout 3 is like the classic Mustang compared to a new gleaming plastic one! It just can't be beat!

The menu was great in it's simplicity because it felt more like this game wasn't meant to spend time in the damn menu, it was spent to race!! So why have a gleamed up menu when the whole purpose of the game IS for the race? It's what made this game so... RAW! Compared to even Wipeout HD, nothing has outdone Wipeout 3 yet. Maybe in graphics, but looking back at the Mustangs, it's not how new it is... it's about how effective and raw it is to the customer... or player...

Wipeout 3 will always be a classic. My opinion is they should remake Wipeout 3 SE, and change nothing to it other than online play...

I own 2 copies of Wipeout 3, 2 copies of Wipeout 3 SE, Wipeout 3 Japanese, it was the main reason I bought my 2 neGcons, and I have to say, that would mean this game has to be something of significance!!

Lance
28th August 2009, 09:10 PM
I owned a '67 Mustang fastback, and I still own WO3. Wish I still owned the Mustang.

Chill
29th August 2009, 10:08 AM
I hear ya lance... That would be something that if I had, would never want to sell... I guess that's when you would have to make sure the customer understands it's significance before you would sell it... So that the beauty lives on. ;)

WolfKill01
30th August 2009, 11:41 PM
I owned a '67 Mustang fastback, and I still own WO3. Wish I still owned the Mustang.

This is off topic but DUDE!! MY DAD HAD THE EXACT SAME CAR!! I asked him why he got rid of it. I mean, not only is it worth a ton of money now, but I would not mind driving that beast to school

Lance
31st August 2009, 12:16 AM
I had it for nine years, almost as long as I've owned WO3.

andy
31st August 2009, 02:34 PM
I love how there is a reflection and a glow on the wet floor under ships of their thrust trails on the rainy tracks like sampa run. They look excellent, it's attention to detail like that which makes me love 3 :)

Chill
31st August 2009, 06:32 PM
Okay... I re-read my wrote, and I think it's knocking off HD waayy too much for what it's worth... it doesn't only have good graphics, all in all it's pretty bad@$$... I still don't have it nore even touched Wipeout Fury yet!! But seeing it on youtube, it looks freakin' bad... can't wait to play that stuff!!

Stanza Inter... Now my fave track in W'O" 3! yeah I gave up Manor Top... but it only fell one place down... ;)

billychanxtr33m
2nd September 2009, 03:30 PM
10 things i loved in no particular order

1. on the title screen it says- "wipeout three title screen" epic lolz

2. tons of gameplay. the single race grid is amazing. but then you have time trial, loads of challenges, eliminator, and tournaments.

3. 8 teams with no "super" ship (a la XL/2097 piranha). every ship has a great design and unique color scheme. with a balance of ship types to fit your own play style, this was the right direction for the franchise.

4. i have now played every wipeout game in some form except 64. and every game has at least a few tracks that i hate. wipeout 3 is the only exception. every track has great personality and is enjoyable to race on. take near the end of sampa run for example, you take a sharp right angle turn and then drop down into this gully. its so urban, yet so organic. its so open, yet feels so constricted on the narrow track. and that open feeling is huge, neither of the previous wipeout games had sections like this, all of those tracks felt constricted in some form or another. every track in wo3 is this excellent.

5. the particle effects: the birds on porto kora, the flower petals on p-mar project, the fireworks on manor top, they all put such a huge smile on my face and made the game feel so natural.

6. the female announcer's russian accent. i love hearing her say "rockets" and "cloak."

7. the general hud and menu style was made of win. that black on grey in the menus, coupled with the font is something you wont see anywhere else.

8. watching several AI controlled ships bouncing off a force wall is always funny.

9. when you restart a race, it instantly restarts. even wipeout hd has a load time to reset a race, so that makes wipeout 3 the pinnacle of wipeout loading technology.

10. the prototype tracks. they have a great cel-shaded look and are nice rewards for completing a grid. when i am a famous eletro artist im going to do all my live stuff with the visuals being somebody playing the prototype tracks from wo3.

wip3out gets :+:+:+:+:+

Lance
2nd September 2009, 06:09 PM
Those prototypes, with their single-tone shading or nO shading :D , are pure classic racing.

BTW, I disagree that there are no superships; the teams are indeed very distinctive, but that includes great inequalities in performance. It is not chance that puts the Icaras at the top of the leaderboards with such extreme frequency.

billychanxtr33m
3rd September 2009, 05:18 PM
i personally think there is a big difference between having one ship being best for time trials and having one ship with max stats, or the progressivly better stats of unlocked ships in fusion.