10 Things I love about Wipeout 3
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.
