What is Wipeout 64?

[fusionfrenzy]

What is Wipeout 64? As a true Wipeout fan I think i should ask-what is it?
Where does it fit with all the other wipeouts? what time is it set in? is it just an N64 version of Wipeout? Which ships does it have in it? How come that it has been overlooked completely in Wipeouts' history? on the fusion website it has a history of wipeout with all the ships and stuff but mentions nothing of the W64 era.
Please fill me in on EVERYTHING!! thx.

[FoxZero]

wipeout 64 is F5000 era, there are minor differences from xl/2097, namely the pirhana is as fast as the rest of the ships and not hidden, and the ai is signifigantly harder. in 64 the ai can use quake and plasma. there are also different tracks and new special weapons that do a lot of damage. the music is in-house by 'pc music' but there is also fluke's 'goodnight lover' and propellerheads' 'bang on'. the graphics are not nearly as good as the playstation because it was psygnosis' first n64 title, so despite the fact that it is post-xl/2097 the graphics are lower quality than the original wipeout. the announcer voices are different too. the menu is almost exactly the same as xl/2097 but the game loads almost instantaneously because its a cartridge and not a cd, so it only has to read the save from your controller. oh yeah, you can also play 2 player split screen like in wip3out (as opposed to link cable). anything i forgot?

[Roger]

One feature that I like a lot is that the time trial mode is "infinite": you can race as many laps as you like, trying to beat your own lap times. This means there's no race records in time trial, though.

[Hectic]

What is Wipeout 64? As a true Wipeout fan I think i should ask-what is it?

hehe, if you were a true wipeout fan you wouldn't be asking these questions..sorry but that's like saying you're a true fan of a sports team and not knowing the players' names. :wink:

[Lance]

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'' if you were a true wipeout fan you wouldn't be asking these questions''
not true. i was a huge fan of wipeout3 before i ever heard of WO64
.

[science]

wo64 is the wipeout that I have spent the least time playing, namely because i hate the 64 controller. I felt that it ruined everything about the game that was potentially appealing. If I could just play with the D-pad I would give it another shot- unfortunately that is not an option. You have to play with that dinky little analog stick. blech.

[Hybrid Divide]

Actually, I find it easier to use than the Dual Shock.

It's all a matter of opinion however. :D

[G'Kyl]

It's all a matter of opinion however. :D

Not in the case of the N64 controller! ;-)

Seriously though, I too don't get along very well with the N64 pad. For one, I find it damn difficult to hold it in my hands so I can play with at a least minimum of comfort. And as for WO64, I have always had a problem with analogue sticks on gamepads. I simply can't operate them precisely enough to be any good at any game I tried them with. And since WO64 doesn't offer optional digital control (just why IS that anyway? :( ), I am having a really hard time with it.

Ben

[Lumpster]

Wipeout 64 is based upon Wipeout XL, but with some significant differences.

The most important, which nobody has mentioned, is the control system.
This was made 'easier' by psygnosis because they felt the N64 was aimed at a younger audience than the PS.
The controls are similar to those of WO Fusion.
The racers travel faster in WO64.

Overall, WO64 wasn't up to the standard of the previous titles. It was supposed to be different to take advantage of the diifferent capabilities of Nintendo's console, but my impression is that the top developers were hard at work on Wipeout 3, and this game was rather a low priority.
The reason it was written out of official Wipeout history is it simply wasn't as good as the other games. Perhaps a similar fate awaits Wipeout Fusion....

[Lance]

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Ben, what about the analogue stick on the Dreamcast controller? do you have similar difficulty with it? i've always found it to work very well, while the Sony dual-shock doesn't work for me at all on motor racing games. the only game i've found where the long travel and soft springing of the Sony works at all well is on N_Gen Racing, and aircraft racing game. possibly it also works well on other airplane games such as Ace Combat, but i've not played that
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[G'Kyl]

Lumpster: If I'm not mistaken, a lot of Wipers would disagree with you on what you say about the quality of WO64. Also, I do not feel like WO64 had been written out of WO history. I believe it is simply not as well know as the Playstation releases, since most racing game players own a PS but no N64.
Also, I don't think that the game had been made easier than other Wipeouts. As a matter of fact, WO64 presents one of the most difficult challenges in the WO universe. Which is why I I'm actually lucky to find the controls to be somewhat tighter than WOXL's. ;) It's still no children's game, no matter Nintendo's general target audience.

Lance: Unfortuanatly, I never laid hands on a Dreamcast. A huge loss, yes I know. :) though I plan on buying one as soon as finances allow.
Anyway, the problem, actually, is not so much the quality of the sticks, but the fact that I am no good at "aiming" precisely were I want with them being as small as they are and with allowing only my thumb to steer them. I just can't do that. :|
The only game were it works OK for me is IndyCar Series. But that's because you hardly have to steer there. ;)

Hmmm, and this is the second time in only two days I here about N-Gen. I read the game was made by Curly Monsters, is that right? If so I think I would like to have a look at it sometime soon.

Ben

[Lance]

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yes! get it! one of my favourite games. yes, it was made by Nick Burcombe and colleagues. one of the best racing games in my opinion. other than the slow loading of arenas using a PSX, it plays quite well from a menu operation standpoint. and the racing itself is great fun. be prepared for pixellation when seeing the scenery close up; the areas are so huge that the PSX memory just can't hold enough for high resolution. i actually like the visual effect of this on this particular game; it makes it look like art. dynamic art. provides a visual excitement that smooth totally realistic rendering would not.
btw, the fully modified faster aircraft can move at speeds more than 2700 miles per hour [4320 kph]. at least the Berkut can
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