What's the word...

[Hydra XL]

oh yea... Sacrilege! Damn! Studio Liverpool ought to be disbanded for spoiling the wipeout franchise. I've finally experienced the complete disregard on the part of the developers towards maintaining the series' integrity, making today one dark day in WipeOut history. what's worse is that they even fake having decent game physics, w/ a vicarious tilt of the craft as the race begins and the thrusters kick in. The cheesy employment of those dumb characters, drab music (for the most part), crap ship designs (altho' this i knew beforehand). this isn't AG racing... this isn't wipeout. Another thing - the mixed reviews this game has been getting I can't understand; how could any self-respecting individual/publication (*ahem* IGN, OPM, EGM *cough, cough*) rate this farce @ the 85% or higher mark?! Wipeout has been soiled, SOILED I SAY! ARRRGH!! :evil:

i'm ashamed to even wear this lame t-shirt right now. I feel like an ass for reserving it. Psygnosis will be gravely missed. XL, Wip3out remain untouched, albeit dishonored.

[AmishRobot]

Wow, that's harsh. I just picked it up and haven't had a chance to play it. I'll probably put up my initial impressions tonight, but I'm going to try to reserve my opinion until I'm well into the upper classes.

One thing I do know is that the packaging sucks, but so did XL's (us version). Fusion's packaging makes it look like medicine. :)

[Wamdue]

true in that this is the worst wipeout comparing to the others, but.. i kinda liked the soundtrack

[xEik]

This sounds so discourageing :cry: I still haven't bought a PS2. Will I, after these posts? :-?

[AmishRobot]

Well, after about an hour now, I like it. I like it more than I liked Wipeout 3 just after buying that, but that's not saying much. My expectations weren't built up to a rediculous level on this one.

So far, one thing I really like is the emphasis on weapons. I'm very combat oriented, and this one seems to be better in that regard.

One thing I hate is the lack of customizable controls.

After an admittadly short amount of time, I think some people are being a bit too harsh. I can see their complaints, but I think they're stewing on them a bit much, and allowing it to ruin the game for them.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Foxy, you are dead right about the freeform areas. They don't piss me off (yet), but they don't belong in there.

[JABBERJAW]

it gets much better at the faster speeds, but you still have the scraping thing

[FoxZero]

the constant scraping damage pissed me off. and whats up with the 'contender eliminated' guy? he sounds like hes trying way too hard to sound cool. me and my friend played a split screen game and that was a lot of fun. the quake was a wow too :) ill have to play more to have an opinion but i left my ps2 on when i left the house and i think it got a bit hot because it sat at loading in fusion for like 2 minutes until i turned the power off. im going to let it cool down before i play again because its been on almost all day and i dont wanna get into fusion and then not be able to save. im liking the characters, the ships are okay, and the tracks are kind of nice. the graphics are pretty impressive on the whole. theres no countdown on the start and i have no idea how to get the turbo there yet, its kind of weird. plus it only goes READY.. GO! in the stupid guy-trying-too-hard-to-be-cool voice again. but yeah, ill play it some more later. i enjoy it so far and i expect ill enjoy it more as the speeds increase.

there appears to be a time trial mode.. was this something that was not in the uk version or something? or maybe it was that the times didnt save or something?

oh yeah wamdude is right the soundtrack is nice too, the fsol papua new guinea remix tripped me out when i first heard it, its very good :)

oh well, if i find it really sucks it wont matter cuz im glad i have the ps2 now that i have gta3, i am way too into that game :)

[AmishRobot]

I'm gonna hate myself for trickling out these opinions, especially because I'll start contradicting myself, but I can't hold back! :o About four hours of time, now:

Most of the negatives I've heard so far, I agree with. The ships aren't floaty enough, the freeform areas SUCK, the design isn't up to DR standards, and I've already glitched my way through a lot of walls. But after getting the EG-R to full speed, it's starting to feel looser (I only hope it gets better than that), the tracks are nice, the music is mostly very good, and - a lot of you will disagree with this - the intensified combat rocks! The photon cannon and autopilot are useless, but the extra aggression is making up for a lot of the faults so far. I like the heavy damage, and I love the fact that I get quaked... a lot. I feel like I'm actually fighting for those wins.

I didn't like the upgrade system at first, but I'm starting to appreciate the steady progression in speed. One question for those that have had it a while: Does it get much faster than a fully upgraded EG-R? It's only just now starting to feel fast. Whipping through a dust cloud in the desert at top speed feels damn good.

My only wish so far at this point is that they had stuck to one track per region, and tweaked each one to perfection. It's difficult to remember the layout of each variation, and they would have been better off spending that time debugging a few tracks, as I've already thrown myself through a lot of walls.

Unfortunately I have to stop for tonight, just as I was starting to get into the zone. :(

FoxZero, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the way the starts appear to me are that the ships are suspended slightly, and when the announcer yells "Go!" (In his manly nü-metal way) they drop slightly and take off. What I've been doing is not touching the gas at all until right as they drop. It doesn't feel like a full turbo start, but I get off the grid a lot faster that way.

[science]

you fellers need to give the game abit more time...
ive been playing since about 8PM EST and i think im about 15% into the game. once the ships start getting faster, the game starts to feel more like previous wipeouts. you gotta expect change from game to game, and some changes are going to be good, some are going to be bad, but at least give it a bit more of a chance before you totally slander it.

the scraping thing really makes more sense if you think about it. centrifical force would keep you against a wall until you slowed down enough to regain control, and the fact that you take constant damage from it keeps you from riding the walls thoughout the entire race (XGIII, anyone?) besides, as we get better, what happens when you run into a wall should become less and less of a concern ;)

the new turbostart thing is kinda cool i thought, since after you master the old way (ie, WO3) you never miss a turbo start.

the idea of having multiple tracks in the same area is cool, but so far its too damn confusing. i always end up trying to fly through the electric fences. also, some of the areas in the track, such as the ice tunnels (dont remember which area) are very difficult to get though unscathed, and virtually impossible to manuever with other racers kicking up **** in front of you. hopefully part of this is due to the fact that ive been less than a day so far...

the two physics models dont exactly switch over seamlessly, but with the new track designs, its necessary.

the soundtrack is certainly not as hot as some of the past games' soundtracks, but it does the trick.

the AI kicks ass! so far ive actually had to *fight* for my position! i love it!

umm, thats all i can think of to say right now. just thought id throw my rather disjointed 2 cents in.... sorry, its 4 in the morning and this is the first break ive had from fusion since 8PM when i bought it.
sorry i havent been posting lately, youll probably get to see a little bit more of me now that fusion is finally here.

and one last thing, could someone PLeaSE tell me what the red arrows over some selected ships mean? i think they only appear if you have their energy bars turned on. i thought maybe they signified more aggresive opponents or those that were ahead of you in the rankings, but i dont think either of those are right... someone help me.

[Wamdue]

pressing the accelerator after/during the announcer saying GO! is the turbo start.

the red arrows indicate pilots who have hit you/ have a grudge against you I think.

and the game does get faster than a fully upgraded eg-r, if you havent tried the fully upgraded piranha, try out zone mode, its guaranteed to be the fastest racing mode youve ever seen.

[Sven]

*cries*
:cry: :(
I haven't played it yet...EB didn't have it yesterday, and Wal-Mart sucks cause they were like 'it's coming on July 19th'...and I don't have anywhere else to buy games from (they only bad thing about a small town)!
But I WILL have it by this weekend, weather it's from EB or online. I'll be sure to give my input.

You know, there were a lot of doom-and-gloom naysayers about GT3, too...

It's also a bit like these new Star Wars movies: If you like Star Wars, you see it. Don't complain, because there's nothing you can do about it.

Also, I thought the freeform areas looked kind of cool. In theory, anyway....


Whipping through a dust cloud in the desert at top speed feels damn good.

you know, without the freeform areas, you wouldn't be able to do that :wink:
:( :cry:

[Sven]

YAY! EB has it in now!!!!!!
but DAMMIT!!! I have to endure a f****** math exam before I can go!!!!!!! How am I going to be able to concentrate!!?!??!?? Not only that, but I took one LAST thursday too!
aaahhh!!

I still hate the world. :evil: :x :evil:

[Asche XL]

Am I playing Wipeout fusion or Star wars Ep: 1 speed racer??? CAUSE IT SURE FEELS LIKE IT!!! :x

Im a newbie to the game but so far its HIGHLY disapointing..........I still rock that ****, but XL will always be my baby

[AmishRobot]

I'm not disappointed at all, because I knew going in that it would never top XL. The only way it could do that is if a free copy of XL were included with every game. :P

[Sven]

Am I playing Wipeout fusion or Star wars Ep: 1 speed racer??? CAUSE IT SURE FEELS LIKE IT!!! :x
First, get the name right: it's Star Wars Episode I: Racer and Star Wars Racer Revenge for the sequel. Second, Racer doesn't have weapons (well, not standard at least). Etc.

[Asche XL]

oh excuse me, star wars is still gay

[Lance]

.
AscheXL, please do not use the term ''gay'' to indicate that a game is lame. i am gay, and i find the use of that word in that way to be really offensive to me.

sven/alan: surely the exact name is a minor point. you knew what he meant, as we all did. we don't require academic perfection of nomenclature in casual conversation.

.

[Sven]

erm...yeah...
Also, Star Wars owns you.

[Lance]

.
sven, i don't know what you mean; what are you trying to say?
.

[infoxicated]

Don't even go there with him Lance - Sven has been warned and can expect to be banned if he thinks he can behave in this way.

[Lance]

.
okay

[even a moderator need moderating every once in a while] :D
.

[Asche XL]

Sorry Lance. Didn't mean to offend anybody. I meant to say lame/dumb

[Lance]

thanks

it's just that so many people say it without thinking, that it's automatically regarded as bad or wrong to be gay when in fact it's not a choosable option, you are or you aren't. or you're somewhere in between.

no worries, Asche
.

[FoxZero]

right... um.. anyway.. about the topic :roll:

the upgrade system gets a thumbs up from me, ive only upgraded the feisar to the top speed full and thrust full but i already get quite a good amount of speed just with that! the weapons are also pretty nice, i didnt like them at first but the missiles have a very wipeout 1 feeling, especially with the dirty explosions, which i really enjoy. the mines are okay but i wish they dropped faster when you held the button down. the rifle-type gun reminds me a lot of something from star wars, its pretty cool!

the game is a lot harder, i let some people who have never played wipeout ever try the game and they couldnt even get through the first lap of florian heights without blowing up! and that was with weapons and damage simulator off. wipeout 3 on vector was much more suited to their skills, i found. whats weird is that the damage simulator can be off but you still take damage from ramming the walls.. sup with that?!

what weirds me out is when someone uses the gravity weapon on you and you go FLYING off the track. and i dont mean falling off a ledge either, i mean like falling WAY below the level, so much so that all you see is the sky! it also cost me an ENTIRE lap once, when i respawned PAST the finish line, i was first and was on the second lap in about the middle of the snow track and then suddenly the gravity missile thing pulled me below and i spawned behind the finish line in 16th place! i had to really fight my way just to get to 14th! and i had 2 laps to catch up!

despite that i am having a lot of fun, especially since i figured out how to do the turbo start right every time. the ai is very challenging especially in the survivor challenges however i found out you can finish in 8th place and still pass the survivor challenge in gold so that kind of takes all the initiative out of it for me. the announcers voice still annoys me though :evil:

[Sven]

yeah, the gravity bomb is buggy. It works both ways though. One time I got shot forward so far down the track I got like a 40 second lap at Mandrashee 3.
It reminds me of the thunder bolt though, that was a good little weapon.

Whatever happened to the flying drone savior thingys?

I could pick this game apart for hours (like any other game), but I'd rather be playing it =)

[infoxicated]

Shot down the track?

Sounds more like a turbo enforcer than a gravity bomb :)

[AmishRobot]

It's not the Turbo Enforcer. The same thing happened to me a bunch of times, long before I unlocked any of the supers.

[Sven]

sounds like it, but it's not. It wasn't multiplayer.

[Harvai]

from what i've played, it's quite good.
exept for:
the announcer's voice
falling thru the floor
ships being stuck to the track( i.e going off a huge dip wif the ship stuck to it)
the pilot system

on the plus side, the ships can now take panel damage! yay! :D

[FunkySpider]

Been outta the loop for a while, some of you guy (although very few) may know me as Curly_says_GO!! from the WipEout Fusion Forum. I picked up my copy of WipEout Fusion after not playing it for an age. I'd got my hands on a GameCube and an X-box and Splinter cell, Halo, Mario Sunshine and Eternal Darkness have been taking up my time along with Hitman 2 and the whole Unreal Tournament 2003 Editing. But I got back to playing it i realise it was worse than i remembered it. If i released a Unreal Tournament map with that many bugs and flaws I'd never get a job as a level designer. I guess i saw over that before cos it's wipeout but i'm sorry the sequal (if there is one) better be a whole lot better or liverpool Studio may look very stupid, i do not understand why more of the faults weren't spotted and shamed before i flew one of the russian courses ON MY SIDE! THE ENTIRE RACE! just by going off a ramp a wierd angle and the frame rate problem, well that more of the fact the playstation while in some people's opinion is not the weakest console (apparently thats the gamecube although i would contest this) it's the most inefficient of the "big three" currently on the market and thus cannot do the fancy trick the X-box can pull off.

James Stach
aka Curly