Flashout 3D - WipEout Clone for PC and Mobile devices

[chalovak]

Accidently found this in AppStore, a WipEout-wannabe racing game that some reviewers (I mean buyers) called the closest you'd get to WipEout on iOS.
7158
Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T59zhxhYDAo

Here is some info:
Official site (http://jujubee.pl/?portfolio=project-name-1)
iTunes Link (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flashout-3d/id563209339?mt=8)

I wonder if anyone from the forum has tried it.

[vincoof]

Not tried and not willing to pay for it since most comments on the app tend to say the game runs fine on iPhone 5 / iPad 4 (released few weeks ago...) and is unplayable on older (older = 1 year!) generations. Would be curious to try a demo though, but it doesn't seem to have one.

[MyNameIsBom]

Awesome! I'm gonna download this tonight and see what it is like!

[BulletWraith]

I can't find the android version, any idea on a release?

-zer:donutshen

[vincoof]

I can't find the android version, any idea on a release?
An announcement has been made for December, with no mention of a specific day.

[Colin Berry]

Hmmm, to be honest it looks like a huge attempt at a rip off, there is being inspired by something and putting your own twist and take on it, and then there is just ripping something off

I'd be surprised if sony dont look closely at this with a view to slapping them, some of the ship designs are blatant rip offs

And yes people can say FZero / Wipeout, but the track design, handling and comabt of those games and the end look, is different, two branches of the same tree. This... well it just looks like a bad rip off.

I'll still get it though :D

[chalovak]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Game feels awkward and raw, things could be done better but were left incomplete.

[Darkdrium777]

Any non prerendered footage somewhere? I don't have iThings to try this on.

[chalovak]

Here's a video review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGkdMSAnWZA
Should be enough for a judgement.

[vincoof]

erf... yet another game controlled by the gyro. This is such a nonsense for this kind of platform. Mobile platforms should never force anyone playing in a specific position.

[chalovak]

If i'm not mistaken (I don't remember for I've deleted the game :)) you can switch between two control modes (gyro and d-pad).

[Ami Nakajima]

Well, I've been biting my tongue HARD on this one for a while now -

In short, the amount of clones and rip-offs following Studio Liverpool's closure is unbelievable.

I am incredibly disappointed and saddened by those being so damn disrespectful to jump on the AG bandwagon, in the wake of what's happened.

Studio Liverpool has barely closed it's doors and the vultures have already taken on us.

I have such respect for WZ and I know you guys have the same for studio Liverpool. If you care about WipEout and it's future, then PLEASE stop publicly backing these awful clones and jeopardizing our community.

Without our community, we have no future.

..and for the record -

If anyone EVER had the right to create another WipEout/Clone other than the ex Studio Liverpool employees themselves, it would be you guys and nobody else.

Slipstream GX is the rightful successor to WipEout in order to continue the legacy.

Nothing else.

[Hellfire_WZ]

...there is being inspired by something and putting your own twist and take on it, and then there is just ripping something off

This sums up my feelings on this one perfectly. It's one thing wanting to make a game in the same genre with a similar feel but its own unique style (see Quantum Redshift and Fatal Inertia). It's something else altogether when a game tries to actively imitate another one. This falls into the latter, even down to the name if I were feeling particularly cynical! And the number of games that seem to be doing this since SL's closure is concerning.

Remember what Ami has said on many occasions - the future of the Wipeout francise is still being decided, and the only way we can hope to see the series returning is by supporting it in the way we know how. Jumping onto these clones as a way of "filling in the gap" is likely to have the opposite effect. Also remember that unlike the developers of these clones, the SSGX team are NOT looking to make any money out of this, they are simply trying to keep Wipeout's legacy alive and to provide a game worthy of sitting in the timeline. They have the future of the series at heart, those looking to capitalise on SL's closure by making a quick buck from the ashes do not.

[Oryx Crake]

wow thank you Ami and Hellfire! I think I can speak for the entire team, when I say that it's truly heartwarming and motivating to hear you say that. It's also nice to hear that someone else shares my sentiments about these new "wipeout clones" and also let me say that every single one of them I have tried (most I tried before sl was shut down) have left me feeling cheated because they simply aren't very good.

[chalovak]

Oh, shoot, now I feel awful.
I had no intentions to show any kind of disrepsect by creating those two threads about clones, believe me, it's true.
All I wanted was to show how vain were all those attempts to create something close to WipEout series and that those attempts were out there.
Nothing can replace WipEout, nothing will be able to (well, except next WipEout, if ever).
I'm sorry.

[Richochet]

It seems like more of an indistinct line. Is Repulze really a cash grab because SL went under? It's not so obvious. SL has never hinted that they had even the faintest plans to release an AG game on iOS. Even if SL were still around is Repulze really treading on their territory? The game seems similar in many ways but 1. It's on a completely different platform 2. There aren't even any air breaks (a huge part of WipEout).

However, the more important point is simply that SL is gone. If anything games like Repulze are helping the AG racing genre live on. If games like Repulze are successful, Sony may bring back the once great SL and continue the franchise. If these "clones" aren't made and AG racing dies off as a result, you really think that's good for SL or WipEout? Really now?

Competition in any genre is a good thing! Whenever an AG game comes out people are reminded of WipEout (or FZero) and will naturally compare the games. Well, usually the comments I've seen are essentially "not as good as wipeout". These games keep WipEout relevant as a result. It is a golden standard that will continue being brought up as long as AG racers are made, especially if they are WipEout clones/rip-offs. If they continue falling short then Sony will hopefully take notice. If instead AG racers aren't made or we decide to boycott them, then guess what? WipEout WILL DIE.

SSGX is looking great and I'm glad you support it, but I don't see what's wrong with other AG games. For all you know the Repulze devs are huge WipEout fans and want AG racing to live on in the same way the SSGX team does. Now, you could say "oh but they're charging money!" Well guess what? The game costs money to develop too. It's amazing what the SSGX team is doing, but not everyone can be as dedicated and devote that much spare time for completely free.

I should note that Flashout 3D does look like a poorly executed cash grab, but Repulze actually looks like quite a lot of care and attention to detail has went into it.* I wouldn't be surprised at all to discover the devs really care about AG racing. They have some updates lined up. Time will tell if they actually are interested in the future of AG or are just in it for the money. Until then, I'm just happy that AG is still getting attention.

*I haven't actually played it, but I've watched gameplay and it seems miles ahead of Flashout (though maybe that's not saying much). Also keep in mind that I want WipEout back as much as the next person, it's the singular reason I bought a PSP, PS3, and PS Vita. PSP for WipEout Pulse, PS3 for WipEout HD/Fury, PS Vita for 2048. Later I discovered some other games, but WipEout has always been at the core. At the end of the day, these other AG games haven't been able to successfully emulate the WipEout formula, but it is clear that among the trash are some genuine attempts even if they have fallen short.

[Hellfire_WZ]

This is the point I'm making, it's not all of them that the issue relates to. The ones that do try to do something different and make something worthy to take its own place in the genre deserve attention. It's the ones that have clearly only popped up to jump on the bandwagon and rip off Wipeout almost verbatim that are the problem. I've seen a fair few of these now, and the ones I've seen are clearly treading a very fine line between influence and rip-off, and in a lot of cases stepping over the line. One of the first ones appeared on Steam Greenlight (can't remember its name) and aside from the general aesthetic of the game, one of the ship models was almost identical to the FEISAR model in Pure! I haven't heard anything more about that one so whether it didn't make it on Greenlight or Sony stepped in I don't know.

chalovak - Don't worry dude, I know you did so with the best intentions

[Colin Berry]

For me, the games that come out that try something a little different but are futuristic racers, then cool - afterall Wipeout has taken inspiration over the years from Mario Kart, F-Zero, Extreme G amongst others. But you put shows of those games side by side and they all instantly have their own identity.

But Flashout ?
Event the name shows they are too stupid and lazy to do something original

I'm pleased Sony still take it seriously

[Ami Nakajima]

Agreed.

Lest we forget that Sony still employ me to take of care WipEout and you guys - The last one left from Studio Liverpool, that alone is something I'm grateful for and honestly, these clones are as big as threat as I posted to us as a community and our future, no matter what platform they are released on.

Believe me. If WipEout is replaced or forgotten because of a clone or any other attempted AG Racer, this is all for nothing.

Please think.

[Mikahail]

Don't worry, Ami ! We think ! (at least, I think.^^)

I think (see what I said ?) this game has almost all of what makes a bad game from what I saw (teaser + review on page 1) :
-crappy controls (remote control on a tablet *puke*)
-poor content (DLC am here !)
-curious graphic design (the cyclone ship seems to be a mash-up of every Qirex ship since 2097, I first thought t was simply the Qirex from WO3)
-no speed feeling
-etc...

A bit disappointed because AG Racing deserves much more than clones or half-finished games.

[dreadofmondays]

I just dislike flashout in particular. Even on the merits of any game it falls short; it's shouldn't even be considered finished. I read somewhere that if you upload your score to the worldwide boards, your name is listed as 'player'. Just like every other player on the boards, because there is no option to actually change that. This is the kind of stuff that says to me it's flashout is a cash grab.

[F.E.I.S.A.R]

I wonder now...Will Sony allow the sale of Studio Liverpool to a private entity? Most of us know that before the studio was acquired by Sony it was Psygnosis,which made WipEout (1) to WipEout 3.

Right now,the other clones/attempts I've come across so far are short of one element that makes up part of a WipEout game:Storyline. I guess that the storyline is not in the attempts probably because of copyright reasons(though as HF said,one clone had a ship that was an Expy of the FX350/400 FEISAR model. Not a really good link,if at all). If there is any application of FanWankium here the attempts/clones are underground leagues. And not-so-good ones at that.

[zero3growlithe]

Just tried this Flashout 3D Demo available on appstore on my iPad 3 and....... aaaaaaand i have one thing to say, "wtf i just played on my precious device? This game is so fkd up that even i didn't expect such thing, does it even have something from physics except for shitty collisions? O. o I didn't notice. Before i downloaded it i saw this topic and thought that it can't as bad as u guys say cos reviews says something else but now, well, graphics are noooot baaaad if u don't look at shps but gameplay and the fact that this **** lags on iPad 3 is total b******* imo.

(gotta try to port SlipStream GX for iOS maybe? To rescue this hopeless situation with AG racers on mobile devices... or better not join this iOS fire xd)

[F.E.I.S.A.R]

@zero:I think we should do SSGX (one) first,then when SSGX(two) comes,it has an iOS and Android port :/

[Xpand]

SSGX for smartphones? Over my dead body...

[BrunoDG]

Actually that's not a bad idea, though. Why not?

[Xpand]

It's extremely limiting and you're basically trading quality for uncertain public reach, which is never a good idea. Plus why port something that's for PC to a phone? Doesn't make much sense...

[F.E.I.S.A.R]

I think that the PC and smartphone versions would be different. Completely different. One is more 'sit down for an hour or so',the other is 'pick up and play'. I believe that some veterans have some...'issues' of sorts with WipEout Pulse(like long wait times?).

[AG-SYSTEMS]

They forgot Airbrakes.

That ruins the game already.

In my opinion, Airbrakes are one of the best parts about the handling model in WipEout. They are so needed at high speed. I use them all the time.

[DDD113]

I know I'm late to this thread, but I'm kind of split on the issue. While I agree that Flashout blatantly ripped off some of the WipEout ships, the gameplay, as far as weapons and split paths and closed paths that you have to blow open, is much different from WipEout. The tracks are filled with changing colors and wildly different from WipEout. Also, I don't get what the big deal is about the 'Out' part. WipEout doesn't own 'out', so why can't Flashout use it? If you actually play the game, with all the eliminations that happen, I think it's appropriate. It may be a cash grab as well but that doesn't mean it doesn't belong. There are crappy versions of many games out there, and WipEout doesn't own the genre, and AG racing doesn't deserve anything 'better' than any other genre. Look at these words: SL is gone. They are gone and WipEout is gone for the time being and if Sony wanted them there to compete then they would be. The fact is that they're not, so that gives others the right to step in and capitalize no matter what the quality of their game is. Again, I don't like the ship rip offs, but many low budget games aren't rip offs, and deserve to have their chance. I agree strongly with Ricochet that the best way to bring WipEout back is to support the genre itself; if it dies, there will be no incentive to revive it. The whole genre is open now, and anyone has the chance to capitalize off of it. WipEout wasn't some special godly game that deserves special respect and treatment. This is business opening up for others. What I'm saying is live and let live. Play clones if you want to, don't if you don't, but don't go around bashing them ALL as disrespectful and try to boycott them. They have a right to the genre just as much as WipEout did.

I'm not trying to stir any feelings here, and I share the disgust for elements of design that are ripped off from WipEout too. But there are some decent clones out there, that deserve a chance. If you boycott them, ALL of AG racing dies, including WipEout, because SSGX can't carry the whole genre, the genre will be reduced to a single fangame (a pretty frickin awesome fangame though! :)) Just please consider what you're doing; don't let the AG racing support forum destroy AG racing itself.

Everyone here at the forum has been warm and kind to a new fellow like me, and I hope this post won't change your feelings, I simply want to see AG racing survive. I love WipEout as much as you do, and long to see it's return in the near future. I'm just stating an opinion here, there is only the deepest respect for SL in my mind.



Until next time,

DDD113

[Darkdrium777]

Flashout is just a bad game though. The handling is uninteresting. It's like steering a weightless hovering puck along an almost flat track. I don't know if there's been better AG racers that came out recently but this one is certainly terrible and not worth anyone's time.

[DDD113]

That all depends on your standards. If you expect everything to be as great as WipEout, you will find no AG racers that you like. Sometimes you just have to take what you get (like in WipEout Fusion) and deal with it. Personally if the game runs and looks decent as Flashout does, then I think it is playable. Basically I'm just trying out any new AG racer I can get my hands on until SSGX comes out, and for the few hours that it lasted, Flashout was entertaining for me.

[Darkdrium777]

Your second sentence sums up the problem with most of the AG racers that have been posted here before. IMO only that KOEI Canada game (Can't remember the name right now) had an interesting flight model, but the tracks were otherwise pretty meh, the collisions buggy and the weapons very bland.
I don't even like WipEout Fusion due to the way the vehicles handle. I did go into it objectively, but it didn't impress me at all. The contrary happened. :/
I'm not trying to be difficult on purpose, but it's just that I find those games very basic technically, there's not a lot of gameplay to master and so they're boring to me very quickly.

[DDD113]

That's understandable, there are some games that miss a lot of possible features. Fatal Inertia had a lot of potential if the tracks weren't so... interesting. They were really kind of hard to follow. I also agree that the physics on Fusion were way too tight, it's not one of my favorite games. There is a LOT of wasted potential out there, hopefully someone will step up. I also discovered that they are making a sequel to Flashout 3D, called Flashout 2. I watched the trailer, and it doesn't appear to rip off any WipEout ships, and they say it will have a longer campaign. Let's hope they (and others) learn from their mistakes and step up to make enjoyable, unique new AG racers.

Cheers,

DDD113

[Richochet]

Flashout 3D is just a bad game. Hopefully this sequel you mentioned ends up being better. Also I'm back to say that Repulze started off well, but subsequent updates turned it into a microtransaction spam game. Disappointing.

[DDD113]

Yes, the low-budget AG racers do have a long way to go... but on the bright side SlipStream GX is looking great! That's gonna be one fantastic game when they are done with it.

[JustinCase]

That's right, SlipStream looks fantastic, can't wait to get it when its out!

Anyway there's a new video for Flashout 2, imho should be better than the first game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsXGDwfP7XM

[dreadofmondays]

Hey, idea: Support flashout 2 in the hope they hold themselves to a higher standard

Edit: actually I think they already released, so never mind ......

[JustinCase]

It's not out yet but will be out this month there's also a new vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTN4v12jBsI

[JustinCase]

Now it's coming to Steam Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=244995815