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Wipeout Fusion
PS2 Preview by Shawn Fogarty


Psygnosis is handing over the task to Studio Liverpool of creating an all new Wipeout game for PS2. But if Wipeout Fusion hopes of capturing the golden experience of the past Wipeout games for PSX its going to have to pull out all the stops. And that is no easy venture for time constrained developers who need to make that October launch date. Luckily, the game is coming along quickly now and Studio Liverpool has a whole host of new ideas for the PS2 debut of Wipeout. Wipeout has a bit of a back story to it. The atmosphere is a more realistic one that takes place in the future in the year 2150. The invention of anti-gravity devices has brought on a new age of extreme racing, the F9000 league. The game isnt completely off the wall. The laws of physics apply to this futuristic world and things arent too far fetched so players should feel a heightened sense of realism when they play.

The racecrafts from the previous games had only seven areas to customize your craft but Fusion will have 48! Race tracks will be even more wild and exciting to race on. Plus, there will be a level of exploration as well because there are alternate paths to choose which can make the race easier or harder. Also depending on what path you take also determines which weapons youll find along the way. There will be seven locations in the game each with three tracks and every track consists of at least 150,000 polygons. The crafts themselves will be much more agile allowing players to pull off spectacular maneuvers such as strafing to dodge enemy fire, sideways flight for getting through narrow passages and you can even pull a 180 to fly upside down when there is track above you.

Expect to see a very flashy and explosive presentation for Wipeout Fusion. Good Technology company, which has won awards for creating websites for Audi, Levis and digital design in general, will be working on several parts of Wipeout. They will be responsible for logos, game fonts, menus, team logos, weapons, promotions, box art and the website. Its interesting that they are getting a separate company to work on these aspects of the game and should hopefully further strengthen the game as a whole.

The graphics are looking great and it will probably be one of the ideal games to show off the systems graphical prowess. There will be 32 completely redesigned ships each with unique handling and features. These crafts can be damaged in real-time and can show off amazing effects like parts breaking off, sparks and smoke. The pit lane will now also be used for repairing your ships systems if they get damaged. In addition to the unique characteristics of each craft, the game will also focus on the individual personalities of the people who fly them.

I cant wait for this game to come out. If it makes it out at launch then it will be one of my first purchases. Either way, Wipeout Fusion will be a huge game for the PS2 and if it is as good as expect, will help sell many systems.


Expected Release Date:
Q4, 2000

Developer / Publisher:
Studio Liverpool / SCEI

Players:
TBA

Additional Pics:
crisp graphics
pullin some g's
hilly track
through the tunnel




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