Collection essentials #392: Wipeout XL (PS1)

This is the second game in the futuristic racing series called Wipeout. The first game was an early title for the PlayStation (and later ported to Sega Saturn), launching very soon after the console hit store shelves in the West. I’ve skipped over it, because to me it’s just a decent game at best that’s not very remarkable.


This game takes place in the year 2097 and features futuristic floating anti-gravity vehicles in a racing competition. Like Mario Kart, there are items that you can pick up during the race that you can use to gain an upper hand. Sometimes these are weapons that directly attack opponents, while others are defensive in nature or give your vehicle a power-up of some kind. 


This is one of the many examples of a video game sequel that greatly improved on the foundation of the original. Practically everything about Wipeout XL is better than the first game, with improvements such as more content, better controls, and perhaps most importantly split-screen multiplayer. (In the first game, you had to link up two PlayStation consoles together just to play with a friend!) 


I was aware of the Wipeout series for a long time, and I think I first heard about it on the internet as a young teenager. But I never played any of them for a very long time. Even after acquiring some Wipeout games for myself, it was still years before I decided to spend a substantive amount of time with any of them. The first Wipeout didn’t impress me very much. But boy, XL sure did! This game is so much fun to play!! There’s not much to complain about with it. The items can be hard to tell apart if you’re not already familiar with the game, which is slightly annoying, and I found the soundtrack underwhelming, but that’s about the extent of my complaints. It’s definitely my favorite racing game on the PlayStation, earning it the title of essential.

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