WipEout Fusion

The Good
After playing Wip3out (or simply known as Wipeout 3) on the PlayStation 1, I picked up this game expecting great things. On the back of the box cover it describes the game with 4 simple words - "Faster", "Tougher", "Bigger" and "Better". And it sure did live up to that statement!

Faster! The game was so amazing and fast (on the later levels, of course), that it was like a movie (something along the lines of that recent Final Fantasy VII movie) that never failed to deliver. On most games, the speed would sacrifice the graphics and details, but this game was supreme, as everything was a high priority, and nothing was low-standard.

Tougher! The previous installment of this franchise was a few courses of design with only the last two being difficult. However, this game lets you choose your own difficulty in a unique way. For instance; if you want to play an easy game, just choose the best ship, the smartest pilot and choose the last level. For a harder (and boy, DO I MEAN HARD!) game, just choose the ship and crew that you initially started with.

Bigger! Not only were the levels of the game huge, but they have huge detail for things that even aren't on the course, like passing spaceships, skyscrapers, and other things. But on the course, things became more complex (which can be a good thing) which included loops, long free jumps into the air, and gravity-defying obstacles.

Better! One great thing about this game is the extra stuff that can be done, besides the main league game. Such as un-lockable pictures in galleries, custom leagues, multi-player races, the customizable ships, and an arcade option among other things. All this, combined with the futuristic techno music and all things mentioned above make this a great science fiction racing game.

The Bad
If one thing bugged me the most, I would say the barriers. You see, during a race, all parts of the course that were restricted were closed of using electric barriers - but accidentally crash into one of these and chances are that you are stuck and by the time you break free you'll be near last place in the racing position, which can really annoy when you're on a winning streak.

The Bottom Line
If I had to describe this game simply, I would say that it's a futuristic version of "Need For Speed: Underground" that's really worth playing. A game like this can be found at a decent price in a local store, so if you happen to have the right amount of money in your pocket I would recommend you try it.