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Retro Arena: F-Zero vs Wipeout

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    Retro Arena: F-Zero vs Wipeout



    F-Zero - 1990
    Wipeout - 1995
    Wipeout 2097 - 1996
    F-Zero X - 1998
    Wipeout 3 - 1999
    F-Zero: Maximum Velocity - 2001
    Wipeout Fusion - 2002
    F-Zero GX - 2003

    The two leading lights in the 'futuristic racing' genre, choose 3 games that you like the most.

    Edit: My Top 3:

    F-Zero
    F-Zero X
    F-Zero GX
    Last edited by Leon Retro; 06-06-2019, 13:40.

    #2
    Wipeout 2097
    F-Zero X
    F-Zero GX

    Comment


      #3
      Wipeout 3
      Wipeout 2097
      Wipeout

      In that order. I have to be honest, my favourite F-Zero game is actually the two DLC tracks in Mario Kart 8. I have enjoyed the F-Zero games but never ever loved them. The SNES one is pretty great but I didn’t really get on with the N64 one and a large part of that is that the twisty turny stuff is purely cosmetic - you are stuck to the track and there is no gravity. It is like the 16-bit one with essentially a visual effect added.

      But Wipeout on the other hand, that felt like I was controlling an anti-grav craft of some sort. It bounced on a cushion of air, it swung around, it reacted to turns with weight and gravity. It had exactly what I felt was missing with F-Zero and something else on top - a real sense of style. To me by comparison, F-Zero is about as stylish as an AM-2 front end. Wipeout felt like it carried stories. Like the locations took place in an actual world. And that made all the difference.

      The first game is incredibly punishing but rewards practice. Weirdly, I preferred how the Saturn version handled and believe that some corners are only able to be taken well in that version.

      2097 is amazing and hugely improved on the first one. It brought even more style but also made the game less punishing and it felt much better. A superb soundtrack and it looked amazing in its day. And then 3 is a bit more divisive but they again went all out on style but in a different way with this one, unifying a look across the entire game and going minimal with greys and blues. It was the first to have analogue control and took a while to get used to as a result but it worked really well.

      The jewel in the Wipeout crown is the Wipeout 3 SE, only available in our territory if I remember correctly. It featured everything from WO3 with some improvements and a whole bunch of remade classic tracks, brought into the WO3 style. It’s incredible.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post

        I have to be honest, my favourite F-Zero game is actually the two DLC tracks in Mario Kart 8.
        They're a great love letter to F-Zero. I just hope Nintendo deliver a brand new F-Zero over the next few years -- maybe with the next Switch(or whatever it will be called). I'm sure that it could be a whole lot of fun, even if Mario Kart games will always be more popular. I think there's room for both.


        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
        The SNES one is pretty great but I didn’t really get on with the N64 one and a large part of that is that the twisty turny stuff is purely cosmetic - you are stuck to the track and there is no gravity. It is like the 16-bit one with essentially a visual effect added.
        It's faster and more hectic than the SNES version. The action can be pretty intense at times. I've always enjoyed what it has to offer, even if it's a bit basic in some departments.

        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
        It had exactly what I felt was missing with F-Zero and something else on top - a real sense of style. To me by comparison, F-Zero is about as stylish as an AM-2 front end. Wipeout felt like it carried stories. Like the locations took place in an actual world. And that made all the difference.
        Yeah, it's really nice how the early Wipeout games managed to deliver game worlds that felt like something from a sci-fi movie. The amount of detail -- and the stylish/cool design -- was really impressive.


        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
        The jewel in the Wipeout crown is the Wipeout 3 SE, only available in our territory if I remember correctly.
        I didn't know there was a SE version of #3, so I'll check it out. Was released a year later in 2000 -- and only in PAL regions.
        Last edited by Leon Retro; 31-05-2019, 19:59.

        Comment


          #5
          Think there is either some serious rose tinted glasses being worn or people are still on an ecstasy rave trip of the 90’s!

          Have you played an old ps1/Saturn wipeout game recently? Clunky, janky, low FPS, polygons warping and wobbling; I always felt I was wading through treacle with them and the horrible metal clang noise when hitting the track would drive you insane. It was the music, logos and iconic marking that made them; can’t argue with that. Loved fusion though and the the F-zeros from x onwards. GX still is incredible - I don’t think anything has come close.

          Comment


            #6
            Fusion had the exact thing I don’t like with F-Zero. It lost all sense of gravity. As a result, Fusion is the black sheep of Wipeout and the one that got the worst reception. Fusion’s only saving grace was introducing zone mode. And yes, I’ve played them all pretty recently.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
              GX still is incredible - I don’t think anything has come close.
              It's the pinnacle of futuristic racers in my book. An absolutely brilliant game that still impresses in all departments. It really is amazing what Sega did with the GameCube hardware.


              Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
              Fusion had the exact thing I don’t like with F-Zero. It lost all sense of gravity.
              As much as I can appreciate why you prefer the 'gravity' feel of the Wipeout games, I think the way F-Zero games feel to play is really enjoyable. There's definitely a more 'arcadey' feel to F-Zero titles. The intense action of F-Zero GX is definitely not for the faint-hearted. I heard that GX was considered to be "too fast" in Japan.

              Comment


                #8
                GX
                2097
                F-Zero

                Anyone who doesn’t consider GX to be the pinnacle either hasn’t played it or hasn’t played it enough. Shaving milliseconds off your lap times becomes compulsive!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
                  Have you played an old ps1/Saturn wipeout game recently? Clunky, janky, low FPS, polygons warping and wobbling; I always felt I was wading through treacle
                  Yeah, I've been playing Wip3out on the PVM which looks astonishing still. Also BallisticNG (community Wipeout) at 165fps on Zen class. Utterly sublime and trance-inducing. You can even unlock the retro vertices and colour dithering you mention in the video options if you want to be a 32-bit purist.

                  They're crap on the slower speeds but after you persist and hit the higher classes they open up wonderfully. This was always my problem with Wipeout - they took forever to get going.

                  GX is still my all-time favourite racer however, by a considerable margin. Maximum Velocity my most played.
                  Last edited by dataDave; 01-06-2019, 07:31.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by dataDave View Post
                    Yeah, I've been playing Wip3out on the PVM which looks astonishing still.
                    It is one of those games where the design style shines through all the technical limitations of the system.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I know you're allowed to like both but I was always an F-Zero guy. In order of preference it's;

                      1. F-Zero
                      2. F-Zero GX
                      3. F-Zero X

                      F-Zero on the Super Nintendo is number one because it's the complete package. A singular concept from top to bottom that was pretty much perfect in its first attempt.

                      F-Zero X added things but lost things. And it lost more than it added imo.

                      F-Zero GX actually felt like an F-Zero game again ... like a 3D version of the original concept. Excellent game. In fact, I might just dig my GameCube and Trinitron out to give it a whirl.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                        It is one of those games where the design style shines through all the technical limitations of the system.
                        The technical limitations led to some excellent brutalist themes. With the lore I'm a big fan of the evil megacorp thing they had going. It all ties in nicely.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          GX
                          X
                          2097

                          Never got on with Wipeout as much as I did F-Zero...
                          Lie with passion and be forever damned...

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by samanosuke View Post
                            Shaving milliseconds off your lap times becomes compulsive!
                            The same with the original and the N64 edition. I must have spent thousands of hours playing both.



                            Originally posted by dataDave View Post
                            Yeah, I've been playing Wip3out on the PVM which looks astonishing still.
                            Yeah, I can imagine it looking really clean and attractive on a BVM/PVM.


                            Originally posted by dataDave View Post
                            Maximum Velocity my most played.
                            It's such a nice version that looks really good with a modded/modern screen. I also like 'Climax' that was only released in Japan.


                            Originally posted by Atticus View Post

                            F-Zero on the Super Nintendo is number one because it's the complete package. A singular concept from top to bottom that was pretty much perfect in its first attempt.
                            Yeah, it really is near perfect. A 2-player mode would have made it ideal.

                            Originally posted by Atticus View Post
                            F-Zero X added things but lost things. And it lost more than it added imo.
                            I remember being a bit disappointed with how X looks and plays, because I loved the original so much. But I gradually learned to really like it and appreciate what it has to offer. I still prefer the first game though.

                            Originally posted by Atticus View Post
                            F-Zero GX actually felt like an F-Zero game again ... like a 3D version of the original concept. Excellent game. .
                            It definitely feels more in tune with the original. There's also a Sega arcade racer vibe about it, seeing they made it. The overall package is absolutely brilliant. It's easily one of the best games from that era -- and I'd say it hasn't aged much. Still looks quite stunning.


                            Originally posted by Mayhem View Post
                            GX
                            X
                            2097

                            Never got on with Wipeout as much as I did F-Zero...
                            I also prefer what the F-Zero series has to offer. I have always enjoyed Wipeout games though, but they've never grabbed me as much as the best F-Zero titles.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Who cares? Wipeout VR.
                              Kept you waiting, huh?

                              Comment

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