Wipeout 3 1999

Is it still worth playing?

Anti gravity ships race on eight circuits in this 1999 racing game for the PlayStation, the third Wipeout on the console. Each ship has an energy shield that absorbs damage, and when it runs out you are knocked out of the race. You can regenerate it in the pit lane, where the longer you stay the more you get back, and you can also spend it on Hyperthrust for extra speed. Along the track, weapon grids hand out random items to attack or defend, rockets, missiles and mines among them. The early circuits were kept easier for newcomers and the later ones tuned to challenge experts. The look is stripped down, with icons and typefaces by The Designers Republic, a graphic design studio, and the Welsh DJ Sasha chose the electronic soundtrack. With one shield paying for both speed and survival, every lap is still a choice between pushing and staying in the race, which keeps it worth playing today.