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Wipeout Fusion

2004

"Wipeout Fusion" is a good game, but compared to "Wipeout XL" (the second game in this series), this can't even hold a candle to that classic.

Which is tough, really, and maybe a bit unfair, but when you own all of the games in a series like I do, your expectations are supposed to be too high.  Tracks in "Fusion" are fine, the various hovercrafts are cool-looking and the soundtrack, once again, is phat.  But, it doesn't have that special something that the other games had (at least, 1 and 2; "Wipeout 3" was a bit of a disappointment as well).  Trying to beat all of its various modes to earn a 100% Complete rating will only drive absolute purists; for the rest of us, there just isn't enough incentive to get through all of the Challenge, Arcade, and League settings to make that worthwhile.

Of course, if you can get it on the cheap, like I did, then you should feel pretty good about this purchase, because at least the game takes a while to work through.  I'm not sure if a "Wipeout 5" will ever be produced, but if so, hopefully the developers will take time to work through the blasé aspects of this game to give me something sexy.

Rating:  eBay

 

Feedback?  Comments?  Hot doughnut tip?  justin@bellviewmovies.com

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  Buy this game right away, and don't ask me any questions as to why that's a good move.  A game experience that will almost guarantee repeated controller abuse, lots of ManScreaming and high resale value, you will assuredly play this bad boy for months on end. 

"$40":  Usually after games have been out for a while, they drop in price slightly, or can be bought for slightly cheaper in combination with other new games.  Usually, that's about $40.  You'll feel good getting the game for this price, since it isn't quite run-out-and-get-it-right-now good, but it has enough game in the box for a few weeks' worth of enjoyment.

"eBay":  This game is not too bad, but you'd be better off buying it used from either half.com or eBay.  You also might let a friend buy this game, let s/he beat it, and then try to buy it from them to make them feel better.  Yes, this does tend to feel like "Sloppy Seconds."

"Rental":  Like my cousin Ron, you should always rent games that you aren't sure about first, to make sure that your $50 is going towards something worthwhile.  For games in this category, this is the maximum amount of money ($5) and/or time (3-5 days) you'll need to either gain satisfaction from the game, or beat the game in its entirety.  Rental-rated games are also sometimes perfect for a weekend when you are going to be at home on your ass, with some time to kill.

"Dogshit":  Games like this should have never been released.  If you play this game for any reason, you will regret every second of the experience.  Further, if you can get this game for free, don't do it, because even for FREE, it will still be a negative experience for you!