Wipeout 3

Wipeout 3 is a racing game that retains the same basic elements of its predecessors. The game is set in the future, where players control futuristic anti-gravity ships owned by eight different racing corporations and pilot them on eight circuits. Each craft is equipped with an energy shield that absorbs damage sustained on the track; if the shield is disabled, the player's craft can be knocked out of the race. Shields are regenerated in a pit lane set apart from the main course.

The less time is spent in the pit lane, the less the shield will regenerate. In addition to shields, each racing craft contains airbrakes for navigating tight corners, as well as a "Hyperthrust" option. Players can activate Hyperthrust to increase their speed, but using Hyperthrust drains energy from the shields, making the craft more vulnerable. Scattered across each raceway are weapon grids that bestow random power-ups or items.

Developer Psygnosis began developing the next entry in the Wipeout series in 1999, three years after the release of Wipeout 2097. In the interim, Psygnosis had been acquired by Sony and released Wipeout 64, a Nintendo 64 exclusive title that proved the franchise remained popular. Sony gave the team a small budget and tight schedule—only nine months—to ship the game before the new PlayStation 2 arrived. Because of the time constraints, lead designer Wayne Imlach recalled that the team was conservative about adding new features or changing too much of the formula, instead focusing on refining what had been established in 2097.

Psygnosis retained many of the developers of the original game to preserve the distinctive racing experience of the earlier games. At the same time, Psygnosis sought to make the game more accessible to new players of the fast-paced racer, and kept early courses easier for these players; the difficulty was adjusted for later courses so that experts would still experience a challenge. An initial pool of 20 tracks was whittled down to 8 after playtesting; the developers wanted a variety of tracks that favored different ships and had different difficulty levels. Wipeout 3 was the first Wipeout game to take advantage of PlayStation controllers with analogue sticks, used to offer smoother control of the player's craft.

Critical reception of Wipeout 3 was generally positive; the game has a critic average of 87/100 Game Rankings, and a metascore of 89 at Metacritic. GamePro said that the game was "hands-down the best futuristic racing game to ever come on the PlayStation. Its blazing frame rate, smooth graphics, and kick-ass soundtrack make it the must-have game for anyone who has a passion for fast, furious fun." Critics noted that if players liked or disliked previous games, Wipeout 3 would not change their mind. Favorable reviews often called it the best game in the series, refining what made the first two games memorable.

Reviewers who gave Wipeout 3 lower marks noted a sense of disappointment that the series broke little new ground. Stuart Miles of The Times considered Wipeout 3 a good game, but felt that he had been expecting much more from the sequel; "It's as if the programmers have concerned themselves more with the overall look and feel, rather than further developing the existing gameplay," he wrote. Alistair Wallace of Gamasutra, in a retrospective on Wipeout 2097, remembered that "I enjoyed [Wipeout 3] because it was more of the same and I loved it, but I think the series ran out of its innovation. Doing loop the loops isn't a big deal really". Joe Fielder of GameSpot summed up its review of the game by judging the game an excellent racer, but not able to beat Wipeout 2097 as the best futuristic racing game of all time.