Random: Someone's Porting PS1 Classic WipEout to the Playdate

"it’s not like it’s doing much else with the franchise these days, is it?"

The last Wipeout game was released in 2021 on phones. It's online services have since been terminated due to a lack of interest. A lack of interest will probably also explain why the PS5 will be the first Sony console that won't get a game in the series. Nobody particularly wanted the PS4 game either, so there's probably your answer.

@BeerIsAwesome
Sony's been slacking with their arcade racers. Motorstorm games were stellar and they've wasted Evolution studios.
What a damn shame

@Specky Unfortunately the last MotorStorm died a quick death because of the earthquake in Japan a week before it was due to release. Then Driveclub couldn't get past it's release day jitters and also died. Sony cut their losses after that, and the next game from the studio, OnRush died even quicker.

Then there's the case of Destruction All Stars. The driving equivalent of Foam stars - colourful characters with attitude and a gameplay loop so shallow it might as well be dead at this point.

I'm not entirely sure there's too much of a market for pure arcade racers these days. Though I'm not sure the latter can be considered a racer. 🤔

@BeerIsAwesome It's sad but true... its been a good while since arcade racers were big sellers.

I do really miss them though There's just nothing quite like Pacific Rift or Blur on the market right now.

@Perturbator @BeerIsAwesome
Motorstorm Apocalypse wasn't their fault though. It was a masterpiece imo and Driveclub is also stellar for their first realistic racegame.
I've yet to come across a prettier racer where rain on windshield is better looking than Driveclub. Also the sense of speed is unmatched in that game.

Sony made them make a Gran Turismo filler, because the next GT was going to take while and they still nailed it.

Sony should've realised this and, if not a new Motorstorm game, they should've made a Forza Horizon competitor or something. Crazy talented studio gone down the drain because of Sony incompetence

@Specky MotorStorm Apocalypse is one of my favourite PS3 games, so I'm just as salty about it as you. I think it wasn't any one factor that killed the studio. Sure, it was poor timing with the earthquake, but after the closure and subsequent buyout from Codemasters, they were given free rein to make OnRush. We all know how that one turned out. The studio these days has been given the Dirt license to continue making games, but a good percentage of the original staff from the Sony days have left, and the entire management team has been nuked.

As far as racing games themselves are concerned, I saw an article on GT Planet once that said "racing games are better than ever, so why is nobody buying them?" and to be honest that's where I don't have an answer. The only games that ever seem to stick around are those with a name, such as Gran Turismo, Forza and the F1 games. And perhaps due to the publisher's persistence, Trackmania. Anything else is often seen as "meh" and fairly quickly forgotten about.

@BeerIsAwesome
Onrush was still commendable as they couldn't make a new Motorstorm game while still making an arcade racer. But yeah it was disappointing.

I think the reason people not buying them is because they're definitely not better than ever.
GT and Forza are household names. F1 is licensed so that'll sell like FIFA and Trackmania is awesome and very popular online.

Other than that, where is the creativity? The Crew games play like utterly stiff typical Ubisoft crap, NFS has been irrelevant for a decade and... Honestly, what else lol?
There's literally nothing else.

At least Rocket Leagues still doing great!

Boy, I would really love to play the earlier WipEout games, if not for soundtrack licensing complications...

@Specky Better is comparitive. There's improved physics, weather, and so on. The games themselves may differ, but the standard is higher. I think you get what I (or they) mean anyway. But yeah, you're right with the lack of creativity. Most racing games these days exist just to show off supercars, or in the case of Hot Wheels, pure fanservice. Not really something you can hang your hat on.

Rocket League is just biding it's time until the nice people of Epic decide the Fortnite racing game will take preference over it, and then it will die a quick death shortly thereafter.

@BeerIsAwesome
Nah I've been pretty deep into Rocket League since day 1 and the community is still alive and well with up and coming kids who are so insanely skilled, it's mindboggling.

Even Epic wouldn't dare touch that lol

@Specky Fair enough, but Fall Guys isn't what it was. How much interfering does it take to ruin a game I wonder? Perhaps that's one for the Overwatch players.

Wireframe WipEout or any other sci-fi style racer why not sounds great.

I wonder if any will some Virtual Boy games or Vectrex type games to it.

@BeerIsAwesome That's what I end up thinking then Redout, Fast Racing or more car based ones like Inertial Drift, Gear Club Unlimited even the one coming to consoles Distance. So some are getting seen by people. Others aren't.

I don't even know whether to think oh cars aren't cool any more either maybe there is. But I mean while I don't care for motorsport I appreciate it. I have bought up WRC, MotoGP and F1 games just for something racing game wise to experience besides researching notable Japanese/western sim or arcade ones or the one make games of Ford, Lotus, Alfa Romeo, etc. some shovelware, others fair (rewind system intro then Grid/Forza Motorsport 3 altered it to what we see today, still prefer the Alfa Romeo method with RPG points for rewind aka Tiger Effect and other aspects of the car but nope).

I mean Supercar Street Challenge is not much but it's a fair game and I found it interesting like Sega GT on Dreamcast/Xbox or Apex 2003 Xbox for their mechanics.

I mean I got into racing games and had GT3 & 4 or CTR (not other Crash games at the time till N Sane Trilogy did I go and explore Crash series more even though had researched them just not played them). I have seen real life motorsport and they are fine but to me on TV or just playing the games are just more fun I find. I treat understanding cars the same way I do researching video games, just some knowledge I just like to have. Enjoyed Top Gear/Grand Tour or certain others on the more serious side as well.

I don't know if I ever would have cared if I didn't grow up with them but I see the appeal in them gameplay wise and just appreciate cars while playing them.

So with hopefully more particular ones of appealing coming to consoles and cult followings eat them up because a certain audience IS interested it's just they aren't a trend just a cult following audience seeking them out when they see them or enough people caring I guess.

That or you get tons of nostalgic Indie type ones of the Micro Machines, Virtua Racing or Outrun clones or others.

There is some bad quality ones as well mixed in from time to time I've seen reviews for some.

If the ideas were good, the progression systems weren't so boring (even the new racer coming to Switch in a few months I want to like it but it's licensed cars/classes to me for what seem like a fair AA or Indie I think was a waste of money when the modes and better direction is needed not something that is just so generic/done to death. Where are my interesting modes of touge/hillclimbs nope got to go to open world racers for that kind of experience. Where are other interesting fun modes included. Some have them but if the progression isn't fun I might not want to go that far to experience the slog to get there).

While Split Second, Blur, MotorStorm and more were at a downward time of arcade racing games just not selling well and only NFS or other open world ones sell (even players go WHAT SMOKE TRAILS or cell shading because 8th gen made racers what they are today when Auto Modellista, GT Cube/Pro Series were a thing 20 years ago let alone Wind Waker, Borderlands and more have existed as well to point out other games with cell shaded styles or we have garbage business models for sims like iRacing among others (besides yes matchmaking or mods among many as well), they may play well but the cost for individual tracks and repetitive ones at that then a complete package let alone the different weather/presentation of say the Nurburgring in autumn to otherwise in GT4, PGR2, Forza Motorsport 1 and Enuthsia).

I mean I loved Gravel, Onrush I can understand why it flopped but enjoyed what I could of it.

Some people like me seek ideas. If Driver San Francisco has as cool a feature of swapping cars as Battlefield 2 Modern Combat and I get excited over RIde 4 having a Forza Motorsport 1 & 2 region system improved upon or WRC 2023 car builder like Pure does with custom ATVs or Sega GT on Dreamcast car builder with parts yeah...... Do I have problems and seek gameplay too much, yes. XD But at the same time I think it says a lot about just tire details or just other realistic simulations and the 'fun' factor is just gone sometimes because other priorities.

Or people would rather use cars as props then make car movies. We still see them and they are great whether car brand or historical but still. Props in action movies more so.

I think the marketing is just confusing for some of what is arcade, sim and so on or so much realism/sim has been pushed over the years.

Or the stigma of just 'racing is just this and that annual' when they are like sports games broad. But then again street or arcade sports games exist it's just idiots don't look that far. I don't even care for sports games unless they are arcadey. Like say Cosmic Smash for PSVR2/or the original Dreamcast version. Racing is like the only sports type games I care about because the physics, the fictional not just realistic tracks, the game modes, the event types and challenging the player not just 'oh I want to drive a car' I mean sure but to me the cars are characters in an interesting journey of events to complete no different to an RPG just with cars instead or more menus.

I have watched many analysis videos and tried to research/play many and I think it's just a combination of things of audience appeal, cars may or may not appeal anymore or just the same cars.

Maybe the progression systems. I mean if people cared for PGR 2 not having dream cars quickly so 3 fixed that (kind of like a shooter with instant map play like Battlefront 2 2005/classic instant action or well quick race) while Forza Motorsport 6 wants candy car offering but doesn't offer them in the career to use just other modes till the late game use of them or whatever cars the showcases have it clearly shows great progression system design. Sigh. There is a reason I went so they pulled a remix of FM5 and just made the showcases fun but the tours really boring or restrictive uh huh. FM7 remixed it again and made the fun showcases mixed in but not as linear as FM5. Right.

While some progression systems of old worked and I have no issues with them mixing them up sometimes they do just make them so boring.

Many issues people have with GT7 is the progression system. To me it's the bad of GT5 level systems and gating things further than GT5 ever did and FM6 and is why I was put off it.

Wreckfest has it's appeal from a sofa that's driveable (bus, lawn mower and more, you'd expect lawn mower racing on PC shovelware games usually in the past) to many normal vehicles and no licenses. So people are willing to have some silliness or some no licenses to still enjoy a racing game.

It's just if it's offered.

Casuals no idea but racing fans arcade or sim that enjoy a mix not just SIM only fans yeah many of us are just wanting more to be done with the genre. Or youtubers make challenge videos or mods because old games offered that flexibility in the game. Not just nostaglia either they cover games they never have and still will do challenges for them (though yes views do play into things something yes so mostly the obvious games get shown like a GT4 or a FM4).