Formula Fusion

[Alex Franchini]

R8 Games, a team made up of Sony Liverpool veterans, has published the first Steam Early Access version for Formula Fusion.

As you can see from the latest trailer (only available on the Steam page at the moment), Formula Fusion is a spiritual successor to futuristic racing series Wipeout - inexplicably cancelled by Sony.

Now, after years of Playstation exclusivity, PC gamers can savor the real thing, since Formula Fusion is being made by the same developers. The title has been funded on Kickstarter and will feature antigravity-style racing and several classes to choose from.

The game will be in Early Access for around 8 months, according to the Steam page. At the moment the test build only features one craft and one track, with races up to 9 opponents and a time trial mode.

Formula Fusion seems to retain the excellent soundtrack and aesthetics that made Wipeout a groundbreaking title in the first place. What's your take? Let us know in the comments!

 

[vee10]

Happy memories, be buying into this for sure when it has some more content.

 

[Dan Allen]

Happy memories, be buying into this for sure when it has some more content.

That's some pretty sick breakbeat right there.

 

[Deleted member 161052]

Happy memories, be buying into this for sure when it has some more content.

I like this one below

 

[Andreas Knöpke]

Wipeout was cool 20 years ago, now the gameplay looks just boring.
Maybe for €10 or so but €20+ seems pricey for the gameplay options you have.

 

[F_B]

I never really got into Wipeout or understood why people were so excited about this game. I had the HD version on my PS3 some years ago and played it for about one hour perhaps…

Does anyone remember extreme-G for N64? That was my game.

 

[Xtriko]

I used to be an hardcore WipEout. Had my higher times from 2007 until 2011. But played all since the first. Including the WipEout 64. Hyped with AC, and now this? Where will my focus be now? xD damn!

 

[Xtriko]

I never really got into Wipeout or understood why people were so excited about this game. I had the HD version on my PS3 some years ago and played it for about one hour perhaps…

Does anyone remember extreme-G for N64? That was my game.

HD was a bad title to start. In my honest opinion, WipEout 2097 is the best. Dark atmosphere, long tracks, HARD tracks, not the kids play of HD. It was also really faster (not counting with zone mode). But we are free to like whatever we want. Played Extreme-G and thought it was "crap" and a copy of wipeout, like wipeout was a copy of F-Zero etc. I still like it, and since I can buy the games, why wouldn't I?

 

[billymitchell]

Wipeout was cool 20 years ago, now the gameplay looks just boring.
Maybe for €10 or so but €20+ seems pricey for the gameplay options you have.

The Liverpool team had a lot of momentum, and Fury was the hardest Wipeout of the modern releases, plus it added the content you're looking for with new modes: Zone Battle, Eliminator, and Detonator.

HD was a bad title to start. In my honest opinion, WipEout 2097 is the best. Dark atmosphere, long tracks, HARD tracks, not the kids play of HD. It was also really faster (not counting with zone mode). But we are free to like whatever we want. Played Extreme-G and thought it was "crap" and a copy of wipeout, like wipeout was a copy of F-Zero etc. I still like it, and since I can buy the games, why wouldn't I?

It was amazing how the old team could squeeze out all that performance from Playstations. Wipeout HD was released just under 2 years after the PS3 launch with 1080p 60fps graphics, something few titles ever did on that console over the next 8 years. HD was a very fitting name because it actually was 1080p graphics and one of the best looking games ever released on that console.

Heck I can't even believe how well Wipeout 2048 ran on the Playstation Vita considering the graphics, although it did get bogged down with lower fps with the faster classes. I had to crack my PlayStation Portable to unlock the CPU from 222Mhz to 333Mhz in order to finish Wipeout Pure because of FPS drops...it then ran a solid 60fps after the overclock (Sony deliberately underclocked the PSP by 33% before launch because of poor battery lif, but some launch titles like Pure were made to the development kit specifications, and suffered from CPU limitation at launch).

If these guys can deliver to PC the speed, frantic/smooth gameplay, and style that defined what Wipeout was on Playstation, then they will get my money. But I'll never sell my PS3 because Fury was the best of the Wipeout franchise.

Speaking of, here's an example of Detonator:

 

[Jonas Bögemann]

Oh WipEout is my absolut favourite gaming franchise, still today (got into the series just late-2012).
I can't tell you much about it, I can tell you everything ^^

 

[Andy_J]

Whatever any of these "games" have to do with RaceDepartment, I don't know. It certainly does not warrant a headline. What next? Pokomon road wars?

 

[Xtriko]

Whatever any of these "games" have to do with RaceDepartment, I don't know. It certainly does not warrant a headline. What next? Pokomon road wars?

what a rich post! so full of... I'm still trying to understand... bravo. Don't like it? Ignore it.

 

[Jonas Bögemann]

Whatever any of these "games" have to do with RaceDepartment, I don't know. It certainly does not warrant a headline. What next? Pokomon road wars?

Wait, what you mean with "games"? Everything that requires someone to do something and aims for causing fun in doing that is a game.
I know to well that WipEout isn't always fun (in fact, it can be a damn hard competition, not only online - Try to win a race in Fusion with a Stage 0 van-Über on Cubiss Float Course 2, hell), but it's a great franchise nevertheless.
I'm really sure that FF can become somthing big.

 

[Andy_J]

Yes but its hardly anything to do with RaceDepartment. Just my opinion.