Customer Reviews

WipeOut: The Game

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I love the Wipeout game show, so when last week's episode promised a Wii edition, my husband and I couldn't wait to get it. After all, what could be better than the combination of Wipeout's challenges and the Wii's physical controls?

Unfortunately, this game uses almost none of the Wii's controls. You press A to jump, B to crouch, and you use the nunchuk joystick to run. When you halfway fall on an obstacle, you can shake the controller to get up faster, and when it's not your turn, you point and aim to shoot balls at the other players. That's the controls. There's no support for the balance board, but I wasn't expecting any based on the box. What I was expecting was some kind of gesture use, such as shaking the controllers to swim or something.

There's two modes of gameplay: show mode and challenge mode. In either mode, you're doing some number of Wipeout challenges, but show mode follows the same structure as the show whereas challenge mode has you singly competing against a clock or goal. Show mode is the only multi-player mode. Each player gets three attempts at each obstacle. Your first successful attempt is your score. If you wipeout, you get another attempt. But here's the crappy part: if you wipeout all three times, it just assigns you a default max value. So, for the big balls, it's pretty likely that everyone will just get the default max value in show mode (though it is possible to beat them). That kind of sucks the fun out of it. It would have been so much better to have you wipeout and then have to do some kind of swimming motion or running motion to get to the end of the obstacle, with the clock running. Also, sometimes you just can't tell what you did wrong. Your character seems to slow down for no reason or jumps go long or short for no reason. Some obstacles seem challenging for the wrong reasons, and others, that are very challenging on the show, are very easy on the game. The sweeper arm is a great example. My husband and I found that we could both jump/crouch for the sweeper arm way too long to be fun. Eventually, one of us just gets bored and jumps off. The scary-go-round is particularly dull, too.

One problem unique to challenge mode is that the game does not make it clear whether you're on track for the goal, and it makes you keep playing even when you have failed. For example, the easy goal on the wipeout zone is 2:15 and less than 3 wipeouts. It does not track your wipeouts on screen at all, so you just have to keep your own count. Your time is somewhat arbitrary, but at least you can see it while you're running the course. But most frustrating is when you've already wiped out 3 times, but the game just has you keep going as if you have some hope of completing it.

Who cares about the score on Wipeout, though, right? The fun is the wipeouts! Well, on this game, when you wipeout, your character just goes kind of ragdoll and flops around, which can be hilarious like the show. The replay graphics are really poor. Sometimes they don't match what you saw on the screen, too, especially if an obstacle in motion is involved. The game has definite clipping issues. Sometimes you go through parts of the obstacles or seem to land okay but then your character wipes out anyways. But, there are some funny wipeouts at least, and you can skip the replays when the wipeouts aren't as funny.

Random thoughts:
* I do appreciate that they have the actual hosts' voices.
* I wish they had enabled you to play with your Miis, though it's possible that's an unlockable feature that we just haven't seen yet.
* We have definitely found ourselves laughing at some of the wipeouts. Seeing Ballsy dance during the "loading" screen was enough to bring a little joy to our hearts.
* So far, Henson doesn't say his famous closing line, so that's a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, this seems like a great weekend rental game. If you can get it cheap or discounted, and you're a fan of the show, it's worth it. I would not pay full price for it, and I would not recommend it for anyone who isn't into the show. It just feels like it could have been so much better with just the tiniest amount of work on gameplay.

I am writing this review at the urging of my 9 and 11 year old children who have played this game for three days straight (a rare feat for any game we have bought). I will concede that has been 95 degrees for 12 days straight here and playing outside has been a little more daunting but they absolutely love this game. The graphics actually seem pretty good. The commentary is definitely not as witty as the TV show but as uncomfortable as it always has been to hear my kids cackling about the "big balls" segment the game pushes the envelope with the "dirty balls" challenge. I try and keep focused on how much laughter the game is providing with them. Also the cutaways to the announcers are terrible in that the voice sync is not even close, not sure why they wasted the space trying.

After the second and third day they have started moving up in difficulty level but they are still trying to unlock the extra characters and features and they have convinced their mother to join in and her laughter is as much or more than theirs. For the price this game has been a winner in this household as most games do not make it past the first day. It should be quite entertaining for the next get together with friends too.

Only down side is for me has been that whistling in the background music that gets old for me (the tune gets stuck in your head for hours) especially when they have been playing for a couple of hours straight.

As to the one star review, we have not had any freezes but I have a noticed a problem with some graphics when players are knocked off in the water scenes. We had not played our Wii in a few weeks and this game did install an update upon start-up. The first try was unsuccessful and we had to restart the Wii but I attribute that to both kids were pressing buttons during that process and once we ran it for the second time, everything has been fine.

Our 5-year old son is OBSESSED with this show, so we promised the game to him when it came out. Happy to report he loves the game as much as the show. Would've liked it if it had somehow incorporated the Wii Balance Board as an optional item, but perhaps that would have increased the price, which WE were quite happy with ($29.95), considering most new Wii games are in the $39-49 price range.

It's nice that you have the option of 'interacting' with the other contestants, or skipping thru their turns entirely to speed things along. Also fun that the Johns and Jill become playable characters as well. Experienced gamers young & old may tire of this game quickly, but it's perfect for casual gaming families like ours, especially those with kids who love this show.

I loved this game and so did my disabled 9 year old cousin, Jimmy. Fun for the whole family. Great graphics and funny commentary!!! I can't wait to play with Jimmy again afterwork. Well done Wipeout and WII!!!!

I bought this game online and couldn't wait for it to come. When we got it I couldn't put it down! It is very fun and quite amusing. Some times my brother watches for entertainment. Should I mention that we both love the show? There are some really weird obstacles such as, the dirty balls, the hoop run, and lost baggage. I wish the big balls were harder though. The harder the difficulty, the harder the obstacles. I also like throwing things at the other players. Overall, very funny and very fun. BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!

After reading the reviews of this, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Boy was I in for a surprise. The game is a lot of fun. M 6 year old loves the show, and is able to play the game without problems. There are plenty of unlocks and changes available to keep him interested after the initial newness wore off of the game.

Love the game and the graphics. In the last few days it has provided hours of fun for the entire family. From the four year old all the way up to the adults, we all love it.

I really love this show, so when I finally got a Wii, I was excited to try out this game. Surprisingly, this really does a good job of replicating the TV show experience -- it makes me laugh, cringe, gasp, and really gives me an inkling of how hard it would be to do this in real life.

The game is well laid out and the graphics are fun. I like the different characters but wish some of the features would unlock faster since I'd like to use them. The games vary in difficulty, and just like the show, the first half of the game is way more fun than the Wipeout Zone, which is just too tricky and difficult to really be much fun.

A fun feature of this game is that players waiting for their turn can throw tennis balls at the players running the course. This adds a layer of fun to the game since fellow competitors can still join in the fun while waiting for their turn. It's fun to try and throw other players off, or gang up on a computer character and try to make them wipeout. But one thing I don't like about the game is it's impossible to get through the longer challenges or courses, and you end up burning through your 3 chances at a run without really getting to try it all. On the show, if you make it past a certain point, you get to start from there if you wipeout. Unfortunately, this game doesn't do that, and you just end up losing your turn way to fast, and hence, miss out on the fun of at least giving it a shot at certain challenges. It would be better if it was more like the show, because as it is, it's just frustrating and disappointing. Also, some of the motion controls don't work exactly right, so I doubt many people could do really well at this.

Another weird thing is, I had the worst run of everyone at one challenge, yet still ranked 1st for the heat out of 4 players. I think it was based on time instead of completed obstacles, which means I had the best time simply because I wiped out first, which makes no sense at all. And the flaw was consistent, because we were all ganging up on one computer character and threw so many balls at her that she failed to complete any challenges, yet somehow, she still won the entire game! This seems like a major problem and undercuts the whole game.

Bottom Line -- I really love this show, and this game does an excellent job of replicating the fun of watching the TV show. But there's still a lot of quirks and bugs that need to be ironed out, so, much as it pains me to say it, I decided to just trade this in and apply that money to another game. I hope they come out with a better version of this Wii game some day as I look forward to trying it again. I would definitely buy an improved version if they make one.

After reading all the posts online about this game, I didn't expect much. I was pleased when it arrived. Yes, the controls are basic. WHO CARES! I bought this game for the sheer stupidity of it and it did not disappoint! My son and I were laughing uncontrollably while we played it. It think all those people who bash this game are just full of themselves and need to get a life and not take GAMES so seriously. For the casual gamer like me, this game is perfect. Yes, the audio get repetitive. So what!?! I enjoy the show for the wipeouts and the game provides just as much fun as far as I am concerned. I really enjoy shooting the balls at the other players to cause a wipeout when they are not expecting it! "Unclaimed Baggage" is my favorite game.

My 5 year old daughter loves the show, and loves wii, so when we saw this game, it was a no-brainer. Does it absolutely suck? No. There are some fun components. The variety of obstacles is a plus. So is the true-ness to the show. But we've had this for almost 2 weeks, and all in all, it is very disappointing.

1) Visual glitches. The first time I played, I was in round 2, jumping over/ducking under the sweeper. The person in front of me got hit by the sweeper arm, and held on to it while they rotated nearly entirely around the circumference of the path of the arm. The only problem was that, visually, they weren't actually hanging onto the arm. They were moving the same pace and direction as the arm, but they were a few inches in front of it, as though there was a second, invisible arm preceding along the path of the actual arm. There have been other problems like this.

2) Delay in response, non-response. I press jump on the controller. Will my character jump? Usually. But not always. And sometimes, the character seems to jump a second or two after I press the button. It sometimes seems like a craps shoot. Another example is when the character is trying to scamper up a wall. A BRIEF graphic at the bottom of the screen flashes up "shake" with a picture of a controller. The implication seems to be that if I shake the controller, my player will more quickly/effectively climb the wall. First off, the graphic flashes so quickly that I cannot tell if it is the base controller or the nunchuk that is supposed to be shaken. I'm an adult with pretty good vision, and I have seen that graphic about 30 times, and I cannot for the life of me tell. You'd think that process of elimination would have proven effective at showing me which controller is to be shaken. That is to say, I have tried shaking each controller, and both at the same time. Fact is, I can't tell ANY DIFFERENCE in how effectively my player climbs the wall when I shake. It almost seems like a placebo, like the makers knew it wouldn't do anything, but figured if you're shaking the controller and thinking that it is doing something, you're probably having fun. Another example: You can control where your player lands after he jumps by moving the controller while your player is in mid-air. But the reaction time and sensitivity of such controls seems to fluctuate from round to round.

3) Where's the balance board? A review I read for this game said it was balance board compatible. I haven't found that to be the case. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But it seems strange to me that this game is not readily compatible (or at all) with the balance board. It seems like a match made in heaven.

4) Confusing outcomes. It often seems like the computer has decided who will win each competition before it takes place. When playing, I will jump or duck. When watching, I will throw things. But sometimes people seem to fall for no apparent reason. Other times, they will get hit square on, and not even flinch. Sometimes, a phase of an obstacle will abruptly end, then the next phase will start up, minus one person. It's not even always clear if that missing person has moved on or been eliminated. My 4 year old asked me, "Why is it doing that?" I was like, "I really don't know."

A few more thought:
-the game is simultaneously too complicated and too simple. Too simple in that you'd think there would be a few more things to be able to "do" with your controller or nunchuk to affect your performance. You run. You jump. You duck. It's more like "Pitfall" for the Atari than anything you'd expect for a Wii. And yet, as I've said, sometimes it's awfully confusing to even know what's going on or what you need to do to play more effectively.

-I suspect somewhere someone decided to splurge on graphics at the risk of quality, responsive, game-play. The graphics are good, but you kind of forget about it when the responsiveness is so lacking. It's like having a sports car with an engine from a golf cart. Sure, it's fun to look at the car and get inside. But once you're driving, the outer flashiness of the car doesn't make up for not being able to go fast. While the graphics are more realistic, per se, than the obstacle course graphics on Wii fit, "realistic" isn't necessarily "hands down better". The characters still seem slightly "off" some how. Really, taking graphics and game play into account, Wii fit is more enjoyable.

-This is one of those games that you wonder if the designers even played before they gave it their final stamp of approval. I just don't get it.

-Is it fun seeing players get hit with things, and fall in all sorts of funny positions? Of course. But that's absolutely MINIMALLY what I would expect. Some reviewers seem to be saying a lot of what I'm saying, but still give 4 stars because "it's pretty fun." That's like giving a car 4 stars out of 5 because it runs. I mean, if it doesn't do that, for all intents and purposes, it ceases to even be a car at all. If it DOES drive, but lacks handling, acceleration, fuel efficiency, etc., then you say, "OK, it drives. But that's about it. 1 star out of 5." With Wipeout, the game, I say, "It's somewhat amusing. But that's about it. 1 star out of 5."

I hope "Wipeout 2.0" is a whole lot better, and maybe even offered at a substantial discount for those of us who forked over $30 on the original, rushed-feeling original.