I've played Wipeout since PS1. I haven't tried Wipeout Fusion from PS2 yet but the reviews seemed to indicate that there has been little new so I decided to try this game instead- especially now that it has hit the bargain bins in most stores. XG3 is very very similar to Wipeout.
Pros:
Good graphics compared to PS1 Wipeout. (no surprise here.)
Frame rates are very high so driving thru the more advanced tracks is quite exhilirating, once you've bought a new engine.
The tracks are quite nice but I don't think you get much of a chance to enjoy the art work otherwise you'll find yourself grinding against the side of the track.
You get to keep the weapons that you buy rather than use it for a short period of time.
Controls are responsive. Should probably reconfig the turbo and
gas controls right away to use the shoulder buttons.
Weapons are very very similar to wipeout. Machine gun, heat seeking missiles, rockets, shield enhancers, mines, ...
Cons:
You have to earn $ to be able to get different weapons. Wipeout lets you use them as you find them.
Not sure how choosing different bikers makes any difference. The manual does not say much and there is no obvious sense of it in the game.
It took me quite a bit of effort to win race 2. The hint comes at the back of the manual where it says you have to "feather" the turbo. What does that mean??? Some biker-techno-term? Turns out it means repeatedly pumping it and releasing it to get more out of your turbo. That was the only way I could catch up with the computer controlled drivers.
Music in Wipeout is much much better.
It's difficult to tell whether your weapons really helped. E.g. deploy the mines and expect to hear some kind of explosion like in Wipeout. Not in XG3. I think there is a sound but I'm not sure if it's an impact explosion.
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Overall, it is a solid Wipeout clone. If you always wanted a PS2 upgrade for your copy of Wipeout but don't want to blow 50 bucks for Wipeout Fusion, XG3 is pretty good. ...