Improved Wipeout sequel with an even more iconic soundtrack (Prodigy, Chemical Brothers...). Increased speed, more varied circuits, better than the first in every way. The futuristic racing reference on Saturn. An absolute must.
Your verdict
Category
Racing1 player7+
Description
Sequel to Wipeout with more winding tracks, new teams and a legendary soundtrack. Published by Psygnosis, released in Europe in 1996. Eight teams with ships of distinct characteristics, more technical circuits with tight turns, enriched arsenal, two-player split-screen mode, iconic electronic soundtrack from Orbital, Prodigy and Chemical Brothers. Wipeout 2097, the absolute benchmark of the genre.
Wipeout 2097 review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
A pared-down futuristic design by The Designers Republic, neon and clean lines: the anti-gravity racing takes on the air of a graphic manifesto. The stylistic coherence and the abstract speed compose an electronic aesthetic of rare elegance. This visual identity, sleek and minimalist, crosses the eras without a wrinkle.
Techno pulses and big beat propel the anti-gravity races into a relentless electronic trance. The music embraces the extreme speed and futuristic aesthetic with a cold, hypnotic energy. This cutting electro mood, in the lineage of the series, remains cut for the adrenaline of the driving.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
At these supersonic speeds, everything becomes anticipation: memorising the layouts, triggering the airbrakes at the right instant and placing your shots without easing off. The anti-gravity gliding sensation, married to a cult electro soundtrack, delivers an intact rush. The textures have aged, but the purity of the piloting and the sense of rhythm remain a peak of futuristic racing.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The sequel refines anti-gravity racing with even crazier speeds, a fearsome arsenal and a masterful electro art direction. Gliding to the millimetre, triggering a weapon at the right moment and surviving the chaos delivers a constant adrenaline rush. Faster, harder and more stylish, this entry elevates the formula and stays an absolute peak of futuristic racing.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Taming even faster antigravity machines, managing your shield and unleashing the perfect weapon to turn the race around makes every lap more exhilarating than the last. Beating your time and unlocking content pushes you to start over. The difficulty can grate, but this dizzying speed and its cult soundtrack keep a lasting pull.
European PAL Saturn edition of Wipeout 2097, distributed by Psygnosis in October 1996, a sequel to the Psygnosis future racer with refined Designers Republic art direction and a soundtrack enriched by Chemical Brothers and Future Sound of London tracks. Psygnosis Europe run was short, the European jewel case is fragile, and the Saturn conversion of Wipeout 2097 holds for Psygnosis completists a particularly loaded position, with the PlayStation version historically dominating the narrative. PAL identified clean complete clearly valued.
Is Wipeout 2097 still worth playing in 2026?
A direct enriched sequel by Psygnosis, Wipeout 2097 or Wipeout XL in the west offers an enriched anti gravitational race with new circuits, additional vehicles and even more cult electronica soundtrack. The sublime cyberpunk art direction, even more impressive speed sensation and versus mode make it an absolute futuristic racing peak on Saturn and a cyberpunk classic. For anyone fond of futuristic Wipeout races, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without any hesitation truly here indeed for any returning newcomer now.
