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
Japanese version of Wipeout 2097, futuristic anti-gravity racing with electrifying techno circuits. Published by Psygnosis, released in Japan in 1996. Eight teams with distinct ships, high-speed technical circuits, full arsenal, two-player split-screen mode, electronic soundtrack by Orbital, Prodigy and Chemical Brothers. Japanese version identical to the European 2097 release.
Wipeout XL 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.
Japanese Saturn edition of Wipeout XL, distributed by Psygnosis in December 1996, a local version of the Western Wipeout 2097 under the Wipeout XL title adopted for the North American and Japanese markets. Psygnosis Japan run was short, jewel case with intact obi, and the general scarcity of Psygnosis on the Japanese Saturn market makes a complete with obi marked Wipeout XL copy a targeted archive object for Psygnosis completists isolating the XL nomenclature from the European 2097 reading.
Is Wipeout XL 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.
