Big Read: BallisticNG vs. Wipeout
Is this back-shed developed anti-grav racer a true successor to Wipeout's throne?
Wipeout, we’re not angry, or disappointed; we just want you to come back. Then, we can race like we used to, listen to some tunes, and maybe do that cool earthquake thing.
This is how much of the gaming community feels about the iconic anti-gravity racing franchise in 2025. It’s been 30 years since the first, rough-edged, Wipeout was released on the PlayStation. The three decades since have had hits and misses, fat beats and thin, and a long wait in the pit lane since the last new entry in this gaming legacy.
This long wait opened a gap. And when a gap opens you can bet a small development team will be ready to power their open-modding, tribute game through it. That development team is Neognosis and their homemade Wipeout homage BallisticNG.
While Pixel Fix is suitably late to the party on this 2018 release, we’re set to find out if BallisticNG is a burst of glory for Wipeout lovers or mere fan fiction. But before that, let’s check the replay of where Wipeout started and the gravitational forces that ultimately dragged it down.
We’ve Got History
The initial offering, Wipeout or wipE′out″, for punctuation haters, was a 1995 launch title for the PlayStation in Europe. It immediately stood out on the new console for its ambitious 3D graphics and kick-ass techno soundtrack. Unfortunately, its physics were floaty and unforgiving but the potential was massive and obvious.
When sequel Wipeout 2097 arrived the following year, it was smoother and vastly improved, striking a cult following. More than an excellent futuristic racer, 2097 became a generational marker with a pioneering sense of speed, style and a rave-inspired soundtrack. 2097 blew the minds of those already busy blowing their minds at 3AM and converted many into life-long Red Bull customers.
In 2000, the third instalment Wipeout 3 didn’t disappoint, it was larger, more refined and matured. After ports to other platforms, it was sunset on fifth-gen consoles and the speed wobbles set in.
Wipeout Fusion on the PlayStation 2, wasn’t entirely charmless but couldn’t recapture the same energy and visual delights. Then, Wipeout went portable with versions on the PSP and Vita, before an IOS/Android offering, where players were no longer the pilot, but a racing manager. Shoot us in the face with the plasma gun. Among the madness, was a comeback in 2008 with WipeoutHD on the PlayStation 3. This return to form strapped many old fans back into the cockpit to fire cannons and ignore shield warnings again.
Much has been said about what went wrong with Wipeout, about developer Psygnosis’ consolidation into Studio Liverpool and the influence of overlords Sony. No doubt, mistakes were made and maybe there was some auto-pilot in there. Whatever the deal, the only option for fans in the past decade was Wipeout Omega Collection on the PS4, a greatest-hits offering of polished-up content from previous games. Since then, there’s been little to do but wait for the start of a real-life anti-gravity racing league, or die first.
Before we order our Auricom-livery coffins, development team Neognosis picked up the fallen king’s helmet and sped onto the track with an unofficial entry into this legacy - BallisticNG. Available on PC and Mac, many Wipeout fans have got behind this new leader.
BallisticNG - Light the Fires and Kick the …. anyway
BallisticNG development began with a three-strong team in 2015, led by Vonsnake, a name as vague as a weapons symbol. A big fan of futuristic racers, Vonsnake’s vision for BallisticNG was a homage to the initial Wipeout trilogy on PS1. From the moment the game starts, the Japanese-infused style of Wipeout 3 is particularly present. If your heart desires, then forgetting this isn’t an official Wipeout entry can happen the moment you air-brake into the first turn. The speed, the controls, sights and sounds, are all welcomingly familiar.
Set in the 2159 anti-gravity racing league, BallisticNG has 15 standard race tracks. There are additional tracks for the Model B and C alternative craft racing, and expansion packs that are either free or purchased for a few bucks. If that’s not enough, there are a couple hundred more custom tracks designed by an enthusiastic modding community.
Naturally, modders have built convincing copies of the tracks and ships from the first three Wipeout games. It’s a nostalgic detour for players to head down. The standard tracks offer a good variety. Early in campaign mode, the tracks don’t move too far into a high-tech future, instead maintaining a connection to nature. Push on, and the settings shift to urban street circuits and heavier-handed futuristic backdrops. The Luna track is the ultimate here, a green-neon epilepsy warning of a place.
Campaign mode runs like WipeoutHD in format and reward system, with various challenges clustered into ten individual campaigns. The challenges are broad with conventional races, mini tournaments, survival challenges and a knockout race where the ship running in last each lap is eliminated. Players acquire medals/points in each challenge that unlock new campaigns with new tracks. The most fun remains a conventional race, on a familiar track, cockpit view and a full grid. When the campaigns run out, there’s also a campaign editor where you can make your own.
Available expansions make for a fun break from the main campaign, particularly the Aster League where you pilot smaller anti-gravity go-karts to race on road-based race tracks.
There are five speed classes, as you progress through the campaign mode, and the skill ceiling can feel high. That said, there’s a linear skill progression, so you don’t feel suddenly out of your depth. BallisticNG faced some criticism around the difficulty of the controls and handling, but players familiar with Wipeout games will pick it up quickly. Those complaints likely come from casual gamers to the genre unfamiliar with anti-gravity style controls. As the courses become more difficult and the corners sharpen, airbrakes require very early engagement. The type of braking points used by sim-racers would be useful at times but anti-gravity racing is more feel and flow than considered precision.
Hitting the wall in BallisticNG feels more forgiving than Wipeout games, there’s still an infuriating dink sound and a speed reduction but often not enough for an opponent to glide past and poo out some mines in your path, doubling the misery. The speed boost pads could also be slightly smaller and easier to miss. These factors may reflect a mindset of BallisticNG developers to extract fun elements of Wipeout while minimising its frustrations. An admirable plan, but in its pursuit they’ve lost some of what makes Wipeout games intriguing to learn and rewarding to master.
There’s 16 race teams and some craft mimic the Wipeout ships closely while others are more freestyle. A small amount of lore is offered around each team, if that’s your thing, but most players just want to create a lore of kicking ass. Choosing your ship involves compromises on speed, handling or shield, you can’t have it all and if you could, you’d probably smash into every other wall.
Depending on ship choice, shield management isn’t as intensive as WipeoutHD and rather than trading weapons for more shield energy, it’s a return a shield regeneration pitlane. AI opponents bunch up, so being in the middle of them can be a fierce experience and you’ll often finish either side of the pack.
Weapons pickups include the classics, like turbo, tremor, autopilot and the highly satisfying plasma. There’s also some innovation like the energy shield pickup deploying automatically if the player holding it is hit by a weapon, saving the ship from the damage.
There is an online multiplayer mode via Steam but I couldn’t get a game going there. I imagine it’s no longer frequented. There’s also the capacity for online peer-to-peer multiplayer if you have the skill to set up and there’s a friendship group you want to destroy. VR is supported with SteamVR compatibility and a nicely arranged cockpit view.
And what about the music, a crucial component of all Wipeout games? Well, it’s not a curated collection of tracks from some of the hottest EDM stars in the world. That trick couldn’t be pulled here. Instead, it’s fairly generic, but likeable, doof doof beats. Developer, VonSnake was responsible for much of the music himself. If you don’t share his taste, you can import your own music for custom playlists. That’s for you twisted firestarters.
BallisticNG remains relevant six years after launch through continued developer support. The most recent updates coming in late 2024, so it’s fresh for newcomers and its existing fan base. The developers also opened the doors wide to the modding community with any mod download accessible from the main menu.
BallisticNG vs. Wipeout
Viewed as a progression to Wipeout 3, BallisticNG stacks up well. However, the Wipeout franchise had its own progression from the earlier games, cumulating in WipeoutHD and its Fury expansion. While unfair to compare this built-in-the-back-shed title against WipeoutHD, it must be done.
Despite being released a full decade earlier, WipeoutHD offers more granular detail in every aspect of the gaming experience including graphics and controls. Visually, BallisticNG is competent but sanitised, some of that Wipeout grime is missing. Dirty ships, dirty backgrounds and dirty racing are replaced with cleaner, brighter but less-detailed graphics. Wipeout isn’t exactly Mad Max but it’s not Tron either. Aesthetically, BallisticNG took Wipeout’s body but couldn’t capture its soul.
That’s not to detract from what BallisticNG has achieved or how entertaining it is. If it’s thought of as sitting between Wipeout 3 and WipeoutHD, it fits nicely. It nails the same captivating sense of speed and immersion that goes all the way back to the fan-fave Wipeout 2097. BallisticNG’s passion for the Wipeout franchise is evident in all aspects of this game. It comes from a place of love but will also appeal to those without a nostalgic connection. OG Wipeout players though, will get much more.
In terms of competition for BallisticNG, there are others on the grid. F-Zero fans would have plenty to say here but the latest version F-Zero 99, for Switch Online, is more retro-focused from the 16-bit era. The Redout anti-gravity games have developed a following across platforms, the feel of speed is excellent but they’re more colourful and cartoon. Redout 2 is a good option for those seeking an AG fix.
In most ways, the fiercest competition to BallisticNG remains Wipeout itself with WipeoutHD on PS3 and the Omega Collection on PS4. Physical copies of both titles aren’t difficult to pick up second-hand. Alternatively, emulation may be an option if you have the will and the processing firepower.
All up, BallisticNG is much greater than a mere Wipeout knock-off. With a more independent style and an increased development budget, it could even be a challenger to Wipeout’s throne.
What it's achieved is more noble; it’s keeping fans warm while they wait and hope for a new Wipeout entry. Also, by aligning itself to the older versions of Wipeout, BallisticNG has left space ahead free for future progress if a new Wipeout never comes. Until then, BallisticNG is one contender that can’t be eliminated.
BallisticNG is available for purchase, currently at $18.99 NZD from Steam here.
Wipeout Omega Collection isn’t currently available for purchase at the PlayStation Store but a free demo is available here.
I'd never heard of Wipeout before until a couple of years ago when I bought it for the Saturn. Not a bad version at all and such a fun game, love the aesthetic and soundtrack.
I really miss these types of racing games 😔 have you tried Fast RMX? That one might be more like F-Zero than Wipeout. But it's AWESOME.