I'm an Xbox owner and think the custom soundtrack thing is a great idea. I instantly pulled some of my classic Wip3out tracks and put them on the hard drive, and now I am in search of that perfect game that will let me use my own soundtrack while I play.

Then I got a little nostalgic, and thought how great it woud be to have a new Wip3out game for the Xbox. Now I know what everyone is saying, just get Quantum Redshift. But from all the reviews I've read, the track design isn't reminiscent of the original Wip3out games. The original Wip3out had those great rolling courses, through the countryside and the hills, that created a great sense of speed. Then there was all that great Designers Republic art throughout the game, with the animated billboards and that cute little cursor mascot. All that with the great weapons, gameplay, and music resulted in one great series.

It seems as if Quantum Redshift is devoid of all that was great with Wip3out. Judging from the movies I've seen of it I tend to agree - it looks rather bland. What I want is another Wip3out in the vein of the first two - Wip3out 3 was a little lacking, and so far the reviews of Wip3out Fusion are pretty lackluster. But SCEA was in charge of those releases, not Psygnosis.

It's too bad Psygnosis has disbanded (or dissolved by Sony, whichever you prefer). They had three of the greatest franchises for the PSX - Colony Wars, G-Police, and Wip3out. It was great as an original Saturn owner that I got the superior version of the original Wip3out, but I long for those days when Psygnosis was a multi-platform developer. I still play G-Police from time to time on my PC, and the graphics still look great after five or six years, I can't remember how long it's been...Even Sentinel Returns was a great puzzle game!

Anyway, how great would it be if Psygnosis was still around and developed some of their games for the Xbox? Combined with 5.1 sound and custom soundtracks? Plus the best console graphics available? Drool, drool...

So who's with me? It seems today's games just lack that certain magic those early Psygnosis releases had for the PSX.

BTW, remember when the head of Psygnosis stepped down amidst all that talk of being sold from Sony and becoming a true multi-platform developer? Does anyone remember where he went and what he ended up doing? I know it was to start his own game company, but I don't think they churned out anything, at least not memorable.

Jeremy

Many from the original team that created the original WipEout games worked on Quantum Redshift. I think QR is pretty good. I also really liked WipEout Fusion.

and i didn't find wipeout 3 lacking either. really liked that one...though maybe not quite as much as XL.

I worked at Pysgnosis as a programmer (in Liverpool, the original studio) from 1993 - 1996. While I was there, I was involved with Microcosm, Frankenstein, Johnny Mnemonic, Wipeout, and Tenka. It was fun while it lasted but it changed a lot, and I eventually quit and joined another company.

Of the two guys who started the company, Jonathan Ellis retired and Ian Hetherington was forced out by Sony in the end. He partially funded Curly Monsters (the company behind Quantum Redshift) and started Evolution Studios with Martin Kenwright, the founder of DID. They came out with World Rally Championship on the PS2 last year, so far only released in Europe.

Curly Monsters is comprised of a few ex-Psygnosis people, most of whom worked on a Wipeout game. They've got the lead designer of Wipeout 1, and a couple of artists and programmers.

Psygnosis is not "gone" - quite a few of the people I worked with are still at the Liverpool office. It's been rebranded and is now PS2-only, sure, but the same teams are there working on new games.

Wow, Beowulf99 - I'm in awe...

I just was reminising of the late-night-into-early-morning hours I killed on Wip3out, G-Police, and Colony Wars, and never ceasing to be amazed by their beauty.

Yes, Ian Hetherington is who I remembered and it is comforting he is actively contributing to the next-generation consoles. It also makes Quantum Redshift a definite buy for me! BTW, WRC was released here in the states to generally positive reviews, and is the current rally champ - until Colin McRae Rally 3.0 is released, perhaps.

Well it's good to know Psygnosis has not gone away altogether, and I'm glad everyone is still contributing to the gaming world.

Just curious, what company are you at now?

Jeremy

Believe me, there's no need to be in awe of anyone at Psygnosis If you could have seen us 8 years ago, eating huge Gutbuster sandwiches from the local shop, playing Doom deathmatch and C&C for hours, the office politics...

I'm at Acclaim Austin now. Based on the law of averages, you probably didn't enjoy my last game


Dave

I think more by the law of Akklaim we didn't like your last game. But what happened to be the last game you worked on, so we can all criticize you even though we couldn't do any better.

Maybe we can ease up on the Acclaim-bashing. For all their bad games they do crank out a few good ones. The Extreme G series wasn't too bad, the ASB series, and Turok 1-2 was pretty good as well, Shadow Man was a pretty good adventure game, and I absolutely loved Re-Volt for the DC! I wish they would make a sequel!

Most of their "acclaim", as you will, was associated with the N64. They really pushed the system like few developers and had some good quality titles.

Most recently they've been successful with their fair share of good next-gen titles, like Aggressive Inline, the ASB series, Burnout 1-2, Dave Mirra. Plus they do get credit for releasing the Bust-A-Move series and Mr. Domino here in the states.

They are ranked 82 out of 131 on GameRankings, beating out such winners as Fox Interactive and Crave. So, it could be better but it could also be a lot worse...

Don't write off Quantum Redshift without at least giving it a rent. I love it. Also dont just play on amateur, crank up the difficulty (and speed) and try a few characters. I think it is the best of the "future racers".

p.s. Target is selling it for $30

When I see Acclaim and Austin together, I think ASB. But when I think of ASB, it's with some pretty fond memories of this year's version.

Hmmm. What else comes out of the Austin studios? I assume Beowulf won't narrow it down any more here, but somebody else might know. Turok, perhaps?

Ginsu - Thanks for the heads up on the price drop! I will be picking it up today!

mr.snowmizer - Beowulf99's experience has been in racers (Wip3out) and FPS (Tenka). It would probably be a good guess he worked on Extreme G, if it was made in Austin, or Turok (good probability).

Jeremy

another developer from sony's early PS days that i miss:

singletrac

twisted metal 2
jet moto
warhawk

i've probably logged as much time on twisted metal 2 and jet moto as i have any games i've ever owned.

I agree. SingleTrac did what was arguably the best release in the series in Twisted Metal 2. They also did Jet Moto 1 and 2, the sequel not being as good. Also remember Critical Depth? That was a good game for it's time. And later on they did Rogue Trip, which out TM'ed Twisted Metal 3. As a matter of fact, they were developing for GT Interactive towards the end of their "existance". I don't know if they completely disbanded or were just swallowed up. It's these games I really reminisce about, and I don't seem to get as excited about releases nearly as much as I did during the golden era of the PSX's early releases.

Although Twisted Metal and Jet Moto went on to be popular franchises, Warhawk was one that I felt was orphaned off by Sony. It was such a great game, I don't know why they never revisited it for a sequel.

I loved Warhawk. Bad FMV cut scenes but an overall incredible game. Remember the level over the ocean with all of those huge gunships that you could fly into? That was one of my first defining moments with 3-D gaming, when I realized that we were about to embark upon a great period in gaming.

jrutz- did you ever get the good ending? I was never able to beat that final boss without dying.

nope never. my friend did it, i think he just stayed up all night and played it until he did it. but i didnt have the patience. still, it never stopped me from going back and playing the game from the beginning over and over again!

jer