Wipeout 3 - Reception

Reception

Overall, critical reception of Wipeout 3 was positive; the game has an aggregate average of 87% based on 29 reviews at Game Rankings, and a metascore of 89 at Metacritic. IGN named Wipeout 3 the most accessible game of the series, and in 2007 the title was named the 92nd best game by the site. Despite generally positive reviews of the game, Wipeout 3 was not a commercial success.

The fast-paced gameplay and graphics were singled out as strong features of the game. Jack Schofield of The Guardian was surprised by the level of detail, stating that the "graphics are better than you'd expect the to deliver". Both GamePro and Game Revolution reviewers praised the new game features, specifically the new weapons and ability to challenge friends via splitscreen. The Designer Republic's style was consistently praised as helping to make the racing locales seem real, though David Goldfarb of the magazine International Design stated that the "techno-meets-Nihonpop-art visuals" had been executed better in previous entries of the series. Wipeout 3's soundtrack and sound effects were also lauded.

A major fault reviewers found with Wipeout 3 was the steep learning curve of the game. David Canter of The San Diego Union-Tribune described the difficulty progression as "ludicrous", with the tournament game mode going from "easy as pie to tough as nails". Though the use of the analog stick was positively noted as helping to increase control over the onscreen craft, GamePro found that proper handling required large amounts of patience and practice.

Reviewers who gave Wipeout 3 lower marks noted a sense of disappointment that the series broke little new ground. Stuart Miles of The Times admitted Wipeout 3 was a good game, but felt that he had been expecting much more from the sequel: "It's as if the programmers have concerned themselves more with the overall look and feel, rather than further developing the existing gameplay." Alistair Wallace of Gamasutra, in a retrospective on Wipeout 2097, remembered that "I enjoyed because it was more of the same and I loved it, but I think the series ran out of its innovation. Doing loop the loops isn't a big deal really." GameSpot summed up its review of the game by judging Wipeout 3 an excellent racer, but not able to beat Wipeout 2097 as the best futuristic racing game of all time.