Support NeoGAF

[LordOfLore]

Link.

The WipEout Omega Collection promises the "full throttle return" of the inspired, influential, anti-grav sci-fi racer—a title that, on its original release in 1995, arguably did more to sell the Sony PlayStation in Europe than any other game.

Of the console's launch software, it was the one, next to the likes of Battle Arena Toshinden and Ridge Racer, that both fully embraced the new coolness that Sony was bringing to perceptions of video gaming, and genuinely seemed like nothing we'd ever played before. But when it returns in June 2017, newly slathered in HD shine and engineered to make the most of Sony's PS4 Pro and its 4K visuals, WipEout (which is packed in alongside both HD Fury and 2048) will be missing one vital part of its first-blush appeal: its bespoke CoLD SToRAGE soundtrack.

The name Tim Wright almost certainly won't mean much to gamers who grew up in the 1990s, but that pseudonym absolutely will. As CoLD SToRAGE, the Welsh musician wrote and recorded eight tracks for Psygnosis's futuristic racer. But Tim tells me that timing headaches have seen his contributions stripped from the new collection.

"It's all new music on the collection," he says, "and this was partly down to bad timing in terms of reaching an agreement with Sony. An attempt was made at the last minute to get my remastered music into the game, but it had already gone to beta. So it was all a bit too late, sadly."

You may argue that it doesn't matter too much what music is officially on the "new" game—you can always mute it and race along to whatever sounds take your fancy. And that might well be Tim's original tracks, seeing that they've remained incredibly popular since the first WipEout's release.

Find the tracks, like "Cold Comfort", "Cardinal Dancer", "DOH-T" and "Cairodrome" on YouTube, and you'll read comments like "this track is perfection", "this is so fucking timeless", "the only reason I got a PlayStation", and "best soundtrack ever". A mix of nostalgia and appreciation for the fact that these genuinely were some terrific electronica arrangements, produced at a time when acts like The Chemical Brothers and Orbital, The Prodigy and Underworld were becoming bona-fide household names.

"I'm surprised, in a way, at the longevity of the tracks," Tim tells me. "But I know from my own experience that I always have a soft spot for the music I used to listen to on Commodore 64 games, and I still do from time to time. It's a lovely heritage to be part of."

Tim's career as a composer for video games didn't begin and end with WipEout, though, and I was keen to learn more about his experiences before the PlayStation classic, and what he's achieved since. Chances are, you've heard a lot more of his work than you might first think.

Full article at the link.

 

[Synth]

It's utterly ridiculous that he wasn't the first person they ensured they had music from in the game.

 

[yurinka]

Hey mr Sony, how about making a DLC with his music? I know I can use MP3, but why not? I'd buy it, and this guy is super important for the IP. He must be there.

 

[EmiPrime]

Cold Storage not being in Omega Collection has taken a big steaming dump all over my excitement for the game especially after the live set got my hopes up. Canada is one of my favourite WipEout tracks of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFLop9Z8jBg

 

[Stairouais]

Great interview, he should have been on collection. He's the sound of Wipeout for me.

Still waiting for his Chill'out remix album.

 

[Hoje0308]

Won't be missing his music at all. Bring on Tuesday!

 

[Wiped89]

Unpopular Opinion Time: I don't think Cold Storage is that great, and in fact it was only when Wipeout ditched Cold Storage and brought in a wide ranging and iconic techno soundtrack with the likes of Chemical Brothers and Orbital in Wipeout 2097 and Wipeout 3 that the game really really went massive.

 

[PantsuJo]

Unpopular Opinion Time: I don't think Cold Storage is that great, and in fact it was only when Wipeout ditched Cold Storage and brought in a wide ranging and iconic techno soundtrack with the likes of Chemical Brothers and Orbital in Wipeout 2097 and Wipeout 3 that the game really really went massive.

I agree

 

[Crayon]

It's not in the game wtf.

 

[OfTheOverflow]

I love his tracks, even the one is Pure was great. I don't see why they couldn't just add some of his tracks later as DLC, they still absolutely for the WipEout bill.

 

[Acquiescence]

For my money, you won't find a better song in a wipEout game than Body in Motion or Canada, apart from maybe Firestarter. There's a timeless quality to his contributions, and they really lent themselves perfectly to that dark, dystopian world.

 

[Datschge]

So his pieces just missed the beta deathline? That's stupid.

Anyway thanks for the interview link, still love his original wipeout pieces. Just learned that they all are on his bandcamp, even an extended version of Messij.

 

[low-G]

Yeah Cold Storage *is* WipEout to my ears.

 

[Curufinwe]

For my money, you won't find a better song in a wipEout game than Body in Motion or Canada, apart from maybe Firestarter. There's a timeless quality to his contributions, and they really lent themselves perfectly to that dark, dystopian world.

Body in Motion is a standout.

I believe it was the only song on the 2097 demo I had that was only two laps long. I played that for hours and hours because coming 1st on Rapier in a half-length race on Gare D'Europa was almost impossible.

 

[345triangle]

Unpopular Opinion Time: I don't think Cold Storage is that great, and in fact it was only when Wipeout ditched Cold Storage and brought in a wide ranging and iconic techno soundtrack with the likes of Chemical Brothers and Orbital in Wipeout 2097 and Wipeout 3 that the game really really went massive.

kind of agree. wipeout definitely had a great soundtrack at the time, but there's no world in which bringing FSOL and underworld on for 2097 wasn't a huge improvement.