BallisticNG
BallisticNG is an action packed anti-gravity racer developed as a lover letter to the original Wipeout trilogy. Set in the year 2159 you glide through futuristic race courses armed to the teeth with deadly weapons to aid you in taking first place. A large assortment of tracks set in unique locations, most playable in reverse with a flipped time of day and weather An array of unique teams to suit any playstyle An arsenal of weapons to damage and eliminate those who stand in your way Several gamemodes (Race, Survival, Time Trial, Speed Lap, Eliminator and Knockout) SteamVR compatible, everything is playable in VR! A singleplayer campaign with plenty of events to challenge your skill Two player splitscreen with multi-monitor support Direct IP multiplayer, Steam not required A thumping soundtrack featuring 3 hours of music inspired by old school electronic genres. BallisticNG has indepth modding support built as an extension of the offical development tools.
Game Discussion
Steam User 22
The game is a blatant unashamed Wipeout clone, but it gets everything right. The handling, the stages, the aesthetic and the music. I only played the second and third game in the series, and that seems to be the style they're imitating here too. It even asks whether you want "modern" or PS1 graphics. I chose modern. It's still pretty PS1. In art style if not in fidelity.
It's also one of those games that lets you customize everything, but is absolutely fine with the default settings. It's clear they put in every option that a "wipeout purist" might want, in addition to general customizability to suit your preferred playstyle and look. I didn't really mess with most of the settings outside of enabling the back grip buttons on the Deck, which I recommend doing, so as to never take your finger off the A button. Speaking of the Deck, the game runs at a buttery smooth 90 fps while barely consuming battery.
I didn't install any mods yet, but the menus clearly suggest the game was built to be mod-friendly, and I did notice that Steam workshop alone had hundred of tracks and ships. In a way BallisticNG doesn't just feel like a great game that solves the problem of no modern Wipeout games, but a platform to enable modern Wipeout content for years to come.
Every few months I see a picture or hear a song that makes me wonder why they don't make Wipeout games anymore. Now that I can just launch this and play a few races I feel pretty confident that problem has been permanently solved for a middling fan of the series such as myself.
Steam User 16
On March 16th, 2012, I was gifted a PlayStation Vita four days before my birthday along with WipEout 2048, and I was immediately enamored. This game scratched the WipEout itch that Redout couldn't.
EDIT: Forgot to mention this when I had originally made the review, but I can gaurantee it DOES in fact run on Steam Deck, even though it's not specified in the store page.
Steam User 33
The game is fantastic, although I recommend staying away from the discord community. Unfortunately run by an extremely elitist clique who chuck slurs around, which is a shame because the actual game deserves much better from it's community.
If the community was as welcoming as it made itself out to be, they wouldn't be sending jester awards to this review because of someone calling out slurs.
Steam User 12
Insane that the devs have been regularly adding free updates to the game for the past 7 years, absolute mad devs!
Steam User 14
Despite its age (6 years from release now), it is still supported by the developpers (public 1.4 version is on its way). You can't say the same about the competition (I'm looking at you, Pacer ex-Formula Fusion).
Of course, I'd be hyped by a game with modern visuals, maybe UE5, HD effects ... but that's not the core of AG racing. BallisticNG is the best Wipeout experience I had since Omega Collection and Fury.
On top of that, the community is working hard to keep it alive, they're developing tons of mods for tracks, ships and liveries (maybe more, like the UI, but I've only looked for tracks and ships for now). You have to check the Steam workshop and if you join the Discord there are friendly modders who made mediafire folders to download everything in one place. Every monday 5:30PM EST / 22:30 GMT they are organizing multiplayer sessions there.
For 12 € you have the best AG racing experience you can expect in 2024, with tons of mods, continuous support from developpers and modders and nice little community.
What are you waiting for ?
Steam User 14
This game absolutely slaps on the OLED Steam Deck. Solid 90 FPS, gorgeous colors, tight and responsive controls. It's hard to sit still while you're absolutely flying around the tracks. I originally fell in love with anti-gravity racing with WipeOut XL and nearly 30 years later this scratches that same itch so hard and I love it.
Steam User 7
Best anti-gravity racer out there and one of the best games ive ever played. Lots of mods to use for tracks and ships and also easy to make for too. Very rewarding and satisfying. The new 2280 ships with the updated physics are very nice and a lot of fun.