Redout: Lightspeed Edition

If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then the people who made the Wipeout series should be very proud that they've inspired this solid (and very similar) futuristic racing game. Like Wipeout, Redout: Lightspeed Edition has floating, jet-powered racing vehicles competing on tracks that, at times, have more in common with roller coasters than racetracks. You also have such offensive and defensive systems as an EMP shockwave and a shield. Even the announcer has the same kind of detached, slightly robotic, slightly British voice.

There are, of course, some differences between this and Wipeout. For starters, your engine pods can be damaged to the point of exploding if you scrape them against the sides of the track too much. You can avoid this by sliding your ship to the left or right slightly, which replaces the left and right air brakes of Wipeout. The aforementioned offensive and defensive systems are also ship-specific, and have to be bought and installed between races; they're not just lying around the tracks for anyone to pick up and use. This also doesn't have as cool a design sense as Wipeout, though it does add some cool (albeit merely cosmetic) weather effects to the tracks. Still, the racing is fun. Not only are this game's tracks twisty and varied, and the competition fierce, but it also has a really great sense of speed. Which is why Redout may be a rather blatant Wipeout clone, but it's the best Wipeout clone we've ever seen.