If you ever spent a Saturday morning watching people get smacked in the face by a giant foam-covered swinging arm, you know the magic of ABC’s Wipeout. It was glorious. It was ridiculous. And honestly, it was only a matter of time before someone decided we needed to experience that specific brand of digital physical trauma from our couches. That’s where the Wipeout Create and Crash game comes in. Released back in 2013, it wasn’t just another licensed cash-grab. It was a weird, clunky, but surprisingly creative attempt to let us build the very obstacle courses that made us laugh at strangers on TV.
I remember playing this on the Wii U and thinking, "Wow, I can actually make a Big Ball bridge that is physically impossible to cross." That was the charm. It didn't try to be Dark Souls. It didn't try to be Mario Kart. It just wanted you to fall into some mud.
The Core Loop: Falling with Style
The game basically splits itself down the middle. You've got the "Play" mode and the "Create" mode. In the standard play mode, you’re running through pre-made courses that mimic the show's seasons. You’ve got the Big Balls, the Sucker Punch wall, and the Dreadmill. The physics are... well, they’re floaty. If you were looking for precision platforming, you were in the wrong place. But if you wanted to see a stylized avatar ragdoll into a pool of water because they mistimed a jump on a spinning platform, it delivered.
Most people jumped into the Wipeout Create and Crash game for the "Create" part, though. This was the big selling point. Activison and developer Behaviour Interactive (who, fun fact, later made Dead by Daylight) gave players a toolbox. You could drag and drop obstacles, change the theme, and then subject your friends to your creations. It felt like a precursor to the Super Mario Maker craze, just with more 180-degree turns and foam padding.
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Why the "Create" Aspect Actually Mattered
Usually, licensed games are restrictive. They want you to follow the script. This game was different because it let you be the sadistic course designer. You could stack obstacles in ways that the real-world safety inspectors for the TV show would never allow.
- Customization: You weren't just picking colors. You could adjust the speed of rotating arms and the timing of the punches.
- The Themes: From "Prehistoric" to "Futuristic," the visual wrappers kept the repetitiveness at bay for a while.
- The Wii U/Kinect Factor: Depending on your console, the experience varied wildly. On the Wii U, the GamePad was your blueprint. On the Xbox 360, you were literally jumping in your living room.
Actually, let's talk about the Kinect version for a second. It was chaos. Total chaos. Trying to "create" using hand gestures was a lesson in patience that most ten-year-olds didn't have. But when it worked? Man, it felt like you were actually John Anderson (or John Henson) orchestrating the madness.
Breaking Down the Platforms
The Wipeout Create and Crash game landed on the Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS. It’s a bit of a time capsule for that specific era of gaming where everyone was trying to figure out motion controls.
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The Wii U version is arguably the definitive one. Having the second screen to drag and drop your obstacles made the "Create" portion feel intuitive. You’d draw a path, tap an icon for the "Sucker Punch," and place it right where your friend would likely be mid-jump. It felt tactical. On the 3DS, the game was a bit more of a "lite" version, focusing more on the side-scrolling aspect than the full 3D madness of the consoles. It wasn't bad, just... smaller.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Difficulty
People remember Wipeout as a joke. They think the game is easy. It isn't. The Wipeout Create and Crash game has some of the most frustratingly janky controls in licensed gaming history. I say "janky" with a bit of love, but let's be real—sometimes your character just doesn't grab the ledge.
There’s a specific kind of "Wipeout physics" you have to master. It’s about momentum. If you try to stop on a dime, you’re going in the drink. You have to learn to embrace the slide. The "Crash" part of the title isn't a suggestion; it’s a guarantee. The game expects you to fail fifty times before you get that "Black and Blue" medal.
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The Commentary: Henson and Anderson
You can't have Wipeout without the commentary. John Henson and John Anderson recorded lines for the game, and while they eventually get repetitive—how many times can you hear a joke about "Jill's Side" before it wears thin?—they add that essential flavor. It wouldn't feel like the show without the dry wit and the over-the-top reactions to a particularly nasty spill. It’s that meta-commentary that reminds you the game isn't taking itself seriously, so you shouldn't either.
Is It Still Worth Playing?
Honestly? Yes, if you have the hardware. If you find a copy of the Wipeout Create and Crash game in a bargain bin for five bucks, grab it. It’s a fantastic "party game" in the sense that it’s hilarious to watch people fail.
It’s a relic of a time when TV-to-game adaptations were more than just mobile match-3 puzzles. It was a genuine attempt to translate the feeling of a show into a playable format. It’s buggy, the graphics are dated, and the loading screens are a test of your soul, but the heart is there.
How to Get the Most Out of It Today
- Skip the tutorials: Just jump into the creator mode. That's where the fun is.
- Focus on the Wii U version: If you have the choice, the GamePad functionality makes building courses ten times faster.
- Play with friends: This is not a solo experience. The joy comes from watching your buddy hit the "Motivator" and fly off the screen.
- Embrace the glitches: Sometimes a character will get stuck in a wall or fly off at a thousand miles per hour. That’s just part of the Wipeout charm.
The legacy of the Wipeout Create and Crash game isn't about high scores or "pro gaming." It’s about that specific feeling of "one more try" after you almost cleared the Wipeout Zone. It represents a specific era of entertainment where we just wanted to see people (even digital ones) fall down in funny ways.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
- Check Local Retro Shops: Since this was a late-cycle Wii/360 era game, many stores have copies for under $10.
- Look into Fall Guys: If you want a modern version of this "obstacle course" itch, Fall Guys is the spiritual successor that actually polished the physics.
- Digital Availability: Note that due to licensing, these games are rarely available on modern digital storefronts like the Nintendo eShop or Xbox Store. You’ll almost certainly need a physical disc.
- YouTube the Wipeout Zone: Before playing, go back and watch some of the original Season 6 or 7 Wipeout Zones to get inspiration for your custom builds. The game allows you to replicate several of those specific layouts if you’re patient enough with the editor.