Pyroblazer offers hope to F-Zero, Wipeout steadfast

By Stephen Munn | June 14, 2008

For F-Zero fans like myself and Wipeout fans alike, futuristic racers are really a joy. There’s something undeniably impressive about a game that blasts by you at a nearly intolerable rate while still looking beautiful. Look no further than the the most recent entries in both of these franchises for great examples of how this can be done. With no F-Zero confirmed yet for Wii (or even DS, for that matter), and Wipeout HD still a ways off on PS3, a game called Pyroblazer has appeared from Candella software, running on PhysX, which will apparently be a multiplatform racer in this vein. This is, according to the press release, coming to PC, Wii, and PSP.

The above trailer claims to be all gameplay footage, though WiiHD theorizes it was mined from the PC version of the game. In fairness, the environments don’t look much harder to pull off than those in the Gamecube version of F-Zero, though some of the effects on the ships do. Naturally, it would take a bit more than F-Zero’s resources to handle a combat aspect for a game like this, which F-Zero does not have. I really like the design on some of these ships, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the game turns out. In the mean time, we’ll keep an eye on the official website.

I’ve noticed that the game doesn’t seem to be as fast as F-Zero GX, but that’s fine by me. I had a hard enough time completing a race in that game without having to worry about killing the other drivers. This looks just right to me, and online multiplayer could be just the thing if voice chat could be implemented in all versions. Check out the press release below.

Source: Pyroblazer via WiiHD via NintendoWiiFanboy.

PYROBLAZER™ PRESS RELEASE

Wellingborough, UK: Candella Systems Ltd and Eipix Entertainment are pleased to announce Pyroblazer™, a futuristic combat racing game for the PC, Nintendo Wii® & Sony PSP®.

Set amidst the awe-inspiring locations of New Apeiron, players get the opportunity to race through a multitude of environments using a wide selection of anti-gravity craft known as Blazers. In their quest for glory, players can blast their way through the scorched valleys of Gnosis, the deserted cities of Haedra or the densely populated Underdome of Evelads.

As the players fight their way through the championship, improved Blazers with better speed, handling and superior firepower become available. Players also have the ability to pick up weapon and ammo upgrades during the race, further enhancing their ability to land the killer blow.

In addition to the single player modes such as Quick Race and Championship, Pyroblazer™ will also offer players the ability to compete against each other in 6-player local and internet-based combat racing. Powered by Eipix’s proprietary Ultra Engine and Ageia’s PhysX middleware, the game offers racing and sci-fi fans an experience unlike any other in the genre.

Pyroblazer™ on the PC is expected to be available in May 2008. For more information about the game, publishing or distribution enquiries, Email info@candellasoftware.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Candella Systems Ltd

Based in the United Kingdom, Candella Systems Ltd is a developer and publisher of videogames for the PC, consoles and handhelds. Over the past four years, as an outsourcing partner, the company worked on several games for the PC and consoles including Juiced (PlayStation 2, PC), Stubbs the Zombie (PC, Xbox) and The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (PlayStation 2, PSP). The company currently has several projects in development for the PC and consoles.

About Eipix Entertainment

Eipix is an independent developer based in Serbia. As an outsourcing partner the company worked on projects such as Inhuman games Trash, Oxygen King of Clubs, Cheggers and Alan Hansen’s quizzes and other projects. The company currently has several projects in development for the PC and various consoles.

Pyroblazer™ is a trademark of Candella Systems Ltd. AGEIA™ and PhysX™ are trademarks of AGEIA Technologies, Inc. and are used under license. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

All Rights Reserved.