Super old game here, so you can't really judge the graphics but for 20 years ago it's pretty good! For primitive 3D graphics, it is impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpf_cYnK0Bw

I just tried it out and everything works as you would imagine. I was able to use an Xbox 360 controller right out of the box, and the split-screen works fine as well. Even has networking modes which you may be able to get working at some point, essentially the game is untouched as it was released in 1995. Was able to use keyboard or mouse controls as well and there was no issues there, the learning curve is quite easy on this one.

All sorts of various gameplay modes and upgrades are available. If you look at the screenshots and like what you see, then the game will not disappoint you, but only recommended for those looking for the retro PC gaming experience.

OMG. A 3D racing game released in 1995.

Incrediable.

Pros
- Intensive acro background music
- Intuitive instrutions
- Friendly TTS ( Text To Speech )
- Clear road indicator ( Nowadays this is the standard for all racing games )
- It runs in DOS-Box, which is a nice solution for modern PC
- AI racers is rock-solid in the game even though it was made in 1995.

Cons
- Mouse doesn't control too many things besides it can change settings
- No basic control instructions if you are new to this game
- Need higher resolution but this isn't the most important

Good game for those looking a more unique racing experience and not bothered by primitive 3D graphics.

Slipstream 5000 is a futuristic flight and combat racing game by Gremlin Interactive.

This game is a child of the 90s, from times when future was not all apocalypse and racing games dared to have other vehicles than automobiles.

The sounds of the planes, the craft and course design, radio chatter between competitors and the pre-race TV hosts introducing the upcoming track are few of the highlights which really make this futuristic world believable.

The game is challenging and the controls are really tight PROVIDED you're using a joystick or even analog gamepad. This game NEEDS analog controls. Period.

One negative is the low in-game resolution which makes it hard to judge turns at distance and you to rely on track memorization. While the graphics are mostly OK and at times quite good for a 3D DOS game, there is no option to increase resolution past 320x200. Play it in 14" CRT telly and it'll be much better.

It would be nice for DosBox to exit itself though. Not a dealbreaker but some people might find this confusing when quitting the game.

It’s difficult to rate the gameplay, graphics and concept of a game that’s been released in 1995. It really is. Slipstream 5000 was the kind of games I’d find myself playing 19+ years ago, with no complaints. This was the best that the video game industry had to offer back then.

As one of the grandfathers of Retro Racing games of Steam, Slipstream 5000 has all the basic controls nailed down and made clear in the beginning (via Controls and Options in the menu screen). All the cars looked so-so imo, but I did go with the Shaman a lot. I like how the maps have an intro, which outlines the entire track. There’s even a rear-view mirror! That isn’t common in modern racer games.

The graphics, sounds and music all suited the theme of the game. It was a nostalgic experience for me. The gameplay went smoothly, with no noted bugs/glitches or lag. Slipstream 5000 isn’t something I’d find myself immersed in, because race games aren’t my preference, nor my forte. But I would show it to the newer generations in my family as an antique. I’d also recommend this game to anyone who wants to experience the old-school racing games that existed before the 2000s.

My Playtime: 3.4h (100% achievement, finished both Single Player and Tournament)

Slipstream 5000 is a retro racing game where you control an airship in an airborne track. Weapons and turbo are also available to change the race outcome. The game has 2 modes: single-player and tournament. The first one has 10 tracks while the latter one is held in the first 6 tracks.

Pros:
- 10 tracks with varying difficulty
- Shortcuts
- Adjustable difficulty

Cons:
- Lanes with turbos are usually longer than the other, discouraging you from taking it
- Difficulty to speed up and recover your airship the longer you are in the race
- Unclear indication on a lot of things: starting the race, your position in the race, winning the tournament

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

No.
It might be a good game in the past, but it has aged.

---

As a retro game, it's expected that the game will be blurry. It won't look any good with its pixelated visuals, even though the graphics look like 3D. The characters are drawn realistically, though, which I find to be impressive considering the animations in some of the tournament's stage introductions.

Modes
As I said before, the game has two modes: single-player and tournament. In the single-player mode, you'll race on a track of your choosing. There are 10 tracks total, and even though only 1 track is available in the beginning, you can unlock the rest by finishing the previously unlocked track in the first, second, or third place. In this mode, the shop is useless since you'll most likely not have enough money to spend.

In the tournament mode, you are going to race in the first 6 tracks available in the single-player mode. The money you earned in the previous race will add up to your total balance, meaning that you can spend the money to buy some upgrades. Your points will be tallied up depending on what place you were in the previous race. However, the game doesn't differentiate the screen between finishing a track and the whole tournament, making it easy to miss when you don't pay attention. I even thought the game bugged me at the beginning and kicked me out of the tournament.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1171001994

Gameplay
You control an airship. This means that you have to control your altitude (up and down) in addition to your left and right. This will take some time to get used to, especially since the race looks slow and the vehicle is heavy to steer. You might crash into the wall a lot, although luckily, the game will respawn you in the right spot before you crash, facing the direction that you have to go. This makes it easier to finish the race.

However, the game hardly gives any indication of everything. I didn't know how to control the game with a controller, despite the game claiming to support it. There isn't a clear indication when you start the race since there is no extra sound to distinguish. Lastly, it's hard to see your position in a race unless you pay attention to it, which is almost impossible since you have to focus on the race.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2969226600

What I liked about the game is how there are multiple lanes that you can take. They can be either shorter or longer than the other lane, forcing you to choose the most effective one. However, I found the lane with turbo to be slower than the other most of the time. It discourages people from going there and using the turbo.

Enemies
Enemies can shoot you. They can either damage your speed or your control, which affects your position in the race. However, I found it hard to find powerups that can recover the damage the longer you are in the race. In a crowded track, you'll have no hope of being in first place once you get hit, and it's almost unavoidable since enemies can just auto-target you from the back with no way for you to avoid. This also applies to the enemies, but you'll also notice that their speed will return to normal after you ignore them for a while, meaning that they can outspeed you anytime.

Luckily, there is an option to disable damage taken in the race. Turning it on helps to prevent you from getting slowed down, although I found that I could still be thrown away by a random enemy attack from time to time. This might also come from the debuff that comes out when you shoot a random plane that is inside the track, which will either give you a turbo, debuff, or repair powerup.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2969226573

Shop
It's hard to figure out what most items in the shop do. The only thing that I could assume is the turbo, which I found that the better one could give you a longer boost. There are different weapons that you can buy, but when I tried buying one, it could only be used ~3 times in the whole race. It's almost as if I'm wasting money. As for the other powerups, I don't know how they helped me in the race even after I bought them.

Length and Replayability
The game has 3 difficulties in total. I finished both modes at 3.4h in the easiest difficulty. I had to turn the damage off in the single-player mode to finish the last few tracks, although I didn't find the need to do so in the tournament mode. There is some replayability value if you want to keep playing, although there won't be new content to enjoy.

As for the difficulty, the game can still give you some challenges in the easiest difficulty, but you still have room to catch up in some tracks even if you messed up. The normal difficulty didn't suit me since I found it hard to finish the game in the first place unless you are familiar enough with the track, and some track requires you to be proficient in controlling your airship to keep your speed constant. Most tracks are narrow, meaning that you can bump into the wall and crash if you don't control your airship well, and bumping will lower your maximum speed.

Slipstream 5000 might be a good game in the past, but it sure has aged. The visuals aren't that good, and the game looks stiff at times. I liked how they did a demo run to show the race before each track in the tournament mode, though. That being said, although I enjoyed it a bit, some issues just don't sit tight with me, so I'm afraid I can't recommend the game.

There has never been a game quite like it since. Some have come close, but this is brilliant.
Time for a HD remake?

5/10 let that one slip unless you're seriously into retro games.

Slipstream 5000 has it's charms and it's one of those 90ies games that explaines what gamers find so incredibly cool about retro.

It was designed for the back then dominant joystick controllers so it's quite hard to control with kb/m and not all modern controllers/pads will work. But if you can get past that, it offers a solid racing game with not-dumber-than-usual AI, a decent range of vehicles and weapons as well as a diverse selection of track environments.

If you get it in a cheap retro or DOS-box bundle, it qualifies as one of the stars, but imo there's no need to spend money on it otherwise.

I will try to express how i felt in the game in long story short.

Price: just right

Pros:
+None
Cons:
-None

I cant judge the game becouse it was made 19 years ago but if i had game like this in thos times i woud be unreal happy. Playing this game reminds the good old time playing games on windows vista xD

10/10 <3

As a disclaimer, I'm not really a retro gamer, nor do I play many racing games anymore. But I have no doubt in my mind that this is one of the best arcade racing games ever made.

The main draw to this title is the vertical component which gives you full 3D control of your ship in specially designed maps. There's also a combat component involving various types of missiles that you can fire at your opponents. It makes the game deeper and more competitive than you might think. The maps are well designed and take good advantage of the 3D space. They're also nice to look at if you like retro graphics. There's a good amount of ship customization and plenty of characters to choose from, so there's enough content to keep you busy on a rainy day. The only negative I can think of is the lack of co-op, which is a big missed opportunity. But it's understandable given the era.

Overall, at $2.99, it's worth trying out.

It´s a case of taste...