After the Wipeout series’ initial bursting onto our consoles right back at the beginning of the original Playstation’s lifespan, things haven’t always been too good. While the initial draw of the flashy graphics, well fitting tunes and fast racing remain, certain aspects of the game changed over the years, and mainly not for the better. Epitomised by the release of Wipeout Fusion on the PlayStation 2 with its combat based gameplay which dismayed all the hardcore Wipeout fans. However, it’s been three years since that particularly game darkened our doors, and here we go with a brand new release, on a brand new machine.
Like the PlayStation Portable itself, Wipeout has always been a game based on some incredibly sexy and sleek aesthetics. And with the power of the PSP behind this title, you’d not expect anything less than a dazzling performance to feast your eyes upon. From the sleek menu system all the way through your eyes will witness some terrific graphics, and all at a steady frame-rate. Running at a consistently high level of frames per second, this title shows off what the PSP is truly capable of. Sony’s Liverpool Studio has made use of the handhelds incredible power to bring about the kind of graphical displays that wouldn’t look ill placed on your PS2.
There are the usual modes of play to be found here too, with the Tournament mode gaining most of your gaming time. In this mode you’ll play through various tournaments, winning medals, and unlocking hidden content and other features along the way. You can look at your ‘progress’ screen any time you wish, and seeing a display of all gold medals is a sight that will develop a wealth of good feeling deep inside you. But the Zone mode is where the true text lies. Here you’ll be on your own, flying along a specially constructed track, your ship constantly accelerating, and simply surviving for a long as you possibly can. This is the perfect example of “zone” gameplay in quite a while, with your mind being completely focussed on the game, and corners ahead.
Actually playing the game feels much more like the early days, rather than the mess of the last PS2 outing. The air-brake system feeling nigh on perfect, with the PSP’s quite exquisite shoulder buttons working nigh on perfectly to swing your craft around corners with the greatest of accuracy. The speed pads, and weapon pickups still litter each racing arena as always of course, but with a novel twist on the system. Now if you pick up a weapon, you can either utilise it in the traditional sense, or you can use it to help fill up your rapidly depleting shield meter. However, instigating this means that your speed drops for a split second. While this may not be too much of a worry to begin with, on the later levels when races can be astonishingly close it can force you to use a touch more strategy in your racing.
The sound throughout the game requires a special mention. The club based origins of the soundtrack, while not to my own particular tastes, suit the game quite exquisitely. I even encourage you to try the odd race with the music turned off, or at least drastically lowered, just so you can hear the various sounds that each hovercraft makes through each race. The airbrakes in particular sound quite spectacular.
The main problem with Wipeout Pure is, there are no problems. There are no glaring omissions, and no section of the game you can honestly say could’ve been done much better. The graphics look astonishing, even by the high standards that the PSP has set thus far. The gameplay is as fast and furious as it was at its peak. The musical accompaniment is particularly strong, and perfectly suits the use of your headphones. But Wipeout being the game that it is, it’s just not one for the very long term. After a few weeks play, you can’t see yourself going back to beat your old times over and over again. But there’s simply no denying that Wipeout Pure is a masterpiece of design, and has been lovingly brought to the handheld system. Whole-heartedly recommended to even those of with merely a passing interest.
