It's the title that launched a million PlayStations, ensnared a whole new generation and placed gaming firmly on the cultural map, so it seems strange that the WipEout franchise that was once as synonymous to the Sony brand as Mario is to Nintendo has taken so long to appear on the PS3, and even stranger that its debut on the platform takes the shape of a downloadable PlayStation Network game.
At its heart, WipEout HD is a hyper-buffing of the PSP games that heralded both a commercial and critical rebirth for the series. But what a buffing this is, decking out the visuals in 1080p splendour and providing one of the most astounding looking titles on the PS3, surpassing the lowered expectations of a PSN title. Surfaces glisten and shine with the fervour of a supernova, while the ships bear the marks of action with some impressively charred textures. In motion it's nothing short of spectacular, although we'd dare to say that WipeOut's retro hallmarks might be in danger of dampening some of the HD impact – this is a view of the future culled from 1995 and as such the aesthetic can seem about as contemporary as combat trousers and Adidas Gazelles.
Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of WipEout HD's graphical overhaul is the Zone mode. A feature first sneaked into WipEout Fusion and subsequently pushed to the fore in the PSP iterations, it grants players with a standard ship that gets incrementally quicker as it passes through lap sectors, with the goal being to reach as high a zone as possible before (ahem) wiping out the machine. The trimmed down pseudo-psychedelic visuals of Zone looked remarkable on the PSP, and on the PS3 in glorious HD they're downright spectacular, conspiring with the pure gameplay to induce a trance of the sort that even Mizuguchi would be proud.
It looks as if structurally the game will also be placing a nod to its PSP inspiration, with a campaign mode unlocking events and tracks through acquiring medals. Our preview code only contained the first two campaigns - Uplift and Warped - and although the emphasis will clearly be on online play come the final build, there looks to be a substantial amount of single-player content to keep the game fresh when not hooked up to the net.
One departure from the PSP formula is the inclusion of motion control – and thankfully, having desperately struggled to get to grips with the SIXAXIS, this will be optional. Motion control can be assigned to either the pitch of the craft alone or to both pitch and steering. When charged with controlling just the pitch the over-eagerness of the method is bearable, but go the whole hog and you're likely to be lurching from side-to-side with all the grace of a rum-soaked vagrant. This being preview code, there's likely to be more work underway on this aspect, though from our brief experience the task of successfully implementing SIXAXIS control may be insurmountable.
Resort to the standard control method, however, and the classic WipEout handling is reassuringly present. Airbrakes are mapped to the fully-analogue rear shoulder buttons, lending them a more flexible feel, and there's a pleasing weight to the crafts. Having been somewhat restricted by the problematic PSP nub of late, a return to the more assured analogue stick of the PS3 restores WipEout's refined mechanics to their full-blooded grandeur.
In terms of tracks, the build we saw contained four tracks lifted from the PSP versions. Both Anulpha Pass and Chenghou Project have been lovingly covered by our Australian colleagues, so we'll train our focus on the two new additions – Pure's Vineta K and Pulse's Moa Therma. Vineta K is a delicate introduction to the world of WipEout, with no need for air-braking until you reach the upper end of the class system. Incorporating some breathtaking underwater passes, it's also as good a place as any for WipEout HD to tout its new visual dressings.
Moa Therma places slightly higher demands upon the player, winding around the washed-out shores of Sicily. A third of the track takes in a mag-strip loop that offers the game another chance to bare its graphical teeth as spears of electricity envelop the crafts. The initial line-up of tracks has already been announced, and the starting eight are expected to be complemented by a steady influx of downloadable content from WipEout's past.
Despite the familiarity of much of the content, this recollection of WipEout's history is made all the more lucid by the breathtaking visual update. As a standalone title WipEout HD would likely inspire an outbreak of apathy, but as a downloadable game it looks set to be the jewel in the PlayStation Network's increasingly glittering crown.
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/859/859617p1.html
At its heart, WipEout HD is a hyper-buffing of the PSP games that heralded both a commercial and critical rebirth for the series. But what a buffing this is, decking out the visuals in 1080p splendour and providing one of the most astounding looking titles on the PS3, surpassing the lowered expectations of a PSN title. Surfaces glisten and shine with the fervour of a supernova, while the ships bear the marks of action with some impressively charred textures. In motion it's nothing short of spectacular, although we'd dare to say that WipeOut's retro hallmarks might be in danger of dampening some of the HD impact – this is a view of the future culled from 1995 and as such the aesthetic can seem about as contemporary as combat trousers and Adidas Gazelles.
Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of WipEout HD's graphical overhaul is the Zone mode. A feature first sneaked into WipEout Fusion and subsequently pushed to the fore in the PSP iterations, it grants players with a standard ship that gets incrementally quicker as it passes through lap sectors, with the goal being to reach as high a zone as possible before (ahem) wiping out the machine. The trimmed down pseudo-psychedelic visuals of Zone looked remarkable on the PSP, and on the PS3 in glorious HD they're downright spectacular, conspiring with the pure gameplay to induce a trance of the sort that even Mizuguchi would be proud.
It looks as if structurally the game will also be placing a nod to its PSP inspiration, with a campaign mode unlocking events and tracks through acquiring medals. Our preview code only contained the first two campaigns - Uplift and Warped - and although the emphasis will clearly be on online play come the final build, there looks to be a substantial amount of single-player content to keep the game fresh when not hooked up to the net.
One departure from the PSP formula is the inclusion of motion control – and thankfully, having desperately struggled to get to grips with the SIXAXIS, this will be optional. Motion control can be assigned to either the pitch of the craft alone or to both pitch and steering. When charged with controlling just the pitch the over-eagerness of the method is bearable, but go the whole hog and you're likely to be lurching from side-to-side with all the grace of a rum-soaked vagrant. This being preview code, there's likely to be more work underway on this aspect, though from our brief experience the task of successfully implementing SIXAXIS control may be insurmountable.
Resort to the standard control method, however, and the classic WipEout handling is reassuringly present. Airbrakes are mapped to the fully-analogue rear shoulder buttons, lending them a more flexible feel, and there's a pleasing weight to the crafts. Having been somewhat restricted by the problematic PSP nub of late, a return to the more assured analogue stick of the PS3 restores WipEout's refined mechanics to their full-blooded grandeur.
In terms of tracks, the build we saw contained four tracks lifted from the PSP versions. Both Anulpha Pass and Chenghou Project have been lovingly covered by our Australian colleagues, so we'll train our focus on the two new additions – Pure's Vineta K and Pulse's Moa Therma. Vineta K is a delicate introduction to the world of WipEout, with no need for air-braking until you reach the upper end of the class system. Incorporating some breathtaking underwater passes, it's also as good a place as any for WipEout HD to tout its new visual dressings.
Moa Therma places slightly higher demands upon the player, winding around the washed-out shores of Sicily. A third of the track takes in a mag-strip loop that offers the game another chance to bare its graphical teeth as spears of electricity envelop the crafts. The initial line-up of tracks has already been announced, and the starting eight are expected to be complemented by a steady influx of downloadable content from WipEout's past.
Despite the familiarity of much of the content, this recollection of WipEout's history is made all the more lucid by the breathtaking visual update. As a standalone title WipEout HD would likely inspire an outbreak of apathy, but as a downloadable game it looks set to be the jewel in the PlayStation Network's increasingly glittering crown.
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/859/859617p1.html
