Wipeout Pulse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wipeout Pulse
European Cover for Wipeout Pulse.
Developer(s) Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer(s) Sony Studio Liverpool
Platform(s) PlayStation Portable
Release date Europe December 12, 2007
Australia December 13, 2007
United States of America February 12, 2008
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, Online/Offline Multiplayer
Rating(s) PEGI: 3+
ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
Media UMD
Input methods PSP

Wipeout Pulse is a racing game for the Sony PlayStation Portable, sequel to Wipeout Pure.[1] The game was officially announced on March 27, 2007 and was released on December 12, 2007 in Europe.

The game is set in the year 2207. Players take part in the FX400 Anti-Gravity Racing League, competing in various types of race at several race courses set around the world.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Wipeout Pulse is broadly similar to other games in the Wipeout franchise, and indeed to other racing games as a whole. The player drives futuristic hovering vehicles powered on a series of race tracks which they must navigate, and sometimes other vehicles to compete against. They are aided in this endeavor by the traditional Wipeout arsenal of weaponry (unguided rockets, guided missiles, plasma blasts, etc) and bursts of speed, both of which are gained by driving over special pads on the track; they are also allowed to choose between a number of different vehicles, each with their own handling characteristics. The game features electronic music and extraordinary visual and graphic design, two hallmarks of the Wipeout franchise; it also features downloadable content from the PlayStation Network, each containing a new vehicle and two new tracks, though only four have been released in Europe and are not yet available elsewhere in the world.

Pulse delivers a number of new variations on this basic formula: while the game only ships with 12 tracks, these can be driven both forward and backwards; the race's direction is marked by the suffix "White" or "Black" on the race's title (IE "Metropia Black") and may show subtle variations depending on wihch way they are driven. Certain circuits also have "Mag-Strips" on some portion of their trackage, which lock the player's vehicle onto the track and allow for roller coaster-esque loops, sideways U turns, waterfall-like sheer drops, and so on. It also completely revamps the standard method of game progression. Most racing games (F-Zero, Mario Kart, Gran Turismo) present the player with a series of "cups" in which they must come in first while racing against opposition. Pulse players are instead challenged to complete "grids," a cluster of hexagons which represent a wide variety of tracks and race types: time trials; seven-lap "Best Lap" races in which the player attempts to achieve a particular lap time; single races against one opponent ("Head-to-Head" mode); single races against seven opponents ("Single Race"); multiple-track Tournaments (the cups of other games); "Eliminator" matches returning from Wipeout 3; and the "Zone" mode from Wipeout Pure, in which the player attempts to survive as long as possible in a vehicle whose speed is slowly but infinitely accelerating. Players can race against the computer, against other human players within range of the PSP's built-in wireless card ("Ad-Hoc" mode), and over the Internet via a wireless network.

The game ships with a number of extra features. Players can download up to 30 MP3 files onto their PSP's memory stick, which are then treated as an in-game custom soundtrack. Players can take screenshots of in-progress races at any time from the Pause menu. Players are rewarded for using the same team's vehicle over and over via the Loyalty system. Finally, players are able to create custom skins for any vehicle at the game's central website using a Macromedia Flash-based client, which can be downloaded to the PSP by the creator and/or the public at large.

[edit] Expansion Packs

Main article: Wipeout Pulse expansion packs

Wipeout Pulse, like its predecessor Wipeout Pure, also has downloadable content packs which include new ships and tracks. These packs are available to download for a fee from the Playstation Store.

[edit] Teams

Main article: Wipeout teams
  • FEISAR
  • AG Systems
  • Qirex
  • Piranha
  • Assegai
  • Goteki 45
  • Triakis
  • EG-X (New team)
  • Mirage (New team, downloadable)
  • Icaras (Downloadable)
  • Auricom (Downloadable)
  • Harimau (Downloadable)

[edit] Circuits

  • Talon's Junction, set in an abandoned research park in Wales
  • Moa Therma, on an island chain off the coast of Sicily
  • Metropia, an urban circuit in New Kyoto
  • Arc Prime, a circuit that runs around Seattle
  • De Konstruct, in Geneva
  • Tech De Ra, built upon the remains of a former hydroponic farm in Arizona
  • The Amphiseum, a purpose-built stadium-like circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Fort Gale, set around a weather research station on Gibraltar
  • Basilico, an abandoned city apparently in Nova Scotia
  • Platinum Rush, a circuit set in the parklands of a thawed and preserved Greenland
  • Vertica, located in the Cayman Islands and similar to Moa Therma
  • Outpost 7, a research and communications station built at the very top of the world in northern Finland

There are four downloadable tracks available in content packs. They are:

  • Vostok Reef, set in an underwater seaport at Vostok Island
  • Edgewinter, a circuit in the financial district of Edgewinter during a tropical storm
  • Gemini Dam, located in Morocco
  • Orcus, built in the subterranean networks below Alaska

[edit] Music Tracks

[edit] Critical reception

 Reviews
Publication Score
1UP.com 7.5/10
Edge 70/100
Electronic Gaming Monthly 8/10
IGN 8.8/10
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler Score
Metacritic 83%
Game Rankings 84%

Critical reception of the game has generally been positive. On Game Rankings it was rated an average of 84% from 36 reviews while on Metacritic the game has scored about 83% based on 26 reviews. [2][3]

Overall, IGN found the game to be good scoring it an 8.8 out of 10 while also awarding it their Editor's Choice Award. The reviewer complemented the game for its great presentation, graphics and sound. However, the reviewer was disappointed with some of the gameplay noting, "The repetition of tracks is disappointing, as is the balance of weapons for AI and the lack of extras."[4] 1UP's review rated it a 7.5/10. Although the reviewer himself was not a big fan of the Wipeout series, he notes that, "Wipeout Pulse truly does become a game for its fans ... if you truly love Wipeout, you're going to truly love Pulse."[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ben Karl, "Wipeout Pulse," GamePro 235 (April 2008): 40.
  2. ^ Game Rankings: Wipeout Pulse - PSP. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  3. ^ Metacritic: Wipeout Pulse. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  4. ^ IGN: WipEout Pulse Review (2008-02-12). Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  5. ^ Reviews: Wipeout Pulse (2008-02-12). Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
v • d • e
Wipeout video game series
Games
Wipeout · 2097 / XL · Wipeout 64 · Wipeout 3 · Special Edition · Fusion · Pure · Pulse · HD · PS3
Soundtracks
Miscellaneous
Languages