WipEout Pulse – PSP – Preview

The wipEout
series is well established and follows a tried-and-true formula very well. You
have vehicles (or crafts) that hover slightly above a track that is not above
adding interesting curves and/or elevation, though it does have bumpered walls,
and the object is to go fast, pick up some power-ups and beat your opponents to
the finish line either through employing superior racing skills or by knocking
them into the walls or blasting their crafts apart.

wipEout PULSE
only tosses in a few new elements, albeit nice additions to the format. The
game, which is due out in the spring, features an array of new tracks, including
a few that seem to defy the concept of gravity. And there are new tracks of a
different nature, namely audio – which has been ramped up and matches the
gameplay very well.

Players will
also find new ships to fly and a robust online mode will be available at launch.


The title is
from SCEE’s Liverpool studios, and the preview version sent along did have a few
minor stutters, but that is the nature of early builds. But the most important
elements, the Infrastructure and wipeout-game.com features were also not
available in this build.

Still, the game
provided a steady run of fun. The single-player is mapped out in a grid and is
akin to a campaign. You have to pass each stage to unlock the next, and that is
sometimes easier said than done. The AI you race against is smart and you can
quickly fall behind. For those who have not played the game before, you have an
accelerator and brake, as well as the ability to discharge power-ups you have
acquired. Using the shoulder buttons help you to turn quicker. The walls of the
race track have barriers to prevent you from slipping over the edge and into the
abyss. But you really don’t want to bang the walls. Each time you do, you take
damage; take enough damage and your craft explodes. Power-ups, though will help
with replenishing your energy and ‘healing’ your craft.


When it gets
right down to it, wipEout PULSE does have some new additions, but this is a game
that is pretty much in the same vein as the other iterations. This is a
franchise that dates back to 1995, and the core gameplay elements are well
founded. The changes in PULSE are cosmetic, but for those who have yet to play
the game, this would be a solid entry point for the PSP.

Graphically,
the game is very nicely rendered out. There is a sense of speed and the effects
are handled nicely. The sound is also solid and the game’s controls are easy to
learn. This is not a game that mires players in a learning curve but rather
provides the challenge through smart AI and racing challenges.

wipEout PULSE
has a bit left in development time but is looking good and should be a solid
racing experience on the Sony handheld console.