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 14, 2007 in Europe. A PlayStation 2 port was released on June 24, 2009 in Europe.^[2] 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.

Gameplay[link]

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 (including rockets, missiles, plasma bolts, 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 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 (i.e. "Talon's Junction White") and may show subtle variations depending on which way they are driven. Certain circuits also have "Mag-Strips" on some portion of the track, 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 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 Fusion, 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 features a number of extras. 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 which unlocks new vehicle skins. Players are able to create custom skins for any vehicle at the game's central website using a Adobe Shockwave-based client, which can be downloaded to the PSP by the creator and/or the public at large. Lap times and other records can also be uploaded to the game's website which features a global ranking list.

Tracks in WipEout Pulse come in two variations, referred to as "White" and "Black". These variations essentially determine whether you go around the track forward or reverse. Coloration also tends to vary for each map, as do certain pick-up or speed up bonuses along with Mag Strip placements. The track color is added as a suffix to the track name, such as "Moa Therma Black" or "Basilico White". Some debate may ensue on whether or not each track should be counted separately, allowing for a 24-default-track listing for the game, or as the same map, which would limit it to 12 original maps. The official listing refers only to 12 tracks.

Expansion packs[link]

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. All the downloadable packs are already included in the PS2 version.

Soundtrack[link]

• Aphex Twin - Fenix Funk 5 (Wipeout Edit)
• Booka Shade - Steady Rush
• B-Phreak & Groove Allegiance - Break Ya Self (Wipeout Remix)
• DJ Fresh - X-Project (100% Pure Mix)
• Dopamine - Flat-Out
• Ed Rush, Optical & Matrix - Frontline
• Kraftwerk - Aero Dynamik
• Loco Dice - City Lights (Martin Buttich Remix)
• Mason - Exceeder (Special Mix)
• Mist - Smart Systems
• Move Ya! & Steve Lavers - Chemical
• Noisia - Seven Stitches
• Rennie Pilgrem & Blim - Slingshot (Wipeout Mix)
• Shlomi Aber & Guy Gerber - Sea of Sand (Wipeout Mix)
• Stanton Warriors - Tokyo
• Skream - Suspicious Thoughts

Also, the PSP version features a Custom Soundtrack option. It only supports MP3 format, and there's a limit of 30 files.

Reception[link]

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 82% based on 40 reviews.^[3][4]

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."^[5] 1UP's review rated it a B. 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."^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website