Wipeout HD
Hold on to your tits ladies and chubby gents, Wipeout HD is comin' at ya large and in charge via the Playstation network. Who needs fancy boxes and user manuals when you can just log in and start downloading right? And while I'm droppin mad knowledge bombs, I thought I would let you all know that Wipeout HD is actually in HD as well! Now that's marketing genius!
If you are unfamiliar with the Wipeout franchise, allow me to bring you up to 'speed'. You race along tacks at various velocities (Venom, Flash, Phantom ect) while trying to avoid walls and other crafts in different mode types such as race, time trail, zones, tournaments and speed laps. There are power ups on the tracks a la Mario Kart style which allow you to gain specific offensive and defensive power ups. Once the plasma after burn settles, you're assigned medals for your efforts and so goes the ways of the Wipeout.
Wipeout HD is a highly polished, silky smooth racer that is not only fun to play, it's fun to watch people play it as well. The frame rate is a constant 60 frames per second and the break neck speeds at times prevent you from checking out all the beautifully rendered backgrounds if you're the one at the wheel. It's so nice to see a game like this finally make it's way into the HD spot light because it just feels so right. The series has always been known for it's fast pace and futuristic landscapes with bright neon colours. Wipeout HD finally gets to show us all how it always intended to look and feel like.
This is a great title to just pick up and play whenever the mood strikes you. There are several unlockable tracks and vehicles to work on and seeing as how there is trophy support, you can also work on building up you trophy collection. It's a little easy at first but this is just intended to get you accustomed to the feel of the game. By the mid way point you'll be threatening to throw that controller of yours across the room because the difficulty level increases substantially. If you still can't handle it, a new feature called 'auto-pilot' creates a sort of bumper car effect when you get close to any walls. You don't crash into them slowing you but simply are pushed back into a safe spot so that you can continue on business as usual. You will still have to play certain courses over and over again until you have them memorized to a T in order to hit every speed pad. It's frustrating at times but just sneaking past the finish line and grabbing that gold with 0.0345 seconds to spare is exhilarating. Hard work pays off with this game and keeps you coming back for more.
The game may seem straight forward at first but when playing in a race mode or multiplayer match, it becomes apparent that deep strategy is necessary in order to come out on top. You have the ability to absorb power ups in order to replenish your ships health which can be a crucial move down the stretch. You can also use power ups as on offensive and defensive tactic to ensure your safety or placement at the finish line. There are speed pads located at strategic spots throughout the courses and hitting them all in order can mean the difference between first and last place.
Wipeout HD is in my opinion, the best game in the franchise. The updated graphics and frame rate give Wipeout HD that polished stylistic look it's always been know for but is now 10 times better. Starting at around $19.99 it is one of the best titles for the ps3 and it's dirt cheap. You cannot pass up on this game as it should provide hours upon hours of racing enjoyment.
