WipEout Pure Review

Perfect for playing on your European PSP. In the future, obviously.

Version tested: PSP

Order yours now from Simply Games.

WipEout Pure does a lot of capitalising.

It capitalises on the fact that the last PS2 WipEout game, Fusion, was a bit of a letdown. It does this by using most of the things we've liked about the series to date and dumping most of the things we've not. People will buy it because of this.

It joins Ridge Racer in capitalising on the PSP's ability to do proper 3D racing games properly - the "proper X games properly" proposition obviously being one of the PSP's key selling points right now. People will buy it because of this, too.

It capitalises on the PSP's networking functions. Not just in terms of offering eight-player wireless racing modes, which it does nicely enough, but also by promising downloadable content, which has already started in Japan and should keep on going for some time yet. People will... Well, you get it.

Finally, it capitalises the letter E. People probably won't buy it because of this, but, since we like it, we're going to allow it anyway. "WipEout Pure" it is. Those crazy kids with their music and their fast hats.

'WipEout Pure' Screenshot 2

As the name implies, Pure is an attempt to resurrect a once-proud series seemingly polluted by "change for the sake of change" by going back to basics. The result is a game much closer to the popular originals in mechanical terms, and yet the quality of the design throughout (right down to the reskinnable menus which, like Ridge Racer, look sharp and expertly designed) and Studio Liverpool's thoughtful pillaging from multiple 'Outs means that it's distinctly its own game too.

It's simple but it's also distinctive, and that's why it's so good. You take control of a futuristic hover-ship thingy (of which there are plenty, including unlockables, each of which trades off things like speed and acceleration against durability and the like) and zoom around futuristic courses at increasingly ridiculous speeds. The handling is somewhere between ice racing and driving a futuristic JCB backwards at 500mph, with a lot of inertia to overcome in judging corners and airbrake-drifting to work into the scheme of things, and the tracks are claustrophobic, sometimes-branching affairs that loop up, around and about, splicing neon with nature to create a distinctive futuristic look that's been the series' trademark since the beginning. Except with more particle effects.

Along the way you take advantage of boost pads on the ground, and collect power-ups like rockets, shields and so on in order to try and put your opponents at a disadvantage. The power-up system is ingenious. As ever, one of the key considerations while racing is the health of your craft, which doesn't take too kindly to being rammed into things or shot by missiles (which happens a lot in both cases), but instead of using F-Zero-style recharging pit lanes along the home straight to rebuild your energy levels, Pure lets you choose to absorb power-ups for a health-hit instead of using them. In other words, as you get better you'll find you're able to make more use of power-ups, but even if you're still learning you won't spend half the time limping back round to the pit lane because you ran into a wall of somebody else's unavoidable explosives.

All of which sets the game up very nicely for what follows, and the rest of the game structure falls almost perfectly into line. Each of the tracks stands up to repeated play, and repeated play is what you'll throw at them, because the multi-race Tournaments unlock more Tournaments, the collect-all-the-golds Single Race mode unlocks things like Classic tracks (reskinned versions of what they're quite right to call classic track designs), the similar gold-hunting pursuits of Time Trial amount to another "one more go-er", and the increasing speeds of the five classes means each of the tracks takes on a different feel the further you get into the game.

'WipEout Pure' Screenshot 3

And WipEout Pure is hard, which is perversely helpful in keeping you plugging away. It's so expertly structured with so much to do and unlock, and so unlike anything other than WipEout and a handful of other pretenders, that you don't mind going at everything repeatedly. At least not until the meaning of the "almost" bit of the first line of the last paragraph becomes apparent, but let's save that for a bit later.

First, more things I like: It's easier to keep your ships (hover-craft, hover-ships, hover-thingies - I'm aiming for a level of consistency diametrically opposed to the game's) pointing in the right direction. There's a boost-start trick that is simple enough to do but easy enough to cock up that you'll have to pay proper attention. The ships are no longer tethered to the track by magic, so when you go flying off a jump you really go flying off a jump - and there's a clever left-right-left barrel roll trick that, if you have time to perform it between take off and landing, gives you a handy speed boost when you touch down. Meanwhile, the power-ups can be fierce, but you get a fair enough spread of them as you go - and the shield and auto-pilot power-ups now let you pick up more items while they're in use. Also, the auto-pilot is a bit more auto-Top Gun than auto-Drunken Fool, and is a great thing to keep in stock as you head into that unforgiving right-angle chicane section.

Oh, and you can change your choice of view even when you're on the Pause menu. That actually sums up WipEout Pure rather aptly - it's so obviously brilliant an idea that it's bizarre we don't see it more often. WipEout Pure is full of obviously brilliant ideas that we haven't seen often enough in concert.

For example, Zone mode, in which you race through four small courses (unlocking them as you gain medals), which have been stripped of their neon flamboyance and decked out in a simple palette of airy whites, blues and light greys. Here the goal is simply to keep going for as long as possible at an involuntarily awesome speed, which increases with each passing lap, in the complete absence of health-replenishing power-up pads. It might sound like one of those afterthought extras that just about works, but the reality is that it's both sufficiently different and samey that it works very well on its own. There's a real trick to being good at it, and with bonus points for clear zones, laps, and highest speeds, there's plenty of reason to keep plugging away.

'WipEout Pure' Screenshot 4

Keeping on with the theme of obvious brilliance - WipEout's visuals and audio. Pure has already been called the best-looking PSP game to date, and although Ridge Racer puts up some strong competition that claim is still justifiable. The level of detail on the craft/ships/wotsits alone is magnificent, right down to the little airbrake flaps, while the tracks themselves are resplendent with impressive textural detail and myriad impressive effects. There are wobbly shafts of light streaking through to a glass tunnel on the ocean floor; the softening glare of the sun as you exit a tunnel; a skyline teeming with atmospheric activity; spitting rain on the camera lens; distortion; particle effects galore; and gloooorious explosive effects. The bubble of doom that expands from the heart of one of the power-ups is one of my favourite things on the PSP full stop.

(And "bubble of doom" is one of my favourite expressions ever, for that matter. Good games always inspire silly little phrases that warm your gaming heart, don't they? I bet you've got some of your own.)

The soundtrack, meanwhile, is stocked with the sorts of things that made WipEout a bit of a "club classic" back in the day. To be honest, they're a bit lost on this writer, but the number of testimonials I've had from people to whom this stuff is religion suggests Studio Liverpool got the tone and balance just right. The volume is certainly right; there are more tunes on here than you'll find on the average CD, anyway.

But, ah. It's finally time to revisit that "almost" from earlier, and "volume" is a good word to come in on. To put it mildly, WipEout Pure likey munchy battery. Between the ear-busting throbs of the music and the constant disc access, you're going to need to absorb the national grid's power-ups on a regular basis to keep playing. Indeed, technical issues are some of the most irritating things about WipEout Pure; the load times are pretty worrying, and for all its peerless technical elegance it didn't occur to anyone that getting booted out and having to re-establish race parameters whenever you finish a multiplayer race might be a bad thing. Fortunately none of these is a show-stopping issue (the only thing that comes close is the ever-so-slight dip in frame rate during ridiculously hectic sections), but they upset me from time to time.

'WipEout Pure' Screenshot 5

On the track, too, there's a gnawing stupidity at work here and there. The computer-controlled racers have a galling habit of overtaking you right from the off - boosted start or not - and then gradually succumbing to their own prescribed degree of rubbishness as the race wears on. Accordingly, the finishing order can feel a bit pre-ordained on the shorter four-race Tournaments, meaning that you really can't afford to drop points in two races without having to scrape the gold medal at the end. Mind you, this isn't so much of a problem on the longer tournaments, where the consistent placings are broken up a bit. Plus, you can use a boost power-up to zoom off that final ramp and bounce off the tops of their heads into first place. So HA.

And, frankly, none of the things I'm complaining about have stopped me plugging away at WipEout Pure. Which makes me wonder what has been stopping people plugging away at it, because it's not all smiles and twinkling bells around and about, is it?

Well, for one, I reckon people have a threshold for what they'll accept in terms of waiting for control input to take effect when waggling that analogue nub at an impending turn. Judging the distance is part of the fun for me, but others will probably wonder why futuristic racing ship-cars can't just, you know, turn when they're ordered to. And I bet those people also won't like the little spike of frustration that you get from losing a lot of your speed to a collision with the wall or someone's power-up; WipEout Pure is certainly less accessible than it might be in that regard. Which is something to bear in mind.

But then so are so many great things. For example, I'm not about to start ignoring a girl I like because she doesn't want to suck my face off after five minutes of inane conversation. Once you get into it, WipEout Pure is compulsive in all the ways a good racing game should be, and that's no fluke. Studio Liverpool has come up with a near-perfect equation for this sort of game, layering everything up in a manner that keeps you coming back hour after hour, with enough tracks to beat under subtly but crucially different circumstances that you never find yourself tiring of a well-beaten track. And all with an albino cherry on top in the shape of Zone.

Yep, WipEout Pure certainly does a lot of capitalising. We suggest you reciprocate by digging out your credit card and capitalising on its excellence.

Order yours now from Simply Games.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy

Comments (55) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Hench #1 7 years ago

    Looks pretty good for PSP, don't you think?
  • Roamer #2 7 years ago

    Did I just see a nine?
  • kalel #3 7 years ago

    Totally justified 9 imo. I keep on picking this up for a quick go and spending an hour or two on it.
  • ssuellid #4 7 years ago

    Nice review. Its an excellent game and hopefully the downloadable content will extend its lasting appeal.
  • mugwump #5 7 years ago

    Hear hear! Couldn't agree more. Did you emphasise enough that it is tough though? REAL tough. Especially as the rewards will have you gagging to get as many golds as possible.

    Out of interest, which control scheme do you prefer? Nub or pad? Also, which view?
  • Blerk #6 7 years ago

    Not my kinda thing for sure, but it really is very pretty indeed. I was quite surprised...
  • FinbarSaunders #7 7 years ago

    I've been playing this all weekend - good review! It is awesome, but I am a big Wipeout fan (the excreble Fusion being the exception). And Wifi is awesome, just a shame that I only have one other PSP owning friend :( I can't wait till a few more mates get PSP's - mmmmm, 8 player wipeout.
    9/10 - spot on.
  • Buggs #8 7 years ago

    My main reason for getting a PSP. Cant wait to get it.
  • Hicksy #9 7 years ago

    agree with the score

    its a superb game :)
  • ChrisOTR #10 7 years ago

    This seems as good a place to mention as any -

    Central London.
    Wipeout Pure.
    Wifi gaming!
    Now!

    Anyone interested?

    And yes, it's ace.
  • Putty-Man #11 7 years ago

    Game looks good but surprised at a 9 given some of the negative comments made.

    Nice analogy about the girlfriend too!
  • speedjack #12 7 years ago

    Sorry - disagree wasp. Its fantastic.

    This is the game to get to show off what the PSP is capable of... more so than Ridge Racers. As for not enough tracks. Can't say I noticed - but you do know they're planning downloadable content that will effectivly double the size of the game ?
  • deepmenace #13 7 years ago

    where can i buy a fast hat?
  • wattoo #14 7 years ago

    When are you going to put PSP and DS icons at the top alongside the other consoles?

    Surely the DS deserves one since it's out in Europe and if you're doing articles on PSP and related stuff, surely that deserves an icon too.

    It would just make my life easier if I could get to the relevant articles quicker.

    Ta
  • Morb0 #15 7 years ago

    Wasp: One for the fans only IMO.

    Judging by the success of the first couple of WipEout games, that's a sizable amount of people.

    A lot of people have also been crying out for a refined version of WipEout since then too...
    Edited by 1 at 25/04/05 @ 14:55
  • IronGiant #16 7 years ago

    "I'm not really bothered about showing the capabilities of the machine off so much as enjoying the game though. It doesn't do anything more than previous Wipeout's and you probably already know whether you like Wipeout Pure or not - I'd hardly say that this will have universal appeal, which the score suggests. One for the fans only IMO."

    Call me a fan then as i love the game and it's whats sold the machine to most of my mates!!
  • space_ace #17 7 years ago

    how do you take a psp screenshot..?
  • riz23 #18 7 years ago

  • Morb0 #19 7 years ago

    Wipeout was never a massive seller though.

    Not sure how long you've been into gaming, but I think you'll find the first couple of Wipeout titles (2097 in particular) sold very well indeed on PS1.

    The last time I saw one of the previous titles it was filling up the 'W' section in the secondhand bin in GAME.

    I suspect you're talking about Wipeout Fusion for PS2, or which isn't generally regarded highly, and is exactly why people are happy to see a return to it's old form.
  • IronGiant #20 7 years ago

    It's a WipEout game, it does exactly what it says on the tin.. it's scored in the high 8's to 9 just about everywhere, it's a great technical achievement on the PSP. Anything else negative you want to say about it wasp? Who gives a shit about the AA.
  • ssuellid #21 7 years ago

    WipEout and WipEout 2097 were huge hits on the PS1.

    Fusion did not sell tho.

    IRC EG don't make their own screenshots so as usual these are just the usual publisher derived shots.

  • IronGiant #22 7 years ago

    Utter bollox, try actually reading the reviews.
  • IronGiant #23 7 years ago

    No it doesn't imply universal appeal at all thats a ridiculous statement, it implies it a damn fine game if you're into this type of game.

    In tom's summing up of the game exactly where does he mention the technical achievement being a reason to buy it or score it highly?

    We all get the message that you're not that keen on it, move along now.
  • Morb0 #24 7 years ago

    Not sure what 'how long I've been in gaming' has to do with anything other than just being a crass piece of patronisation though.

    Basically I was wondering if you hadn't done much PS1 gaming, as you seemed to be ignoring what huge hits Wipeout and Wipeout 2097 were.
  • Royal Fool #25 7 years ago

    Isn't this technically a US Import Review? :)
  • BradlayLaw #26 7 years ago

    It's good but I much prefer Wipeout 3 SE. I am disappointed that it only asks for a gold in each track * class. I much prefer the longer challenge of WO3SEs track * class * team.
  • martyngates #27 7 years ago

    as much as i wanted to love wipeout pure, it just seems to lack any fun (admitedly i havent had the chance to try multiplayer) but getting golds feels like a chore and none of the tracks are that memorable

    the tracks all feel the same and are all very flat! gone are the twisted spirals of wip3out and the nausiating loops of fusion

    and the music is very meh! thats all i can say about it

    i havent touched it for 2 weeks, meanwhile ridge racers is still going strong 2 months later

    6/7 out of 10 maybe

    oh and it might just be me missing something but are there no replays available during tournaments?
  • IronGiant #28 7 years ago

    "Compare this to your precious "God of War", is it as good as that?"

    LOL! Totally pointless comparing 2 very different games regardless of score, even you should know that. Precious? oh dear oh dear you really have some issues.
  • IronGiant #29 7 years ago

    God forbid the PSP games get good reviews because they're good. Even Edge gave the game 8/10 and they're picky beyond the call of duty.

    Scores can only ever be based on the here and now, they won't mark something down just because in 6 months time they know better games will come along. If that was the case everything released early on in any machines life cycle would get low scores.
    Edited by 1 at 25/04/05 @ 16:06
  • ssuellid #30 7 years ago

    I really liked WipEout and WipEout 2097 but hated Wip3out and Fusion. To me WipEout Pure is more like the original PS1 series.

    The original 2 titles were hits on the PS1, big hits - no matter what viewpoint you take.
  • Morb0 #31 7 years ago

    Wipeout is simply not the banker it used to be.

    Seems like there are a lot of people (and reviewers) who would disagree with this now.

    To an extent I would have agreed with you before Pure.

  • Nexus_6 #32 7 years ago

    I bought my playstation on the back of playing wipeout in the shops every day for aaaaages. (though curiously i never bought wipeout when i had my own....)

    I missed out on alot of games and didnt play again until the PSP Pure. What was wrong with Fusion on the PS2? Why dont people like it? No motorbikes?
  • IronGiant #33 7 years ago

    "Once you get into it, WipEout Pure is compulsive in all the ways a good racing game should be, and that's no fluke. Studio Liverpool has come up with a near-perfect equation for this sort of game, layering everything up in a manner that keeps you coming back hour after hour, with enough tracks to beat under subtly but crucially different circumstances that you never find yourself tiring of a well-beaten track. And all with an albino cherry on top in the shape of Zone."

    I'd be interested if you could point out a review which based their high score on the games technical achievements on a new system.
  • IronGiant #34 7 years ago

    So what do you want them to do, constantly decrease the scores over time?

    And with a username like FusionFan no-one's gonna take you seriously! ;)
  • IronGiant #35 7 years ago

    Hurrah! ;P

    I agree with the review, well worth a 9. Next?
  • freedumb #36 7 years ago

    I dont know why it seems to be the 'general consensus' to diss wipeout fusion, I thought it was BRILLIANT! I'm still playing it now, haven't finished it, and won't buy pure till I have indeed finished with it.

    After reading some of the Gamefaqs Reader Reviews, and buying the game, I fail to see how its such a letdown.

    Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Or horse for course, or something.
    Edited by 5 at 25/04/05 @ 16:53
  • Master Cheif #37 7 years ago

    it is awesome, multiplayer is better, but it gets a bit vicious if u fuk up ur friends vehicle :p
  • Heds #38 7 years ago

    When I started playing WO:p I agreed with what Wasp's saying, the lack of tracks does initially seem a letdown.

    But three weeks later I've realised that if you had any more tracks, you wouldn't be going back to the others to learn them well enough to play in Phantom class. And really, if you don't know them inside out by the time you get to Rapier, you've had it.

    But I am now looking forward to downloadable tracks. I'd say 9 was a fair verdict.
  • asphaltcowboy #39 7 years ago

    "Where are all the DS fans slagging it off?"

    No no no no, we're far too mature for that :p
  • #40 7 years ago

    Good review, fantastic game, nuff said. Buy buy buy! Except you can't cos it aint out here yet. ah well, do what the rest of us did and IMPORT THE SUCKER.
  • bluebird #41 7 years ago

    Freedumb, you're not alone, I thought Fusion was brilliant as well, although with some stupid oversights and it didn't feel very finished. Examples:

    Powerup system: you start off your first races in a slow ship with weak shields. You're slow, so you end up in the pack, each ship firing around like mad, so ppl starting out get killed all the time without a chance really. Which is really frustrating. Friends of mine threw down the pad in frustration. Also, as you race more and upgrade your ship, the game gets easier. So it goes from hard to pretty easy once you get the best ships. Should be the other way around. I bet many people bugged out if only because of this.

    Slowdowns: someone decided it was a good idea to have 16 competitors at the same time, and they should all be able to send shockwaves through the track. When 2 do, the game slows down, and very visibly so... ugh!

    Tracks: seems they put all their time in the first 3 main tracks, the rest aren't as inspired, and some the latter ones can be totally frustrating, especially the one with the crystal cave... how about hitting a wall with no way to go?? It seems impossible to fly some of those tracks perfectly.

    Unfinished: Glitches like flying through the bottom of the track... and what's with the horrible main menu soundtrack??

    Not as sleek: the design studio that did the designs and art for Fusion simply isn't as good. The intro movie isn't as aweinspiring as the original WipEout either.

    So what's any good about it? Once you upgrade your ships, and are able to setup your own tournaments, the gameplay turns to total bliss, controlling better (analog stick) than any WipEout before it, smoother, and with better graphics. The music is also great (for the most part) and the rush and feeling of speed incredible. Strangely, this game only becomes great AFTER you finish it!

    In short I think it's a flawed masterpiece.
  • p3rks #42 7 years ago

    I bought a PSP and a bunch of games on release (luckily timed biz trip to LA) and this is the one I cant put down... Ridge Racer is excellent as well but seems simple compared to WOP.

    Just unlocked Rapier and its bloody hard, but it has the 'one more go, find yourself on it 3 hours later' thing that has to be a sign of a great game...

    If you're getting a PSP, and you should, then this is a must have.
  • Pirotic #43 7 years ago

    its a good solid rather, but a 9 would be a little to high even for me - i'd probably plump for a 7 or an 8, well worth picking up until something better comes along.
  • annalise #44 7 years ago

    It's great fun to play. Really addicitve, looks amazing and it great to control. I love it.
  • PinkSpider #45 7 years ago

    I'd probably get this if I got a PSP.

    I would have loved the 2097 tracks in.

    On the subject of 2097, I picked it up for two quid a few months ago and its still fun to play and has five really great tracks. Plus the music is pretty ace and suits the game.
  • spillz #46 7 years ago

    hang on a sec... studio liverpool + some good ol' hometown bias = 9?

    I'm sure it's a great game, but i've definitely noticed UK developed games often seem to scrape an extra point on the marking scale. (that's not to say they don't seem to slip a point or two on US sites). Perhaps this only reflects a difference in taste across continents, but it is interesting.
  • Feanor #47 7 years ago

    Wasp, no sane person can take you seriously when you say ridiculous things like Wipeout Pure is too short and too easy. Better luck next time, though.

    I bought a PSP mainly for Wipeout Pure and I'd also give it a 9. The Auto Pilot power-up kinda sucks though. I liked how it worked in 2097 a lot better.
  • Sid-Nice #48 7 years ago

    Why argue over WipEout Pure? When WWE Wrestlemania XXI on the Xbox is the game to own.
  • 3william56 #49 7 years ago

    How does the racing mechanic compare with previous WOs? In the original, hitting the speed up arrows consistently was essential - it was almost like the ship had no power, and you had to maintain the speed by both staying off the walls, and hitting the boost pads. Made it b*stard hard, but get that perfect lap, and it was a joygasm beyond compare.

    2097 sort of over-eased it, but having more forgiving wall drag and more power in the motor, so boost pads weren't such an issue.

    Then W3O added the shield/turbo exchange, which really didn't work and made smoothness even less of an issue.

    Bluebird has it dead right on Fusion. It is a supermodel PMT bunny boiler girlfriend of a game. It has moments of pure (!) genius - the first time you shoot up the side of a giant waterfall, pull a U turn under the lip, and blast down the other side is game magic. But equally, it can suck beyond compare, with some idiotic course design, slowdown, stupid weapons, horrible menus. For the doubters, bag it cheap, turn off the sucky damage modelling, and persist until you can select the good bits. It is still worth it.

    And hopefully, Studio Liverpool can give us an ultimate WO on the PS3.
  • 3william56 #50 7 years ago

    Oh, just noted that ad for Midnight Club 3: "The Fastest racing game evah!". Beyond full turbo Phantom mode on 2097 or Zone on Fusion? Don't bl**dy think so.
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/05 @ 07:39
  • Feanor #51 7 years ago

    So you have gold medals on every Phantom track already, huh? And I spose that only took you a week or two.

    And, no, I haven't seen anyone agree with you that Wipeout Pure is too shoort or too easy. The game is quite obviously stacked with content, (with more to come via download) and in fact the hardcore Wipeout fans over at Wipeout Zone are complaining the Phantom is too damn hard.
  • plasdas #52 7 years ago

    2097 was the wipeout for me..the lighting effects on the missiles - sweet! Looked like a photon torpeodo. Definitely more forgiving then the original, which got a lot more people into the game.
    If wipeout appears on the PS3, I want it to be like 2097 - super slick.

    As for Wipeout Pure, the one thing I haven't been able to test is the multiplayer, which I feel is a hugh aspect of the game. Stupid september release date. Probably won't get a multiplayer game in until then :-(

    Otherwise, I'm enjoying it. Far more prefer the proper races then time trial. I like my weapons. Even when I've been shot to bits and near the pack of the field, I'm still having fun.
  • Heds #53 7 years ago

    Hello.

    I've been playing MP Pure with a Jap PSP with my mate who has a US PSP every lunchtime... well, for a while now.

    Both with copies of the US version of WipEout. From what I've heard, and certainly from what we've experienced, it's down to varying versions of the game rather than the PSP HW itself. So, you won't be able to play Jap WO against US WO. But I'm not sure if the European version of WO will differ in any way from the US one. If it does, then I guess the menu structure might be different which might cause problems.

    But anyway, you definately can use different PSP regioned HW to play MP games using the same regioned game.
  • ChrisOTR #54 7 years ago

    " You only need to unlock Phantom"

    and you reckon most people will find that easy, do you?
  • ChocNut #55 7 years ago

    It has way more than 8 tracks.

    Download the new levels
    www.wipeoutpure.com
  • kentmonkey #56 4 years ago

    Two years on, still worthy of a nine! Great game. In your face wasp!

    /wonders if it's too late to bring up this old argument