#79 WipEout Pure

Game Info

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: SCE Studios Liverpool

Platform:  PSP

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: March 15, 2005

Intro: 

WipEout Pure offers a pretty sweet intro in the form of watching a space racer come to life artistically.  The glossy textures on the racer and the accompanying music give a futuristic feel to the game before you even start playing.  And, as a fan of 3D art, I was entertained just watching the ship form.

Getting going:

The game offers the option of different player skins which was immediately helpful.  I chose the darker hacker skin over the stark white and blue that came with the game.  I was then given the option to personalize my profile and tag.  This is always a nice feature in any game as it gives the player a sense of ownership.  The racers and courses were laid out and it was off to the races.  Simple enough.

Fun:

It's a racer.  I don't like racers.  It adds a new, futuristic twist which is different, but, in the end it is a race game and I still sucked.

Visuals:

There is so much detail in such a small area, that it would be impossible to complain about anything graphically in this game.  Everything received treatment from the ground to the very graphic fireball my racer became when it flew off the track. 

Sound:

A compelling soundtrack accompanies the races in this game.  Unique, but stylish, the music adds an impressive adrenaline rush to this fast-paced game. 

Intelligence:

This is the one place that I felt the game was legitimately lacking simply because, if I hit another racer (or they hit me), it seemed to slow me down, but never them.  And, I was the only racer hitting the wall, so, it wasn't as if I felt like I was racing against peers.  It felt more like I had no business having entered the race!

Immersion:

Well, again, I'm pretty bad at race games.  The fact that I keep playing them for this challenge doesn't seem to be improving my skills any.  A game that pwns the player consistently is kind of difficult to feel immersed in.  I'm not sure race game fans would feel the same way, however.

Cameras:

The camera has a choice of third person view and rear view.  It's a familiar option in race games, so I'm not sure I'd actually try to change anything.  When you're racing at top speed down an unfamiliar track, what other camera options could there be?

Controls:

Every review says the controls are seamless.  It controls easy enough.  I over-steer.  Constantly.

Ideas:

Quit playing racing games??

Memory:

This game actually made me nauseous.  I'm not sure if it was the graphics or simply racing through the levels, but I was all too happy to put it away.