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PlayStation Network (PS3)Overview
Wipeout HD is a high-definition remake of the PSP game Wipeout Pure, featuring some tracks from Pure's sequel Wipeout Pulse; utilizing the additional power of the PS3 to deliver the same Wipeout experience at 60fps in up to 1080p resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1. It also has certain music effects, like fading out or bass augmentation while the player is doing a barrel roll, or jumping over cliffs. Unlike the original PSP game, Wipeout HD also features online race modes over PlayStation Network, a feature that was also in the later PSP game Wipeout Pulse. Also returning from Wipeout Pulse are 'Mag Strips' sections of the track in which the ships are magnetically bound to the track, allowing for gravity defying loops. The brand new online multiplayer comes with voice chat support.
Wipeout HD features motion control of the player's ship using the PS3's Sixaxis controller; PS3's DualShock 3 controller enables the rumble feature. Motion control can be turned either on or off, have its sensitivity adjusted, or be simply used to control the pitch of the vehicle.
Tracks
Every track can (with some alterations) be played in reverse; these are unlocked in campaign mode along with the other normal tracks.
Moa Therma and Metropia are from Wipeout Pulse, and the other six are from Wipeout Pure and its expansions.
Teams
- Feisar
- Assegai
- AG-Systems
- Qirex
- Piranha
- Triakis
- Goteki45
- EG-XI
- Icaras
- Mirage
- Harimau
- Auricom
Soundtrack
The original Wipeout (XL or 2097 depending on region) was credited with bringing a number of underground electronic bands to the fore; including introducing The Prodigy to many people in the United States. Wipeout HD also fully supports in-game custom soundtracks.
- MoveYa! & Steve Lavers - Chemical
- Stanton Warriors - Tokyo
- DJ Fresh - X-Project (100% Pure Mix)
- Ed Rush, Optical & Matrix - Frontline
- Noisia - Seven Stitches
- MIST - Smart Systems
- Mason - Exceeder (Special Mix)
- Booka Shade - Steady Rush
- Kraftwerk - Aero Dynamik
The Fury expansion pack also included six new tracks that play in all modes.
- Two Fingers - Marmite
- The Touch - Le Night Dominator
- Spector - Just Hiss
- Noisia - Machine Gun
- Gingy - Swagger
- The Crystal Method - Acetone
Wipeout HD Fury
On 23 July 2009, Studio Liverpool released the first expansion to the game, entitled Wipeout HD Fury. It is a substantial update that offers about as much content as the original game itself.
The expansion introduces a brand new Fury campaign which includes 80 new events. The Fury campaign is more varied than the HD Campaign, as the expansion introduces three new game modes. First is the Eliminator mode, which, true to the name, has you destroy your opponents using the games entire arsenal in order to reach the target score. This mode introduces some changes to the gameplay mechanics. You can no longer absorb power-ups, instead you are granted a temporary shield. The L1 button now does a quick full stop and a 180 degree turn, in order to attack the racers behind you. Overall, the mode is similar to SCE Studio Liverpool's Destruction Derby games. The second new mode is Detonator. This mode is a spin on the Zone mode, only here, the task is to shoot obstacles such as mines and bombs in order to get points. There are 14 stages total in each Detonator event, but it is not necessary to pass them all, as long as enough points are earned. Much like the Zone mode, you take control of a ship specific to the Detonator mode, which is identical for all the teams. It is armed with machine guns, which can be reloaded manually and a shock-wave cannon. The last mode introduced is Zone Battle. The mode is much like regular Zone mode. The main difference is that there are opponents racing on the track. The task is to reach a set amount of zones. By flying over a zone pad, the zone bar is being filled. When its full, the pilot can choose a zone boost or absorb it into energy. When a ship boosts, it leaves a zone barrier which acts much like a mine. Unlike Zone mode, the ships differ from team to team.
Another big feature is that each team now has a new Fury ship. They are a newer generation of the ships available in Wipeout HD. They are arguably much better and slicker looking, not to mention cleaner. Every Fury ship is an improvement over the regular version, performance wise. Fury ships can be identified by their red jet stream. Additionally, each ship has a Zone Battle variation and another skin. Also, there is a Detonator specific ship, which brings the total of new ships to 13.
Fury also introduces 8 new tracks;
- The Amphiseum
- Talon's Junction
- Tech De Ra
- Modesto Heights
and 4 tracks playable exclusively in the Zone, Zone Battle and Detonator game modes;
- Pro Tozo
- Mallavol
- Corridon 12
- Syncopia
Additionally, new 6 music tracks are provided;
- Nosia - Machine Gun
- Gingy - Swagger
- The Crystal Method - Acetone
- The Touch - Le Night Dominator
- Spector - Just Hiss
- Two Fingers - Marmite
Wipeout HD Fury essentially replaces Wipeout HD, as it it replaces every Wipeout HD logo from the game with Wipeout HD Fury, even in the PlayStation 3's XMB. Additionally, the menu interface is changed. The new color theme is black and red, instead of white and blue, the animation in the background is completely different and the main menu music is changed to a more aggressive track.
Development
Toward the end of it's development cycle, Wipeout HD faced severe delays, with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President, David Reeves stating, "There is a specific technical problem with Wipeout that we have to solve. I can't go into details but it is a really, really tricky technical problem that no region has been able to solve at the moment." It was later reported and confirmed that the game had failed epilepsy testing and had to be reworked. This was due to the amount of colors and the pulsing race track effect present in Zone mode, which had to be later toned down. When the game was released, it suffered from a bug that caused the game to crash to anyone with over 20 people in their friends list. This has since been fixed and new difficulty adjustments were added as well through patches.
Release on Blu-Ray disc
In PAL regions, the game and its Fury DLC have been released as "Wipeout HD Fury" on Blu-Ray disc. Sony has commented that "there are no plans" for a similar release in North America or other regions.
