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Wipeout Pulse gets previewed (we're jealous)
German gamer and long-time Wipeout fan eLhabib has received a preview copy of the upcoming Wipeout Pulse, and has posted a detailed write-up of his experience at the WipeoutZone Forum. A sample blurb is drenched with excitement: "Where do I start? First of all, the art style: as I stated before, a perfect blend of purE and w3o, so pretty much a dream come true for me and many others around here. The HUD is very slick, minimalistic, with a very noticeable w3o touch - cool thing about the new HUD: it blurs with the speed as you activate a turbo or go over a speed pad, it shakes as your ship gets hit or bottoms out!" There are pages of rants available, and as fellow Wipeout fans, we have to admit that the wait for this game is painful. Hey Sony, we're friends, right? Where's our preview copy? Off-screen video is embedded, after the cut. %Gallery-4074%
Separating challenge from speed in Wipeout Pulse
As acclaimed as Wipeout Pure was, many found the game unbalanced in terms of difficulty. In an interview with IGN Australia, lead designer Colin Berry noted: "Some people felt that Pure was perhaps too hard and that they didn't get to enjoy the faster speed classes as they were too fast and also the AI was too hard. We also had the hardcore Wipeout fans saying that the game was a little too easy and they wanted something more challenging to keep them coming back." In an attempt to make the game more accessible to gamers, the team has now separated the difficulty from the speed. "We then have an easier setting which will allow players to play at the higher speed classes against less competitive AI, thus they can enjoy the speed of the game without always feeling they have no chance to compete. Then we have the hard difficulty setting which means that even on the slower speed classes, the hardcore Wipeout fans will face a challenge from the AI, and at the higher speed classes they have something to keep them coming back again and again." Certainly, this will allow novice players to play at faster speeds ... a welcome change from the original. For more details on Pulse, make sure you read IGN's full interview.
Smoking new Wipeout Pulse screens
Spanish language gaming site Meristation seems to have taken a ride on Wipeout Pulse, Sony's long-awaited sequel to the critical hit Wipeout Pure. Pure was easily one of the system's best looking titles at launch, standing up quite well even to this day. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though Pulse is adding much to the visuals. While it certainly doesn't look bad, new screenshots on Meristation don't show off significant visual improvements ... besides the rad new smoke effects (pictured, above). We're confident that the gameplay will more than make up for the graphics. Hopefully, we'll be able to give you more once E3 rolls around. [Via NeoGAF]
Wipeout Pulse details bring sexy back to the PSP
If Lumines Live was how not to handle downloadable content, the PSP launch title Wipeout Pure is the poster child of how to. Sony's Studio Liverpool is bringing the hotness back to handhelds this year with Wipeout Pulse and an interview with "designer" (quotes by Eurogamer) Clark Davis shows they haven't exactly been sitting on their hands for the past two years Beyond improved controls and alternative track designs, players will be able to create their own campaigns and use their own MP3s for music. The Disruptor weapon, made famous in Wipeout XL is gone and instead replaced with a few new weapons that affect your game by screwing with your HUD or setting your engine ablaze. Downloadable content will be making a return and if it's anything like Wipeout Pure's, we'll have months worth of content to look forward to past launch. [Via PSP Fanboy] [Image by Jon Burgerman]
Wipeout Pulse interview reveals ambitious upgrades
Wipeout Pure is one of the best, if not the best, entries in the series. The PSP launch title featured brilliant graphics (which hold up to this day), the best handling of a Wipeout title, and a seemingly never-ending amount of content, thanks to brilliantly executed downloadable extensions released months after the game's launch. Eurogamer was able to talk to Clark Davies from Studio Liverpool about their upcoming PSP sequel, Pulse. Some highlights include: Improved controls. "The handling is smoother, the ships are more evenly balanced. We're confident that the control is the best and most accessible the series has seen to date." Grid creator for players to create their own challenges. The ability to absorb weapons remains. However, the Disruptor weapon is gone. In its stead are a few new weapons, some of which will affect your ability to play: "things like smoking engines, fire damage, HUD interference, etc." The adrenaline-pumping Zone mode is back, but this time there are no levels designed specifically for the mode. All levels will be playable in Zone, and all of them will get a visual makeover when playing in Zone. Downloadable content returns. When questioned why content is available at launch (why not put it on disc?), Davies reminded readers that "a game is finished about two months before it hits the shelf ... So it's the case that we've scheduled our time well enough so we can carry on working on extra content once the rest of the game is ready." We have to say this interview got us even more excited for this futuristic racing sequel. Even if the game didn't have improvements (if it were simply Pure with more tracks), we're confident it would still be fantastic. Let's hope to see more footage of the game soon.
First-ever Wipeout Pulse trailer!
Wipeout Pure is one of our favorite games on PSP, and the newly announced sequel has us quivering in anticipation. Wipeout Pulse looks to bring even more trademark futuristic racing--only this time, it's going online. Check out this first trailer of the game, provided by IGN.
New WipEout game targeting PSP
Eurogamer has all the details on the new WipEout game for PSP. Entitled WipEout Pulse, the game is set to contain 24 reversible tracks, ad hoc and infrastructure multiplayer and, as you might expect, all manner of hovering vehicles attempting to blast each other into tiny smithereens. In fact, the smithereens are said to be so tiny, they are more deserving of the label, "smithereenies." New features planned for WipEout Pulse are magnetic strips which force vehicles to cling to the track -- even if the track should decide to enter a loop or uncalled for vertical drop -- along with custom MP3 playback via Memory Stick and an online-enabled photo mode. As with the previous PSP title, WipEout Pure, Sony promises plenty of downloadable content for the game once it launches this September.
Wipeout Pulse gets custom soundtracks & Infrastructure
As we revealed earlier, Wipeout Pulse is heading to PSP. This sequel to Wipeout Pure will feature a number of enhancements over the previous iteration of the series: Pulse will feature 24 new tracks. Licensed music from Mason, Loco Dice and Stanton Warriors. Multiplayer via Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure Eight new teams, including "EG-X". New "Mag-strip" feature allows ships to magnetically stick to tracks. This will allow certain tracks to feature loops, 90 degree plummets, and other mind-destroying tricks. Custom soundtracks allow playback of MP3s stored on Memory Stick. Photo Mode captures in-game screenshots. Like Wipeout Pure, the game will feature downloadable content, such as new tracks and songs, immediately after release. Check out Eurogamer for screenshots of this hotly anticipated sequel. The game will hit Europe this September.
Check your Pulse: Wipeout sequel named
The Wipeout franchise is known for its notorious sense of speed, and incredible high-stakes weapons-based racing. At a European convention over the weekend, the title of the upcoming PSP sequel was supposedly revealed: Wipeout Pulse. What kind of mind-shattering courses will Studio Liverpool create for Pulse? What kind of daredevil antics will we perform as the speed (and our blood pressure) rises? More details will be forthcoming in an official press release. Wipeout Pure is still one of PSP's best titles, and the prospect of a sequel has us already shivering with anticipation. [Via IGN]
Next Wipeout to feature more downloadable content
Who doesn't like free stuff? Sony's getting the big picture: we like free content downloads. As reported by develop, SCE Worldwide Studios VP Michael Denny states, "All games, whether they are launched on disc or electronically, need to create a community and have active community websites and extra content." One of PSP's launch titles, Wipeout Pure, featured tons of downloadable content after release. In fact, the various packs released over the months following release doubled the amount of content available in the game. It was free for the consumer, and undoubtedly boosted sales. "Downloadable content helped keep the game on the shelf and encouraged people to not trade the game in," explains development director Clemens Wangerin. The game also delivered more than 800,000 downloads and became the first PSP title to reach Platinum status. While speaking about Wipeout, it looks like Sony accidentally revealed that sequels were being made for both the PSP and PS3 platforms. If you haven't figured it out, the next iterations of Wipeout will also deliver even more downloadable content. Hopefully, it will still retain the nice price that Pure set: free. [Via Joystiq] See also: Killzone Liberation online beta coming soon
WipEout sequels on PS3, PSP inspiring PlayStation Network growth
Speaking with SCE Liverpool, Develop magazine has seemingly uncovered news of a pair of WipEout installments bound for PlayStation 3 and PSP. The unsurprising revelation has been tied to Sony's downloadable content strategy. Liverpool's WipEout Pure showed promise, registering more than 800,000 downloads of add-on content, but subsequent Sony efforts have failed to follow suit. Liverpool plans to pick up the slack with upcoming versions of WipEout. "Downloadable content helped keep [WipEout Pure] on the shelf and encouraged people to not trade the game in," explained development director Clemens Wangerin, adding, "Being able to cater to a much finer resolution of gamers' tastes and maybe create more byte-sized or customizable gaming is a massive advantage." Sounds like Sony's starting to understand the importance of PlayStation Network. [Via CVG]
Wipeout comes to an end in Japan
Wipeout: Pure is one of my favorite games on the PSP. The great graphics, music and gameplay were fantastic, but the incredible amount of downloadable content is what made it one of the best games on the handheld. For months after the game's launch, we were presented with tons of new tracks and ships, essentially doubling the length of the game for free, making it one of the greatest values on the system (especially at Greatest Hits price). While the team has gone quiet since the last update, it appears that Sony is officially announcing the end of downloads... in Japan, at least. It's a little sad to know that there will most likely never be downloads again for Wipeout: Pure, but hopefully that means that the team is working on what I really want now: a sequel. [Via PSP-Vault]
Sony keeps WipEout Pure content comin'
Sony recently released the 7th downloadable content pack for its acclaimed PSP racer, WipEout Pure-and the promise of an eighth next month. Delta Pack 1 introduces 2 new tracks, Iridia and Anulpha Pass, plus the Assegai and Harimau interface skins. We really have to appreciate the commitment to extend the longevity of this title. But besides Pure, downloadable content has been sorely absent from the PSP's slim library. Let's hope developers & publishers start to change that. [Thanks, Agent X]
2nd WipEout Pure Gamma Pack out today
You've got to be pretty impressed with Sony's commitment to release new content for WipEout Pure. Admittedly, the original package was a bit light on content, but quality alone ranks Pure in the "must have" PSP category. Today, the second Gamma Pack of extra content with be released for download and contains two new tracks, Extostra Run & Ubermall, and two new skins, Qirex & Auricom. Gamma Pack 1 has also been re-formatted and must be downloaded again. Enjoy.
WipEout Pure Gamma Pack 1 available
The first official download for WipEout Pure has been released. The Gamma Pack includes the "finest and final" Tigron craft, the Piranha Team skin, and a new course. The Staten Park track promises to be "an evening blast through the green belt of Makana Island." The download is compatible with all versions of the PSP and WipEout Pure. Enjoy. [Thanks, Jim]
Wipeout Pure ghosts up for trade
If you're a Wipeout Pure freak, and you can't find anyone local to match your mad skills, then check this out. Someone has figured out a way to share ghosts by extracting the correct file from the memory stick. He's posted some of his races for you to grab. One idea we want to throw out there is to share the files on PSP Vault. Go ahead and find out how good you really are. [Thanks Andrew!]
Wipeout. It's pure, baby!
More PSP action. This time it's a portable version of one of the fastest racers out there. Wipeout has a long pedigree on Sony systems. Great visuals, great racing and, usually, great music. Now you PSP types can shove the futuristic racer in your back pocket. Admire the screenshots. Drool over them. Love them as if they were your own children... If you have it, tell us what you think of it.
First US PSP game save uploaded!
Perhaps it's not the first-ever, but it's the first time a US PSP game save has been posted at the PSP-Vault-and the first time we've noticed. Unfortunately, there's no description of the save's contents, only that it's a WipEout Pure file. At any rate, it's a significant milestone and likely the beginning of an important trend. Ain't it great to share? [Thanks, Gavin]
Wipeout Pure Review
GamePro isn't exactly our source for gaming editorial. Let's face it, it's a kiddie mag and doesn't appeal to out sophisticated tastes. But low and behold, ol' GP is the first mainstream critic to post a tangible review of Wipeout Pure. And darned if we aren't salivating over it: "The graphics are breathtaking... controls are impeccable... the purest form of racing."
