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| Summary: Great first game
97
I first played the original Wipeout when it came out on the PS1 back in '95. Its futuristic looks and original electronica soundtrack is something that stuck with me like a parasite ever since. When the second, third, and fourth installments came out, I was the first in line. Logically, when I picked up my PSP a few months ago, this had to be the game I'd have, since I was only gonna have one.
So, I bought the PSP and Wipeout Pure. I was SO excited about checking out this game, that I had to sort of put it off as the last thing I would touch when I got home, kinda like when you were back in grade school and you would save the best of your meal at lunch for just before you had to head back to class (but maybe I'm the only weirdo that puts off the best things for last, dunno). I opened my brand new PSP (which was perfect w/no dead pixels or anything), and was instantly shocked at the beauty that was before me, with its shiny goodness and all. I had never even seen a PSP before I got it, just knew I had to get it! First I tried the demo that comes with it (and avoided looking at the video of WO:P). I was sold. Finally, I worked out the courage to open WO:P.
If you must see why people rave so much about the power of the PSP, then just look no further than Wipeout Pure. The graphics blew me away, and are identical to what you'd expect from a PS2 game. The levels are exquisitely detailed with animated billboards (It is the FUTURE, remember?), highly... er... high polygon buildings, colored lighting that jumps out at you all over your face, and all the other next-gen mumbo-jumbo. Lets just say that the graphics are PURE eye-candy (sorry, I'm an idiot...). If you want to get a game that shows off your new PSP's graphics muscle, look no further.
No, I'm not taking that score back, you Wipeout nay-sayers. This game is just packed with so much gameplay and replay value that I had to be sedated and beaten to put it down, true story. OK, back to reality. I was actually sick in bed for two weeks after I bought this puppy, and I was fortunate enough to be able to play with my new toy for those two weeks without interruption. I mean to tell you that I played it for at least 5 hours a day EVERY day. I didn't get tired of it, just a little dizzy and hungry and kinda smelly.
The game has many things to keep you coming back, especially if you're like me and are easily suseptible (sp?) to the many addictions and substances in this world. That's what this game has, SUBSTANCE. The different game modes are as follows:
Tournament - Race for the lead in a series of ever-increasingly-difficult-er tracks, which this game has about 14 after you download the Gamma pack (which if I don't forget, I'll get to later). The tournament is split into like, 4 or 5 different sub-tournaments, spanning the different tracks.
Time Trial - You guessed it. It's just you and the clock on this mode, plus you can save ghost ships and race against yourself quite literally. You'll be saying, damn I friggin suck, look at that! Like, all the time. At least I do. But this doesn't just apply to the game.
Single Race - Choose track, choose ship, and watch the battery run out as you doze off from not having slept in days playing this damn game. If you want to get all the gold medals to look at all them purdy pictures you can unlock, knock yourself out, you'll have to play this mode quite a bit. If you don't care about getting the frickin' gold medals, then why don't you just go eat some cheesecake instead? Or watch cartoons, or mow the lawn, or go to PSP411 and write "why am
I bored? Where are the RPGs? Should I trade my PSP for a Gameboy Color with power rangers?". Seriously Single Race is like all pimp, and truly r0%0rz.
Zone - You pick a ship, and hope for the best as you cross "zones" and your speed increases exponentially. Try not to crash a whole lot, or you won't unlock a whole lot of anything. The ships and the tracks are made too look bluish and pretty much all look the same, which is the only drawback here, but this is just a mini game anywayz. Don't go straight to this mode when you first get this game thinking that it's all gonna look the same, don't you dare. It's still pretty fun, but I haven't gone back to this mode after I unlocked everything here. Fun nevertheless.
So there you have all the different gameplay modes, then you have the standard options menus, and the little extra nik-naks (I promise I won't use that word again in PSP411). The load times are there, but hardly noticeable or excrutiating. Just bear with the game as it tries to access its goodness from the tiny disc. Puny Mortal.
It's a pretty tough game as you progress actually. It starts dreadfully slow in Vector mode, and is mind-alteringly fast on Phantom, and there are 3 other classes in between of increasing speed and difficulty. If you're new to Wipeout, shame on you. The gameplay is unique and addicting, and mere foolish words cannot describe it. It's gonna be kinda an adjustment to learn, but you'll be all the better once you master it and get some technique. OH, by the way, I forgot to mention this is a racing game.
It's not just a racing game though, as you get pick-ups and power-up, and must shoot your opponents to slow them down and maybe (if you're l33t) destroy them. There's many weapons that you get, but I'm too lazy to explain them too you, plus, probably someone already did. You also get speed boosts. I wanna go on to the next section, which is:
When I played the first Wipeout and later XL, I got to liking what the developers were doing in setting up an uber-futuristic environment with their mix of solid techno beats. The two Wipeout games that came after were kinda disappointing in the music department to me, like the music was kind of lacking. Just my opinion, live with it. This time around, I think the developers are going back to the classic Wipout roots, cause the collection they've compiled is sure to get your heart pumpin' and your juices flowing (eew). Well, I could be biased. There's a whole lot of music tracks to listen to, which I was happy they added a music player and playlist editing tool, cause like 3 tracks were so annoying. The rest are awesome though.
The only thing that disappointed me in the sound, was that they did away with the robotic voice announcer guy from Wipeout XL/2097, but hey, they did away with that back in Wipeout 3, so that's nit-picky. It's my review though, so I'm taking 5% from the score just for that, and I plead for mr. robo-voice to make his triumphant return in the next game to come.
Well, the sounds are what you'd expect from Wipeout, and if you have never played Wipeout, then get it and see for yourself. Besides, it'd be kinda silly to describe sounds in this review, cause they would look kinda like this "vraaggh! pahw phssh! boom, shhhlckh!" Don't let my stupidity deter you from buying this game please. There's nothing here to detract from the score or make you want to soil yourself, so do not be afraid.
OK, so it costs $40. Big deal, there's some total garbage out there that's going for $50. If you got the money, it's worth every penny. If you don't have the money, some ideas would be: rob a bank, get a loan, refinance your house, sell you Nintendo DS, sell your PSP, beg the guy at EB games to just let you have it, or maybe save for a better tomorrow. I just can't recommend much over this. There are some other jewels out there in the world of PSP, a good alternative would be Ridge Racer if this game ain't your bag. But I warn you: You're making a big mistake, I think. If you hate racing games, then look elsewhere, 'cause you'll be doin' lots of racing in this one.
This game has lots of replay value and will be one of the top games in your collection. It's loaded with extras and is at the moment the only game that's software upgradeable (YES! I remembered to elaborate on this!). You can download software patches that save to your memory stick with new tracks, skins, ships, and someday even music. There's just so much to keep you coming back. Buy this game and enjoy!
This is not an average, it's probably not even a fair score for whatever reason. Lemme just tell you, this game succeeds in every department. You won't regret the purchase, and the economy will prosper from your spending and your taxes. Also, you'll save trees 'cause the box is made of plastic and not paper or cotton. I hope this review was helpful to you, cause it sure did give me something to do with all this time I got while I'm here in prison.
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7
