It simply wouldn’t be a Sony console launch without a new WipEout title yet with 2048, PS Vita players can expect an incredible mix of visual and sonic thrills.
By Leo Stiles
When the Playstation launched in 1995, it was WipEout alone that conveyed the power and the possibility of what the console had to offer and instantly ushered in a kind of game that was both cool, stylish and as hardcore as it got. So with the launch of Sony’s fifth console, the Playstation Vita, it comes as no surprise that one of the titles leading the charge is WipEout 2048.
Right of the bat, let’s just say that this game looks and sounds spectacular and is as good an example of what the Vita is capable of as you are going to get. The game moves blisteringly fast and achieve a solid frame rate throughout.
Everything is so solid that if the game ran in full HD, you would be hard pressed to tell it and the PS3 version apart with races offering up vertiginous, expansive tracks with some of the best lighting and particle effects that we have ever seen in a videogame.
2048’s prequel setting is the major departure for this edition with the traditional Sci-Fi designs dialed back in favor of something more realistic by blending futuristic raceways with more recognisable cityscapes. Some might miss the clean lines of past titles but this new approach is more interesting and allows for impressive variation both in environment and track layout.
The event structure from the PSP and PS3 iterations returns with a honeycomb of events gradually opening up as you complete races. Traditional races are mixed up with combat challenges, time trials and special Zone events that dazzle the eye with their stripped back hypnotic visuals and pure survival gameplay.
Races play out just as you would expect with frightening speed and tracks demanding skills that come from dedicated practice. However, 2048 lets the difficulty level gracefully rise through two levels of attainment in each events.
New players will see progression by finishing fifth while more seasoned of you can race for elite targets times and positions which add greater experience to your level. Courses now have even more shortcuts and alternative routes available and often a difficult race proves impossible until the eureka moment you discover the right route to take.
Controls are perfectly judged with multiple options available including the classic controls which veterans with switch to almost immediately. Touch and gyroscope based variants are there but are all but useless for serious play and like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, are only there to provide added bullet points for the back of the box. Races are still demanding affairs but for the WipEout virgins, there are a couple of hand-holding pilot assist settings available.
A whole online campaign complements the solo game and refreshingly, finishing first is not the only way to compete with race objectives such as rival takedowns that mean progression isn’t just relegated to the best pilots.
Thumping beats
The audio simply has to be mentioned as it marks a series high point, which given the series use of music in the past, is high praise.
Excellent dance tracks abound with Underworld, Orbital and series stalwarts, The Prodigy all present and correct, but the environmental audio has taken a huge leap here with engine whines, explosions, wind and the sonic discharge of weapons calling to mind some of the best effects in Star Wars. Hook up a decent pair of headphones and the game delivers an unrivaled audio experience.
We’d be writing this one up as a five star review if it wasn’t for one near deal-breaking problem: the diabolical loading times. Often taking up to 45 seconds, the load waits really are an issue for a mobile game that should be played in short instant bursts of gratification. This also makes a mockery of the premium prices charged by Sony for the memory cards if the read speeds are this poor.
In their defense, Studio Liverpool have shaved off a few seconds with a recent update but there is no doubt that this detracts from what would be the ultimate example of what the PS Vita can do.
Loading issues aside, WipEout 2048 still ranks as the must-have Playstation Vita game to own at launch with its combination of spectacular visuals and blistering gameplay and while it can still claim to be a hardcore title, the softening of some of the shaper edges mean that gamers who have usually not embraced with the racer should give it a second look.
Format: Playstation Vita
Developer: Studio Liverpool; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
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