Wipeout Pure

Written by John Nieves  on July 05, 2005

Review: Wipeout Pure offers up an experience that's pure fun.

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Speed is a staple of the Wipeout series and Pure delivers it in spades. There are five different speed classes; Vector, Venom, Flash, Rapier, and Phantom. As each class gets progressively faster, it also becomes a bit more difficult. Within the speed classes, you have three different leagues you have to place in to reach the next speed class; Alpha, Beta, and Ascension. Alpha and Beta are two different leagues with different tracks, and ascension combines them both for a big tournament. The Vector and Venom speed classes should hold no problem for most, but once you reach Flash you are in for some serious speed. This is where the difficulty level ramps up and separates the men from the boys. At first you may become frustrated by how fast the gameplay is, but once you learn each track and play them continuously, you will begin placing higher among the ranks in no time. One thing that I'm glad was changed from Fusion are the pit stops you previously had to stop in to repair your vehicle. These detracted from the sense of speed and slowed down gameplay and Pure is better off without them. Instead of having to pit to repair yourself, you can now absorb whatever weapon you may have at the time, giving you a bit of shield back. This adds a new wrinkle of strategy that simply wasn't there in Fusion.

Speed would be nothing without control, and Wipeout Pure doesn't disappoint. The controls are nearly flawless as I found the analog nub to work great. The tight control definitely complements the speed. The only control issues I have are less of a control issue and more of a design issue. When using the nub, I found it difficult to turn and use the left air brake (L shoulder button) simultaneously. Although I have gotten used to it, it has never felt natural. Still, the controls are tight and responsive, and definitely do the job.

Every game has its flaws and Pure is no different. Aside from the weapon balance issues mentioned above, there are two other issues that seem to come up, especially when you start reaching the higher speed classes. First of all, the walls are way too unforgiving. When making a turn, hitting the sides of the track causes you to slow down sometimes to a crawl, allowing the AI to catch up and pass you. This can also happen if an opponent hits you with a weapon that causes you to hit the wall, slowing you down even more than the weapon on its own would have. This comes off as a bit cheap at times and can grow to be frustrating.

The other issue I grew frustrated with was the enemy AI. It seems as though the AI knows no bounds when it came to ganging up on you. Time and time again, I'd have two and even sometimes three ships bombard me with missiles/mines/disruption bolts/land mines and by the end of the assault, I was left out of the standings and low on shields. This can prove to be discouraging, especially when it starts happening over and over again. Although this drives me crazy when it happens, it doesn't detract from the fun I was having.

As far as features go, Pure is second to none. Wipeout Pure features downloadable content from either the game's website wipeoutpure.com, or the download option in the game's menu (you will need a hotspot via wireless internet to DL off of the game's menu). Studio Liverpool has already released two expansion packs; Gamma Pack 1 & 2. Gamma pack 1 contains a new track called Staten Park, a new ship called Tigron, and a Team Piranha menu skin. Gamma Pack 2 contains two new tracks called Extostra Run and Ubermall, and two more menu skins, Team Qirex and Team Auricom. There is also promise of new downloadable music in the near future as well.

The downloadable content definitely has a direct impact on the replayability of this game since you can download the brand new tracks and ships and keep playing long after you have mastered the original tracks in the game. There are also unlockable tracks, including classic tracks from previous games as you collect medals.