If there were ever one game that is criminally overlooked, it's Wipeout HD. In my humble opinion, it is easily one of the greatest games of this generation. It's not exaggeration when I say this. No other game has given me such thrills and enjoyment. The Fury expansion elevates it to this level.
So why don't many people own it? If this were the only game available for PS3 I would still have been quite happy with my purchase. I know most of the people reading this probably don't have the game.
Difficulty might have put some people off. Well this version of Wipeout is easier than ever. You won't have any trouble getting at least a bronze medal in most of the events if you turn the assist on and the difficulty down. If anything Wipeout's campaign is a breeze for those who've had a bit of practice. The expansion also provides a couple of ways to make some of those trophies a little easier.
The fact that it is a download-only title and not a full release may have put others off. But don't be deceived - this game offers more content than most full games, including oft-neglected features such as split-screen. With its expansion, it boasts 12 full tracks (each with a reversed version) and 4 extra zone tracks. There are so many game modes as well;
Single Race
Time Trial
Speed Lap
Eliminator
Zone
Zone Battle
Tournament
Detonator
Wipeout HD as an arcade racer is unrivalled. No other game manages to provide the sense of speed and excitement as Wipeout can. If you are playing zone mode, with the track pulsating to your own tunes, speeding faster and faster around the track until your reactions can't take any more, the adrenaline will be pumping round your body faster than anything. Skillfully eliminating your opponent using weapons in a lightning-fast race is more exciting than anything any other franchise can currently offer.
Online is really a blast and there are still plenty of wipeout novices playing so it's more noob-friendly than you may think - of course there are many hardcore players out there as well. There is an online ranking system which nobody has reached the top of yet, as well as badges handed out after every race reflecting your performance. At one stage, the servers dried up and nobody was playing. But through excellent support, the addition of new features and game modes, I can see people playing this one for ages. As it stands, there is a really active online community.
I wish more people would bring up Wipeout HD when comparing graphics between systems. In its genre, it has no rival. I've attached some in-game screenshots of it, but in motion at 60fps it's simply gorgeous. The particle effects for weapons are also amazing. The graphics simply add to what is already an amazing experience. The presentation of Wipeout HD is also second-to-none. From the menus to the music to the HUD - it's all flawless.
Wipeout HD is easily worth buying a PS3 for. If I had to rate it out of infinity, it would probably get a 190*. Hopefully this blog can convince a few more people to pick up the game. As for me, well I just got my platinum trophy and I will see you online - Aspherex.
* See my "out of infinity" rating system. I know I slacked off doing these after my first review, but more will come eventually. For reference, Killzone 2 obtained a 100.
This has been my PS3 background for ages. I'm proud of this in-game shot I took - you can see how good this game really looks.
Photo mode allows you to tweak contrast and saturation to show off the Icaras ship. Flying High.
There is actually marginal difference between the ships, but Triakis is the pro's choice ;)
Zone mode is just out of this world. Try zone 92 for size (my record).
TheXboxHub writes - "Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn isn’t a bad game, however it is lacking the magical X factor that will ensure you miss it when you’re not playing."
"The London-based (the UK) indie games publisher Curve Games and Brighton-based (the UK) indie games developer Runner Duck, are today very happy and excited to announce that their roguelite sim “Badlands Crew” (which is the third installment in the popular Crew games franchise), is now available for PC via Steam" - Jonas Ek, TGG.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launched on April 28, 2023. Two years later, it's still celebrated as the best Star Wars game ever, with a Grammy and a sequel incoming.
Absolutely not the best Star Wars game. That's Star Wars galaxys. Survivor isn't even that good
Not sure I agree about Galaxies, but I definitely think the Jedi series is not the best.
@Sonic I was meaning the Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor games. Not the greatest.
If you're wanting to know what's the best series with Jedi in it? I mean KOTOR, Jedi Knight, Jedi Academy, Force Unleashed off the top of my head. Even the Episode 3 tie in game was pretty decent.
I loved the game but hated the issues. I waited over a year to play it and it still had major issues. I would have went for the platinum but with all the save bugs and other issues I didn’t even think about it
I’ve played both Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor. I think the games are good not great.
Best racing game this gen, best PSN game, and one of the best PS3 games period.
Just laughing for the fact that I remember when you said you would write a blog about Wipeout HD and Fury in the comments on an article the other day after I mentioned that WO:HD was 'amazing'.
You fullfilled your promise, good job.
BTW, shove the Shatter soundtrack over the game at some point if you've bought it, it works brilliantly with the game.
I still want Rollcage HD, I'm sure Studio Liverpool owns the rights.
I've enjoyed Wipeout from day one. It's always been of the highest quality and through time has developed a much shallower learning curve. Unfortunately i haven't at this stage purchased a PS3 but i know that wipeout will be the first game that i get for it.
As to why not many people buy wipeout is because it's always been a niche title. This may not be helped by how criminally hard it was when it was first released. It is also a sad state of affairs that every yutz is focusing their attention on more mainstream titles
like GT and Metal gear solid. (Not that there's anything wrong with that)
I think wipeout will always be a game for the purists of hardcore speed, and hopefully this crowd will always be catered for with quality games.
Great blog. I couldn't agree more, being a fan of Wipeout for over a decade myself. Did you take those screenshots yourself? I use one of the pictures I took from Wipeout HD as background for the XMB and everyone who sees it goes "that's awesome". Terribly underrated game.