Though it's perhaps not the definitive Wipeout experience, Wipeout Pulse is definitely an improvement on its PSP predecessor in almost every way, offering online multiplayer, customizable music options, seven race types, and even the ability to design your own ship, limited though it may be. It starts slow, and you might be perturbed by the campaign mode now and then as well as a few graphical and acoustic slips, but on the whole it retains the franchise's almost zen-like quality during high-speed, weapons-intense races along with the same futuristic style that fans love.



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Wipeout Pulse maintains the feel of the Wipeout universe complete with a futuristic presentation, plenty of techno beats, and fun high-speed races that completely defy a storyline or setting. The essential gameplay aspects of Pulse are strikingly similar to those of its predecessors; the player's objective still being to survive an onslaught of vicious attacks while en route to the finish line for a medal. No significant tweaking has been given to the standard single-race - if you spent more than five minutes with the PlayStation's Wipeout XL then you'll feel right at home, which is a boon for franchise veterans looking for the same thrills they encountered in previous Wipeout games. The dark side of Wipeout racing has also been left intact, with players still blasting each other with three-pronged missile attacks, bomb trails, and the infamous earthquake while nudging opponents into walls or soaring across chasms.

While Pulse’s basic gameplay aspects might have been overlooked, Sony still managed to differentiate Pulse from its Wipeout brethren by updating the franchise’s mode offerings. The traditional campaign mode for single-player features the usual seven base race teams vying for supremacy of 12 distinct tracks, with each anti-gravity vehicle sporting its own stats (speed, handling, thrust, etc) and now a loyalty bar that players fill each time they ride with a certain team; obtain enough loyalty points and the game rewards you with a bonus, though other than this free skin gift the bar serves no purpose. The campaign mode is much less linear than in past Wipeout games, though this admittedly comes with some caveats. The mode is split into sixteen sectors, each with four grids, while each grid contains anywhere from eight-sixteen blocks or "racing events" that are unlocked by completing an initial one or two events for that grid. A racing event may contain the usual single-race, zone (in which you fly through a track until you explode, attempting to hit a certain zone count), tournament (short series of single-races), or time trial or it could feature a head-to-head round, speed lap (in which you beat the single best lap time), or eliminator match.

The eliminator race type is a great addition to the series and has players racing to a kill-count instead of the finish line, and while the usual campaign eliminator round has a kill-count of 10, it is possible to up that to 25 for a gold in the game's racebox mode, which enables players to create their own instant matches or additional campaigns (other than that, though, it's practically useless). While the campaign mode is slightly different from what fans are used to, and therefore a bit refreshing, it does get annoying when you're forced to play through events you dislike just to open up the next single-race, zone, or eliminator match, as that amounts to a waste of time for those of us who'd rather race as opposed to perfecting our time trial records. Add to this the fact that the game starts off very slowly for the first four hours and you can accurately estimate the level of frustration you're in for.

The control scheme is carried over from Wipeout Pure and is still as simplistically designed and easy to grasp for newcomers, with D-pad/analog controls managing turning, L/R the left/right airbrakes, X acceleration, and square weapon usage. The absorb ability that allows you to replenish your vehicle's shield (life) is yet another carry-over, followed by the weapon/item (turbo) speed pads that should be recognized instantly by fans as they sport the same X-weapon and arrow-speed design elements, while track design contains the standard loops, tight corners, gaps, and tunnels that you'd expect from almost any racing game.

Sony's biggest sell-point for Pulse is that it features a multiplayer mode that meets Pure's ad-hoc offering and then bests it with online (infrastructure) play, but that's not by very much. The primary hitch is that there are few race customization options here, especially when compared to the almost pointless racebox mode. The only race types for infrastructure include single-race and tournament, which is a shame considering what fun it would be to slaughter opponents online during 25 laps of eliminator. The lack here is a huge missed opportunity and is highlighted by the other "customization options" for infrastructure, which include the ability to select from a handful of tracks and to turn weapons on/off. The attention that racebox received over infrastructure is mind-boggling. Another key issue is that there are very few people playing online, which is sad for a game that's been out for less than a month. Pulse's replay value, which could have been raised significantly by a decent infrastructure, takes another hit from the limited track offerings; the game boasts 12 unique tracks, and while it also utilizes a "black" and a "white" version of each for a touch of variety, that doesn't necessarily up the count to 24 as most of the variations come in race direction and the inclusion of "hidden" areas.

Though most of Pulse's presentation is on par with the rest of the series, showcasing a smooth framerate, mediocre visuals and race tracks heavy on the gray palette, there are some graphical and audio catches during explosions or when a lot of action is occurring on-screen at once, which appears to be more than the game can handle. Additionally there are some clipping issues when the player gets caught in an earthquake attack or lands on his vehicle's nose and has to wait patiently for the game to set him right-side up, after which he’s probably lost the race. There's also not a lot of graphical flash except for weapons fire and the destruction of enemy ships, but while that's bearable it's a little more difficult to come to terms with the lag that rears its ugly head precisely as the player approaches a barrage of ships blasting each other into bits. Fortunately the lag is minimal during online play, and in fact it’s more common in offline races, but this might be because I've yet to play through an eight-person match.

Wipeout Pulse does contain one saving grace: its soundtrack customization. Pulse moves light-years beyond Pure in this area, as it enables gamers to include up to 30 of their own mp3s (depending on card size, of course) in the track list. This absolutely saves the game for those with low tolerance levels for electronica, as track offerings are less than inspiring and pale in comparison to song lists from previous installments. The ambient noises - the hovering of your anti-gravity craft, the thump and skid sounds as you dance near the edge of the track - are intact and functional for most of the gameplay, with the highlight being weapons fire, but there are a few audio catches during intense ship battles as noted above, as well as times when your ship will silently explode to poor background music.

Sony included two other incentives, a free skin editor available on wipeout-game.com and a photo mode, both equally unimpressive. The photo mode is an unnecessary trinket only accessible from the pause menu while the skin editor is plain and cumbersome; it’s much easier to just download skins from the site than to bother with the online editor. There are also several expansion packs available (or soon to be) for those craving new vehicles, skins, and tracks, but while they add some variety and replay value to Pulse, an expanded infrastructure mode would have made them a greater asset.

Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Studio Liverpool
Release: Feb 12, 2008
MSRP: $29.99
E10+

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