WipEout 2048 Review

I've always said that you can't release a Sony console without a Wipeout game. From the moments I started playing on Sony consoles, Wipeout has been a must buy for me.

The graphics in the game are spectacular, with the tracks and vehicles always looking crisp and the races fantastic to witness. However the most important thing is the frame-rate, which never seems to suffer regardless of how much action is going on the screen.

The core Wipeout fans like myself will be able to jump straight into the action and will be able to get on without any issues at all. Newer players will be welcomed with an easier racing speed and a slower build up to what is a steep learning curve. By the time they are in the second year, however, newer players may find that they struggle to keep up with the AI. Even some of the side challenges which are available will be too hard to complete until moving on the main timeline and unlocking better vehicles.

The levels themselves form a timeline between the years of Wipeout showing the early progression of what the racing of Wipeout became in earlier titles we have grown to love. It really is a complete reboot of the series, taking the franchise back to where it would have all begun.

Racing, as well as other challenges, such as battles and speed laps break up the constant circuit racing - the following is the list of events you can have in Wipeout 2048: There is your standard Wipeout racing, fastest craft wins by getting across the line first. As well as doing this there is a number of weapons for you to use across the field either defensive or offensive, which range from mines to shields to an auto-pilot. The next type of event is an event which throws out the racing element and just goes for the all out carnage of pure combat. Here your goal is to destroy as many of the enemies in a set time limit as possible, again using the variety of weapons which are on offer. The next type is zone events, which is where the players ship constantly accelerates around a track, and the player must use steering and air brakes to survive for as long as possible. The final type is time trials, asking you to do the quickest lap possible to beat the times that have been set. Using your knowledge of the shortcuts in the tracks will be key to get the fastest time as well as trying to avoid smashing into the walls as much.

While you go from race to race, there are optional ones which give you achievements or allow you to unlock new vehicles early. While most are eventually unlocked by ranking up, some of the more desirable ones are found from doing the extra races and achieving elite status.

There are two goals on every race which is elite or pass. Pass is the standard and will be the simple challenge. Elite is for some of the more hardcore Wipeout fans, making you feel a little more challenged and in fact at some points having the odds well and truly stacked against you.

The soundtrack is fantastic, using mostly electronic trance and dance music to really bring that futuristic vibe to the game. There are a few big name tracks including tracks from Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Orbital and Deadmau5 which is a big boost to the franchise.

While this is on a handheld system, the Vita really does mold to your hand, and long periods of play are not hampered by awful control layouts. There is a host of new controls made for the Vita - there is the touch-sensitive screen used for firing and absorbing weapons and the rear touchpad is used for acceleration. It also features optional tilt control improved from Wipeout HD using the Vita's accelerometers and gyroscopes.

While these new controls can sometimes be useful and can be used to get the upper-hand -- especially the acceleration with back touch pad -- I feel that most players will be used to standard controls and will be using them over most of the new control ideas.

Multi-player allows you to take the game online with leader boards or ad hoc with local friends and players. It's fun and fast and the leader boards keep you coming back for more to try and just get quicker lap times or destroy more vehicles. The events are very much the same for the multi-player as they are for the solo play. Each of the players will be given a specific task to do, for example, be in the top half of the leader board or destroy x amount of ships. Giving each player an individual task gives newer players the chance to level up and unlock new content.

Be warned if you are buying this game pre-owned, that this game requires a network pass to play online which will be tied to your account - so if bought pre-owned you will need to purchase the network pass on the PlayStation Store to enable online and ad hoc play.

Additionally the game features cross-platform online racing, which allows players from the PlayStation 3 version of Wipeout HD Fury to play the Fury tracks against those on the Vita. Currently only four tracks and five ships from Wipeout HD are available to use in cross-play racing on the Vita.

With DLC being promised from the studio this will allow the game to expand further and really shine as a true must-own title on the PlayStation Vita.

If you're a racing fan or an avid Wipeout pro. I believe you will love the game and making it in one you'll come back to time and again.