Review: Wipeout Pulse

One of the reasons the Wipeout anthology is so enduring is that it’s very difficult to summarise it with a single definitive title. From the original trilogy made in conjunction with The Designer’s Republic, to the PSP titles and their HD remaster, there’s plenty of room for picking a favourite. But in the history of the series, there’s a certain type of Wipeout experience that Pulse delivers in its definitive form.

Pulse ruins no formulas, it doesn’t make any drastic changes to what came before it, and it’s certainly not Wipeout Fusion. It’s Wiepout Pure but with the mistakes fixed. The handling is improved, and there’s a substantial campaign with a clear sense of progression. Okay, that’s about it. Turns out there wasn’t too much wrong with Wipeout Pure after all. I feel like I should point out here that I really, really liked Wipeout Pure. Released not long into the lifespan of the PSP (here in Europe it was technically a launch title, but for those cool enough to import the console from Japan it was not) and it was the defining experience alongside Ridge Racer that proved exactly what the console was capable of.

Wipeout Pulse didn’t also do this. Along with Ridge Racer 2, it was essentially more of the same. But in retrospect it has the edge. If the two games are played side-by-side then the difference in handling is particularly notable; Wipeout Pure feels like Wipeout Pulse, but underwater.

The course selection on offer is strong. As with Pure, the game has DLC that feels essential to the experience. All-in, the game has 16 tracks and these an also be run in reverse, meaning 32 courses total. DLC included, Wipeout Pure also has 32 tracks, but all of these were unique. So whilst reverse courses sounds like an easy win, and they are essential for providing variety across the different campaign events, the tracks themselves feel less defined, with every individual course having a similar looking counterpart.

Wipeout Pulse also made its way to the PlayStation 2 and this version even includes the DLC. However, the game reads data from the PS2 disc fairly slowly and when choosing a ship there’s a very noticeable delay cycling between options. There’s also some lengthy load times, and occasional slowdown when things get hectic. In spite of this, the game is overall graphically quite impressive for the PlayStation 2.

The other problem is that the game’s UI was clearly designed for a small screen. It’s not impossible to make the game look respectable on a smaller monitor or CRT, but on a large HDTV everything is far too big. The same issue obviously applies if playing the PSP version of the game on a large screen (or playing any PSP game on a large screen), which can be achieved using a PlayStation TV or the PSP Go Cradle.

On PS2 there’s also the option to play the game in 4:3 rather than 16:9, which is pretty cool as it makes the experience feel more similar to the original PS1 titles. However whilst the game itself adjusts correctly to the different aspect ratio, icons and other elements of the interface are squashed to fit the narrower space. Overall, Wipeout Pulse was designed first and foremost as a PSP game, and this is probably the best platform to play it on as a result.

Half of the tracks in Wipeout Pulse would go on to feature in Wipeout HD/Fury on PS3. These would then make their way onto the PS Vita as DLC for Wipeout 2048 and eventually the PS4 as part of Wipeout Omega Collection. That’s a lot of other ways to play this content, but their visual identity was changed quite a bit during this process, and as a result there’s still value in playing the originals, which look good in their own regard. Modern Wipeout really hit its stride on the PSP, and Wipeout Pulse refined the already excellent experience first delivered in Wipeout Pure. The game has stood the test of time well, and no amount of remakes or remasters can make it any less essential.

8/10