Racing games have never really worked on a portable before, but now with the PSP you can’t move for top quality driving games.
WipeEout Pure jostles with Namco’s
Ridge Racer as not just the best racer but the best overall game on the PSP. The fact that at the same time it also rescues the
WipEout series from the doldrums that
WipEout Fusion on the PS2 left it in is just another testament to the game’s quality.
Although the game is, naturally, still a futuristic racer in the mould of F-Zero it tries to add as much variety as possible with three quite different race types. The main eight tracks look incredible and feature a number of new gameplay features, with unwanted weapon power-ups now healing your ship (instead of pit stops), a new side shift mode and much tighter track design.
On top of this there are four tracks culled from the PS one WipEout games, which are presented as virtual reality simulations with striking neon colours. The third race type is called Zone and has you flying round four circular tracks as you try to last as long as possible before crashing and burning. If that doesn’t sound quite enough you can even download new ships and tracks online for free.
The game does have a few minor faults, most notably some slowdown when the action gets busy. Some may also find the controls too oversensitive, but a little practise and you’ll be able to appreciate this as one of the best racers of recent years, on any format. -- Harrison Dent
This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.