I’ve been a big fan of futuristic racing games for as long as I can remember. From the original F-Zero all the way up to the Xtreme G Racing series, I’ve always loved just about any game that allows me to go at over 500mph, and blow my opponents off the track with some sort of hover car cannon. One series has stood out of the crowd: wipEout. I’m extremely pleased to report that wipEout HD does not disappoint.

WipEout HD contains eight of the series’ most beloved tracks, a wide variety of vehicles, and a good selection of race modes. Most of you will be familiar with modes such as “best lap” and “time trial”, but there is a newcomer: zone. In zone mode, your hover car gradually speeds up as you go around and around the track. It starts off simple enough - a leisurely Sunday drive through your favorite track, enjoying the visualization-esque coat of paint the track has been given for zone mode. Gradually, you speed up to the point where turns get harder to nail, and you find yourself scraping the wall constantly. Eventually, BOOM! No more car - hopefully you earned a medal by that point, otherwise, it’s back to the beginning.

Graphically this game is stunning. 1080p, 60fps, and a whole lotta pretty make this one of the most attractive games I’ve played in a long time. The sound matches (and possibly exceeds) the visuals with an awesome techno soundtrack rendered in lush 5.1. If you’ve got a surround system, you’ll hear the fire of your enemy’s weapons from behind, and the sounds of other cars whooshing by you. The game also has a competent online mode - it’s even more fun racing against real people.

If you’ve never played a game like this before, this is a good one to start with. It’s got a feature called “driver assist” which is sort of like hover car training wheels. It’ll keep you from coming to a screeching halt when you hit the wall, and generally makes the game accessible to newcomers.

Normally at this point I like to temper my praise of a good game with something negative, but I’m having a hard time with that in this case. I guess I could mention the rumor floating around that some gamers with big PSN friends lists are having some troubles with the game - I didn’t experience it for myself, but if I had I guess I’d be pretty pissed off. It would have been nice to have a few more tracks for my $20, but honestly, I don’t even feel too strongly about that one considering each track can be played in a variety of modes.

If you enjoy racing games, own a PS3, and have eyes, go buy this game like five minutes ago - you won’t regret the purchase. The only reason to avoid this one is if you don’t like fun.

-Mike Kurz

Tags: DLC, PS3, Sony, wipEout HD

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