Fingers on the Pulse
Studio Liverpool's second WipEout PSP rocks, but it's not quite perfect.
Published: March 16, 2008
Speaking of, the way the ships are handled this time around is slightly different -- at least as far as Zones races are concerned. Previously, the Zones ships were given their own tracks that generally ditched the more technical chicanes and hairpins of the normal circuits in favor of something that complemented the constant increases in speed. They were still damn near impossible once your ship started going fast enough, but at least they matched up with the style of play. Now, Zones ships race around the normal courses, and though they have maxed out stats to aid with things, I kind of miss having the old style of play.
The idea of controlling the nose of the craft (something that factored into Wip3out a fair amount) has returned, making some of the faster speed classes almost as much about angling into and out of jumps and turns almost as important as avoiding the sides of the track. Gravity and momentum, too, seem to play more of a part this time around, which makes for some interesting uses of the airbrakes and letting off the thrust. For my money, it actually added a greater gulf of handling options in the different manufacturers, but again, with the more open progression system and the more twisty tracks, actually learning things might take a little longer.
But learn you must, for the game has finally gone online, and it's here that Studio Liverpool really pulled out all the stops. Infrastructure play means that you can finally square off against other PSP owners all over the world, and thanks to absolutely insane stat tracking and some fantastic community features on the official web site, there's a sizeable pool of people just waiting to whoop your ass. And they'll happily do it until you've really gotten down some of the more advanced bits of handling in the faster speed classes, which can be a little humbling.
A lesson learned quickly is that the use of weapons has been brought a little more to the fore now. With the aforementioned tweaking of how much energy is gained from sucking up a weapon rather than using it, and the addition of new weapons like the Leech Beam (draws shield power from another ship while slowing them down a little) and Eliminator-only Repulsor (a shockwave that damages and pushes ships into walls) and the Shuriken (a ricochet-heavy weapon, though it's not very powerful), judicious use of weapons is absolutely key to catching up to the pack or staying ahead of 'em.
I mentioned it before, but the upgrades to Pulse's visuals over the already gorgeous Pure really do showcase the PSP hardware every bit as much as the first game did at launch. Smoky lighting, a richer color palette, more sideline details and more intricate craft designs all make blinking that much more painful. There are a few moments of chugginess here and there, but the sheer sense of speed in the late-game races is something few games will ever be able to match. Texture detail and overall track designs that, like many parts of the game, feel like throwbacks to the Wip3out days, just give the game a classic feel.
WipEout Pulse is an absolute headphones-required experience too. The soundtrack, featuring Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk and Stanton Warriors (among many, many others) is typically fantastic WipEout fare, but up to 30 custom MP3s can also be loaded up, meaning you can bob your head to "Xpander" and "Smartbomb" and, uh, all of the CoLD SToRAGE tracks from previous games if you can track 'em down. For this reason alone, Pulse has all but secured a lock as my go-to quick race 'n listen game. Nothing beats launching off a huge jump as some of Sasha and BT's best music hits its peak.
So yes, I'm a big whiner about the new way the game throws all its different modes at you during the career progression, but custom soundtracks, online play, tons of subtle little tweaks to the handling, track design, weapons and even a few elements borrowed from past games all add up to one of the most insanely packed offerings on the PSP right now. If you own one, you need to buy this game.
