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By Keith B (3rd Apr 2008)

Uber cool.......that’s right, I went there. Wipeout Pulse is a game that you should be proud to have on your screen if someone looks over your shoulder. Big raps, I know, but as you will find through this review they are greatly deserved!
Firstly, I have not been a huge fan of the Wipeout series. Generally it has been a second rate race game, churned out amongst the countless number of titles associated with the PlayStation and other platforms. For those unfamiliar, Wipeout is very similar to the Star Wars Pod Racing, where you have the choice of a number of hover vehicles that hurtle down an electrified track in a series of events which include single races, time trials and zone trials (where you drive until you vehicle explodes). As you fly around the track you can run over speed boosts and pick up random weapons to hinder your opponents progress.
The game is EXTREMELY fast paced. Speeds will make even the most hardcore driving fan cramp up and need tiger balm for thumb ‘blowouts’! Your opponents are also super aggressive and don’t miss an opportunity to cut you off or fire a missile right up your clacker! The vast majority of the weapon pickups are front fire only, so if you are good enough to hit the lead, you had better hope the other racers are eating your dust because otherwise your stint at the front will probably be short lived.
Your probably thinking ‘if the game is that fast, there mustn’t be many bends’! But that is the thing, there are plenty! The game gets around this with the use of directional air brakes which are controlled with the left and right flippers. Using these does not reduce speed, so assuming your timing is immaculate you shouldn’t have to slow down unless the other racers put the hurt on you! It isn’t all smiles and smooth sailing though. If you touch the sides you not only lose speed, but your shields become less powerful and eventually you will blow up, nice hey?!
The graphics are fantastic on all levels. From the incredibly slick looking menus to the seamlessly animated racing sequences. The track design is quite straight forward, and can get a little repetitive, with most locations looking very similar. Having said that I really didn’t care, the game doesn’t just look cool, but it makes you feel cool. It’s like they have sampled a cross section of the neon circus from Tokyo central and crossed with a ‘Correscent’ futuristic reality. The addition of the blurring technique utilised in Need for Speed when you hit turbo makes a fantastic visual experience even more complete.
The music and sound are also exceptional. Effects and speech are very fitting to the visual environment, and the techno/electronic playlist fits perfectly with the game play. Of course if you have a different taste in music, never fear, the game has the capacity to upload your own MP3 tracks, so you can happily race away while listening to your favourite Barry Manilow songs! Yay!
Although the game is adorned with an abundance of positive attributes there are a few that hold it back from being complete. Firstly when you choose and continue using a vehicle you receive ‘loyalty’ points. As far as I can tell these points don’t really do anything. You would think they could be used for upgrades or the likes? Which brings me to my second point, there is no capacity for upgrade, so it is basically race after race in the same ship. Finally there isn’t any story line, basically you race through tracks with the only reward being unlocking new levels. As good as the game play is sometimes, after you finish a race , you do find yourself looking for a cut scene of some rival racer threatening to run you off the track or steal your girl or at the very least beat you down old school?!
In weighing up the negatives in comparison to the positives it is very easy to come to the conclusion that the game...........still completely rocks! It takes me back to a game I used to play on the PS1 called N2O which integrated incredibly fast game play with a brilliant soundtrack from the Crystal Method. I guess it comes down to one simple reality, if you want to feel and look cool while enjoying yourself and hopefully not having bouts of epilepsy definitely go out and buy this one!