WipEout™ HD

Future perfect

A new generation of anti-gravity racing comes to PlayStation 3; find out how WipEout HD shapes up.

Anticipation for the first WipEout title on PlayStation 3 was always going to be high. A PlayStation stalwart since its PS one launch, WipEout offers one of the purest, most exhilarating racing experiences out there and its PS3 debut via PlayStation Store is no exception.

Whether negotiating the deadly chicanes of Sebenco Climb or the gravity defying drops and rises of Metropia, WipEout HD takes the best elements of this acclaimed series to PS3. Hurtling around futuristic tracks at speeds of up to 793km/h WipEout HD is an anti-gravity racing, thrill ride.

Following on from WipEout Pulse on PSP, WipEout HD features many of the same innovations as its portable cousin. Race Campaigns for instance are now based around the new Grid system. Winning doesn't simply lead to the next race anymore but instead unlocks the surrounding events on the Grid, while points earned unlock further Race Campaigns. With each Grid consisting of a variety of events, you can pick and choose what to play in order to advance.

Grid challenges range from Single Races and Tournaments to Time Trials and Zone racing, where your craft continues to accelerate at ever greater speeds through the four speed classes, Venom, Flash, Rapier, Phantom - and beyond.

WipEout HD also makes use of the new Mag-Strip track element. Mag-Strips are sections of the circuit where your ship is clamped down to the track, preventing you from falling and enabling the tracks to twist, invert and loop upside down, defying the laws of physics. Each track is also available to race either clockwise or anticlockwise.

Like its forerunners WipEout HD would be somewhat bereft of soul if it were not for the music. Its move to PS3 however has opened the door, as you can now play your own music in WipEout. Before starting a game all you need do is go to the Music folder of your PS3 Home Menu and create a playlist of your favourite songs on your hard drive.

If music is the soul, multiplayer racing is the heart of WipEout. Signing into PlayStation Network via WipEout HD lets you take part in or host races for up to eight players online; while the racebox feature lets you arrange a series of gruelling races for you and a friend in either vertical or horizontal split screen depending on your preference.

Photo Mode lets you really explore the stunning new visuals PS3 has made possible. When moving so fast it is easy to take the fluid visual style of this game for granted. It is only when you stop the action that you can truly admire the level of detail that has gone into every ship and track.

Entering Photo Mode lets you save your exploits to your Photo folder on your PS3 Home Menu. Aperture, focus, exposure, saturation can all be adjusted, as can camera angle, zoom and so on, enabling future sports photographers to capture the perfect racing moments seen in this deadly sport.

WipEout HD continues the legacy of its predecessors, bringing one of the most exhilarating and fast-paced racing experiences to PS3. For its stylish look and feel, and intense, competitive racing you will need to go a long way to beat WipEout.