WeView Verdict: WipEout 2048

I like the weeks when we get a lot of discussion in a WeView, and that happened right off the bat with WipEout 2048. It centred around Taylor Made, and the fact that they seem to have been relatively negative about games on WeView. This isn’t really something I’d noticed myself, but Taylor Made rather graciously accepted this and a reasonably long comment thread was sparked. I know this is a little off topic, but this genuinely is one of the things I love about TSA. Although the conversation started on WipEout, it quickly veered off into a broader discussion, with everyone remaining nice and civil. It really is lovely to see people discussing things in such a mature way.

Anyway, on to the game. LTG Davey was quick out of the gate, although wasn’t overly impressed with the game. They said that “despite quite enjoying the online component initially (and obviously being impressed by the visuals), it all became very samey after a couple of hours.” The game ultimately ended up serving as trade in credit for Unit 13, and LTG Davey wrapped things up by saying that “Theres nothing fundamentally wrong with WipEout, its just not all that engaging.”

Definetly more impressed with the game was AbsolutelyClam, who called it the Vita’s system seller and noted that it’s “such a perfect display of the Vita’s tech.” Whilst they found the game to have great replayability, they did note that you have to enjoy “the same 10 tracks in varying modes”, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. They also point out that “with the difficulty curve this game (and series)” has it’s really not for people who aren’t fairly hardcore racing fans.

Regular contributor Origami Killer also seemed reasonably impressed, saying that 2048 is the “only Wipeout game which I have liked.” So why was this the only one of the series that managed to sell itself to our discerning Heavy Rain fan? Well they felt that the “handling is a lot easier in this and the tracks feel easier to navigate around,” which certainly does make the game seem more appealing.

However, the game didn’t keep its grasp on him for very long, with Killer feeling that it “looks the same as any other wipeout” and calling it “nothing special”. Ultimately the game only stayed in his collection for a month, with complaints that the “single player was over too fast.”

I’ll round off your comments this week with another huge fan of the series, in the form of bigbaldwolf. They managed to sum up the game in a fairly succinct manner, so I’ll give you the whole comment:

This is the best handheld racer I have ever played. The racing is smooth and fast, there are a lot of challenges to complete and there is a lot to complete on the multiplayer side of it. The graphics are stunning and the OLED screen really helps to bring them out.

I would recommend this game in a heartbeat to anyone who wants a handheld racer on the Vita. This is a definite BUY IT

Now, onto the verdict. I counted thirteen votes this week, and three of them went to Rent It. Only one other category popped up, and that was Buy It, which won with a very comfortable ten votes.

As for this week’s poll, we lose the high flying WipEout and the low scoring Gears of War 3, which only picked up a single vote. Taking their place is a game I enjoyed at last year’s EGX, Ninja Gaiden 3, and the most recent game in the Need for Speed series, the run. Remember, voting closes at midnight tonight, so you don’t have long to get your choices in.