It’s time to move things into the near future this week as we take a look at WipEout 2048. It does seem that Vita games are pretty popular in our polls, and WipEout 2048 is one that deserves at least a little attention. A prequel to the rest of the WipEout series, it shows the early years of anti-grav racing, and hints at the evolution that will lead to the later WipEout games. Of course if you’re taking part hopefully you already knew all of that; if you didn’t, I’d try paying attention more.
The portable prequel was well received by us, with Al scoring the game at 8/10 in our review of the game. His particular highlight would seem to be the game’s sound design, heaping praise on it.
“Through headphones,” he writes, “2048 has the ability to force a ridiculous grin – turn it up and the bastardisation of Star Wars’ pod racers and modern-day 800bhp open wheelers is an absolute delight; through a decent amplifier it’s astounding.” It really does seem that the now sadly defunct Studio Liverpool really poured attention here, proving just how good sound design can bolster a product.
Graphically though the game’s no slouch, even if it is, as Alex notes, “running at half the frame rate of [WipEout] HD.” Despite this, he was impressed by “rich, believable graphics that hold solid even under the close proximity of the photo mode,” although did point out that “When the screen is full of weapon trails and on the higher speeds it’s never quite smooth enough.”
That 8/10 score indicates there were likely a few other niggles, and it seems that chief amongst them was the game’s load times. 50 seconds to load a level does seem rather excessive, particularly on a platform that you may only be playing for a short burst. Al also complained of “a wilfully awkward difficulty curve that pitches some bizarre curveballs the further you delve into the campaign,” something that can mar any game.
Overall though it’s safe to say that Alex’s time with the game was enjoyable. Here’s what he had to say when wrapping up his review:
WipEout’s lovely. Yes, the loading times are a problem (but hopefully due to be fixed a little with a patch) and some of the track design needed smoothing out a touch, but overall it stands as a showcase for a new console that’s only matched by the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Do everyone a favour and make sure this is part of your day one bundle, if you’re a fan of the series then this is absolutely fantastic stuff.
Now, as always, it’s time to open things up to you. What were your thought on the origins of anti-grav racing? Was it worth your money, or did you regret buying it afterwards? Al cited the Sol mode as a huge plus for the game, was it something that appealed to you or did you avoid it?
No matter where your opinion falls, you can share it by dropping a comment below. You’ve got till Sunday to get it in, and once you’ve written it remember that you need to attach a rating from the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It, Avoid It scale.
charliec.95
This was the second game I got for my Vita (after Rayman), and it’s easily my most played game on the system. Having played the PSP games but not the PS3 ones, the frame rate issue didn’t bother me at all, with the graphics easily being the best on the system. While the campaign could have been longer, the newly released DLC should solve that! A definite buy from me.
bigbaldwolf
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 onthe 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
AbsolutelyClam
This was the system-seller for me because it’s such a perfect display of the Vita’s tech overall, and a fun, quick game to do it with. That said, I’m a sucker for a good futuristic race game- the Extreme G, F-Zero and Wipeout franchises have always been among my favorite games.
Objectively speaking, the game has great replay value- but only if you’re into the gameplay style. If racing the same 10 tracks in varying modes isn’t something appealing to you, you won’t want to buy it, it’ll be worth a rent. If that’s something that does appeal to you though, it’s well worth the buy, ESPECIALLY with the Cross Buy DLC from Wipeout HD/Fury.
My only complaints in regards to the game are the frame-rate inconsistencies that crop up occasionally and the lack of a “Racebox” style feature where a player could create their own races in single or multiplayer modes. Overall, I can’t recommend the game to someone that doesn’t like racing games, especially with the difficulty curve this game (and series) exemplifies. But I think for a race-game fan (like myself), it’s definitely a Buy It.