Without testing the online campaign mode, it’s difficult to rate it, but it certainly looks set-up to offer some of the most intense and competitive WipEout racing to date. The whole game seems geared around competition and even before players start a single player campaign event they’re reminded of the highest scores on the global leaderboards.ĭespite the long loading times (typically 50 seconds before each track) and the excruciating learning curve for non-pros, WipEout 2048 offers a tactically exciting, rewarding and challenge campaign mode with some gloriously-designed tracks and nice variety of events. A news channel, adhoc and cross-platform play, and an online mode with 20 campaign levels should really serve the WipEout community very well. Ive heard a lot of talk of a few ships being overpowered in 2048 (namely Feisar and Ag-Systems speed) with most ships found not viable at least on A+, particularly the heavier ships.
While hardcore WipEout fans will relish the challenge, ‘noobs’ may well get frustrated.Īway from the single player campaign, WipEout looks to really excel in multiplayer, which we haven’t played due to servers being offline at time of writing. 4th and 5th /r/WipEout tournament tournament champion. Consequently, it’s quite a punishing campaign mode, particularly in the mid-to-latter stages. One wrong turn, a miss of a speed boost, or ill-judged corner can throw players from the front to the back of the pack in a split second. This allows players to think strategically and adapt their tactics on the fly, perhaps opting for defensive power-ups when at the front of the pack, and offensive weapons when playing catch-up.Īnd thinking about when to unleash power-ups is crucially important because the A.I. These power-ups are colour-coded on the track and feature the likes of cannons and mines, shields and autopilot, as well as returning favourites such as the Plasma and Quake. Driving aids are split up into two distinct offensive and defensive classes. While the rear touchpad can be used to thrust, players can tilt the screen to move around the track and tap on icons on screen to absorb and fire pick-ups.ĭuring the races there’s plenty to think about. Vita offers a few control methods, and though most players will probably stick to the analog stick for steering, bumpers for air-braking and action buttons for absorbing and firing pick-ups, the ‘tilt and turn’ controls work extremely well too. Having the prominent analog sticks of Vita to control the pitch of the ships and guide them around the tracks brings it more in line with the console experience and makes maneuvering craft more streamlined than the superb WipEout Pulse on PSP. On the track, familiar game features, such as barrel rolls, ramp jumps and air-braking around tight corners, feel timeless and just as exciting as ever, while the control scheme is extremely intuitive.
Alongside standard race events, where players are encourage to out-speed and out-smart opponents, there are also combat events, with the aim of destroying rival ships, zone events, with the idea being that players need to survive as long as possible on a track without smashing their craft to pieces on the course.