Fast-paced, psychedelic, and worth every penny
For newcomers to the series Wipeout is a futuristic racer that has always pushed the limits of frame-rate capabilities of each console it has blessed with its presence. According to Wipeout the future is a psychedelic techno-noir type of culture with high-speed racing craft that 'hover' over the track where the only applicable rules are 'get to the finish line first'. For veterans of the series don't hesitate a second to get this game!
The graphics in this game are truly amazing. The detail given to tracks and ships truly show a lot of love went into developing this game. Add the high speed frame-rate and the feeling of speed you can get from this experience is absolutely amazing. Some of the speeds you will be achieving will manage to make you shift right and left on your couch with (according to my wife) 'the most focused and silly look on your face'.
As important as it is, speed is not the only aspect of this game. Weapons available make it much more interesting and Fury throws in a few "weapon oriented" races where the emphasis is on dealing the most amount of damage to your opponents rather than just finishing first. The variety available from race types will keep this game fresh and break the routine not making this game seem to repetitive.
As mentioned above the graphics take your senses above and beyond where they have ever been. I would also like to point out something truly revolutionary in this game; never in my gaming experience have I experienced a racing game where the graphics are intertwined with the music! The tracks pulsate with light (in the Zone type of races) with the beat from the heavy acid house tracks that come with the game. The experience of this is better seen than explained. Better yet the option is available to use your own playlists from mp3's you might have stored in your PS3 drive.
The learning curve for newcomers, it will take an hour or so to get used to this game, the controls are logical but getting accustomed to the 'feel' of your craft takes some time. Once you are familiar though, you will come to appreciate how tight the controls are. This is a big help as the AI racers are by no means easy no matter what difficulty you choose.
Did I mention this game has online racing available? Special online badges and trophies are available whenever you feel like you need to test the reflexes of another human player in this futuristic racer.
While this is not the type of game you can play for long stretches of time (unless you have nerves of steel and fiber-optic fast reflexes) it is a great pick-up and play game or an 'in-between games' game to add to your library. And at 20 dollars either at your game store or on the PSN network, this game is worth every cent you pay for it.