Wipeout 2048 Review

Game: Wipeout 2048
System: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
Developer: SCE Studio Liverpool
Release date: February 22, 2012


Pros: Gorgeous graphics, outstanding track design, multiplayer XP done right
Cons: Long loading times


It's always bad news when a video game studio closes its doors, but it's especially troubling when a company shuts down following an amazing game. Such is the case with Studio Liverpool, which was closed by Sony in August 2012, a few months after the release of Wipeout 2048, a superior racing game and one of the best Vita titles on the market.

Wipeout 2048 is the latest in the long-running futuristic racing series. It takes place early in the series' fictional chronology; it follows the first three seasons of "Anti-Gravity Racing Championships," a new sporting event that has yet to reach maturity. The single-player campaign is divided into three seasons: 2048, 2049, and 2050. In each season are three types of events: normal races, combat events, time trials, and zone events. Normal races are exactly as they sound: outrace and outlast your opponents. Combat events are an entirely new type of mode that awards points based on attacks against opposing racers. Time trials ask players to speed around each track in record time. And zone events challenge players to circle a specific track again and again as the speed class gradually rises.

One of several futuristic tracks in Wipeout.

So there's a healthy amount of diversity in the single-player mode, including events that require quick reflexes and strategic thinking. But it wouldn't mean much without good mechanics and physics, and superior track design. Luckily, Wipeout 2048 doesn't disappoint in these all-important areas. The controls in the game are responsive and reliable; the ships, which fall into several categories, respond realistically to collisions, speed boosts, and the unstoppable laws of physics. And the tracks are well-constructed, with plenty of shortcuts, twists, and turns. The tracks in Wipeout 2048 -- indeed the whole game -- follow the golden rule of video games: easy to learn, impossible to master.

Players can deploy offensive and defensive weapons during races.

Once players conquer the first three seasons of Wipeout, they can move on the the multiplayer campaign. Unlike traditional multiplayer modes, the multiplayer in Wipeout is filled with dozens of nodes, each with a specific objective, for example: finish first and hit one opponent with an attack. Completing each objective will earn the player experience points and unlock more nodes. Players of all skill levels can complete; the system doesn't unfairly reward veteran racers.

There are dozens of hours of enjoyment in Wipeout 2048, in single-player mode and in multiplayer. Even after events have been completed, players can return to each one for an "elite pass," which is awarded when players pass a certain threshold. There is so much to admire in Wipeout 2048 -- from the glossy graphics to the thumping music to the inventive and well-designed tracks. It's a crime that Studio Liverpool's reward for such a triumph is closure.