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Wipeout Pure

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Wipeout Pure (stylised as WipE'out PṳrE) is a 2005 game in the Wipeout series of games for the PlayStation Portable. It is the sixth installment in the Wipeout series, and the first one to be developed for the PSP. The game was released simultaneously with the release of the PlayStation Portable during its North American launch. The game takes place in the year 2197, one century after Wipeout 2097.

Gameplay and Background[]

FX300

Official logo of the FX300 Anti-Gravity Racing League

The developers expressed a desire to return to the handling of Wipeout 2097, while also make various changes to the track design. Most notably, the pit lane for recharging shields is removed, with players instead being able to replenish energy by absorbing the weapon in possession. In addition, players can perform barrel rolls, converting a portion of shield energy into temporary speed boost, similar to how the Hyperthrust in Wipeout 3 works. The airbrake mechanics have also been refined, with ships now able to perform sideshifts. The return to the style of past games and streamlining of the gameplay makes up the "pure" essence of Pure.

Wipeout Pure uses the Wi-Fi feature of the PSP for multiplayer gameplay. The added features of the European version as compared to the US version of the game has unfortunately caused the two versions to be incompatible for the purpose of Wi-Fi multiplayer.

The game also features a Single Player mode similar to that of Wipeout 3, being essentially a Campaign mode of some sort. The player progresses through the game by accumulating unique gold medals across Single Player game modes. Each unique gold medal acquired increases the player's in-game ranking, starting from Rookie to Purist, and unlocks new game content such as tracks and ships, in addition to concept art that can be viewed in the Progress section of the Profile menu.

The game introduces players to the FX300 Racing League, announced 25 years after the sport came to an abrupt end as a result of a controversy that led to a hiatus for nearly 15 years. It also introduces two new teams to the series, each from very contrasting backgrounds: Harimau, an Asian humanitarian organization which started operating in 2177; and Triakis, an arms-manufacturing conglomerate which looked to Anti-Gravity racing to exhibit their products. The league takes place in the man-made island of Makana in Hawaii.

Downloadable Content[]

Main article: Downloadable Content

Wipeout Pure was the first PSP title to support downloadable content including extra ships, tracks, and artwork free of charge via the Internet. Packs of downloadable content were made available every month for six months.

Due to differences between the available regional versions, all downloadable content packs are region-locked, i.e. can only be used on a specified regional version, and are thus not cross-compatible.

Region Differences[]

To compensate for the delay of the launch in Europe, both for the PSP and its games, Studio Liverpool added a few new features to the European version. The European version of Wipeout Pure supports game sharing (via the Wipeout Pure option in the teasers menu), which means that someone with the European version of Wipeout Pure can send the demo version over Wi-Fi to other PSP owners who do not have Wipeout Pure. This gives the ability to have a multiplayer race with up to 8 players with only one copy of the game, though only demo tracks can be used.

Other exclusive features include the playable demo for Fired Up and a MediEvil movie demo. The Fired Up demo also supports game sharing for multiplayer with up to 7 friends who don't have Pure or Fired Up, but only on the "Junkyard" and "Arctic" levels. Finally, the European release contains four exclusive tracks and ships available via download, released under the name of the Omega League.

The US version is a bit different in that it features no further additional download packs after the release of the Delta packs. To make up for this, those with a US version of the game are able to unlock hidden downloadable content packs by accessing the "Secret Packs" screen in the Downloads menu.

Apart from the US, European, and Japanese versions, each with their own download packs, there are two more versions: a Korean version with downloadable content support but no available downloads yet, and an Asian version which has no download feature.

Rankings[]

Further information: Ranking in Wipeout Pure
Ranking Unique Gold Medal Count
Rookie 0-11
Trainee 12-23
Amateur 24-35
Geek 36-47
Enthusiast 48-59
Addict 60-71
Veteran 72-83
Master 84-95
Ace 96-107
Guru 108-119
Junkie 120-131
Legend 132-143
Purist 144+

The gold medal requirement for the Purist ranking is equal to the total number of unique gold medals that can be acquired in the base game without any DLC.

Tracks[]

The artificial island of Makana.

Artwork of the island of Makana
Source: wipeoutpure.com

In similar conditions to Wipeout 3, all tracks featured in Wipeout Pure (except the Classic 2 and Omega Leagues) are located on one location, in this instance the man-made island of Makana in Hawaii.

Base game tracks:

Expansion tracks (available as DLCs):

NOTES:

  • The order of tracks for the Descension Tournament is the reverse of the Ascension Tournament order, with Gamma League tracks in-between the Ascension Tournament tracks.
  • For some reason, the order of tracks for the Delta Tournament is not in the exact order as the list of Delta League tracks.
  • The Delta tracks are sponsored by Puma in the European version. A unique layout of Khara Descent is sponsored by Sci-Fi (now known as "Syfy") via DLC pack.
  • In the Japanese version, the Delta tracks are sponsored by Coca-Cola in Khara Descent and Iridia. Koltiwa, however, is sponsored by WIRE05.
  • All four base game Classic League tracks are unlocked by accumulating unique gold medals. Classic League 2 tracks are unlocked by simply downloading and installing them.
    • Tracks in these Leagues lack the additional routes that were once used as pitlanes in the older games. This is because of the introduction of the weapon absorption mechanic.
    • In Classic League, all ships look more digital than their original counterparts, regardless of what livery is being used. In Classic League 2 however, ships retain their original designs (including alternative liveries if applicable). The weapon and explosion effects in both Classic Leagues are all pixelated, and the sounds of both the ships and the weapons are digitized.
  • The Omega tracks are only available in the European version.

Teams[]

Main contestants of the FX300 AG Racing League:

Expansion teams (available as DLCs):

Bonus Ships[]

These special ships are unique in that they are practically privateer racers who do not represent any existing team in the game. Each of them becomes playable under certain circumstances. Note that the Zone ship is not used by AI opponents in races, even after unlocked.

Weapons[]

Offensive[]

  • Missile
  • Rockets
  • Plasma
  • Quake

Disruptive[]

  • Disruption Bolt

Defensive[]

  • Mines
  • Bomb
  • Shield

Assistive[]

  • Turbo
  • Autopilot

Music[]

In addition, there are two extra soundtracks that are played outside of gameplay only:

  • Paul Hartnoll - "Boot Up" (Intro music)
  • Röyksopp - "Curves" (Menu music)

There are also a number of additional soundtracks available via DLC packs:

  • CoLD SToRAGE - "Cairodrome" (Classic Pack)
  • CoLD SToRAGE - "Canada" (Classic Pack)
  • CoLD SToRAGE - "Messij" (Classic Pack)
  • CoLD SToRAGE - "Operatique" (Classic Pack)
  • Takkyu Ishino - "Jingle WIRE05" (WIRE05 Pack [JP])
  • Akira Ishihara - "Breaking the Ice" (Continue Pack [JP])
  • Akira Ishihara - "Open the P.A." (Continue Pack [JP])
  • Oblivion Records - "Disconnect" (Oblivion Music Pack [EU])
  • Oblivion Records - "Reminiscence" (Oblivion Music Pack [EU])
  • Oblivion Records - "Butterfly Effect" (Oblivion Music Pack [EU])
  • McQueen - "Leave Me Dead" (A7 Music Pack [EU])
  • Inner Mantra - "How Can This be Fair" (A7 Music Pack [EU])
  • Fightclub - "Bleed on Me" (A7 Music Pack [EU])
  • Machines Wielding Weapons - "Flashback" (A7 Music Pack [EU])
  • Voice of Cod - "Bakelite Satellite" (Voice of Cod Music Pack [EU])
  • Voice of Cod - "Bubbles of Nothing" (Voice of Cod Music Pack [EU])
  • Exit 15 - "Come Shot" (Exit 15 Pack [EU])

Finally, an official soundtrack album was released through Distinct'ive Records. It contained almost all non-DLC soundtracks, except for Goldrush, Black Jack 3, Kinection, The System and Curves. In addition, it contained 3 previously unreleased tracks by Distinct'ive. These were:

Reception[]

Critical reception of the game has generally been positive with many reviewers calling it one of the best PSP launch titles. GameSpot gave the game a score of 8.8/10 saying Wipeout Pure was, "easily one of the best-looking PSP launch games." It noted its gorgeous visuals and good selection of tracks. GamePro gave the game a 4.5/5 in "fun factor" noting the "breathtaking graphics" and well done soundtrack.[1] IGN liked the game's overall presentation, graphics and sound, giving the game a 9.3/10.[2] The only noted criticism of the game was some subtle framerate issues mentioned both by IGN and GameSpot's reviews.

Trivia[]

  • The AG Systems FX300 ship appears as the cover ship of the game, in the intro movie (albeit in a plain white livery) and in the loading screens. In other regions, it uses its alternate livery and is joined with the FEISAR (in the US version) and even the Assegai (in the Japanese version).
  • This is the second of the three games in the series to be set completely in one primary location as opposed to having racetracks in different countries all over the world, the first being Wipeout 3 and, later on, Wipeout 2048, although chronologically, the FX300 was the most recent league in the history of the sport to be set in a single location, in this instance, the Hawaiian island of Makana. This does not include any Classic League tracks, however.
    • Lore-wise, judging by the art style of Classic League tracks, it is likely that these tracks were recreated under a digital simulation environment (much like the Zone tracks), and that the actual tracks were either abandoned, converted or demolished.
  • This is the first game in the series to:
    • Feature alternate ship liveries, though they are limited to the eight base game roster teams.
    • Introduce barrel rolling, sideshifting, and weapon absorption, the latter of which eliminated the necessity of the pitlanes.
      • However, lore-wise, all these methods were used all the way back during the AGRC. It is currently unexplained why all these functions have been retired afterwards, only to be reintroduced in the FX300 League.
  • This is the only game in the series to feature ships from "privateer" teams.
  • This is the last game in the series to:
    • Feature the Vector speed class.
    • Have disruptive weapons, though only one of such a kind.
    • Use a dedicated Zone ship, as later titles have Zone ships sponsored by competing teams.
  • This game, along with Fusion, are the only games in the series to feature unlockable concept art. Some concept art images are carried over from Fusion.
    • Likewise, the game's race start sequence uses "Ready... GO!!!", like in Fusion, instead of the traditional "3... 2... 1... GO!!!" in previous titles.
  • Pure seems to have the most partnerships with brands/services, such as Coca-Cola (Japan only), Puma, GamesRadar+ and Syfy (formerly known as "Sci-Fi" at the time of the game's release). These sponsorships do not appear in the North American version.
  • The North American version seems to have the most number of crossovers of PlayStation franchises through ships. Besides MediEvil (standard with all versions), there are two other crossovers unique to the North American version, namely SOCOM (Guardian and Patriot ships) and Jak and Daxter (Daxtinator and Havenzoomer ships).
  • The European version of the game is notable for being the game in the series with the most abundant amount of content, with a total of 20 playable ships and 20 downloadable UI skins.
    • This version also has the largest number of racetracks in a single Wipeout title, with a total of 32 individual layouts, including Zone tracks and the Europe-exclusive Omega League tracks, though none of them are reversible.
    • This version also has the largest and most diverse soundtracks in any Wipeout title to date, with DLC music tracks featuring underground rock, hip-hop, lounge and more (thanks in part to the A7 Music Pack and the Pure Urban packs). The European version's soundtrack features a total of 51 soundtracks that can be used in gameplay, though Pure Urban packs are only available in certain countries in Europe.
  • Collectively, there are 27 unique ships, 33 UI skins (including the two base game skins), 36 racetracks (including promotional reskins), 54 soundtracks (including those from Pure Urban packs) and 359 concept art images across all versions.
  • There are balance issues and exploits regarding the mechanics of weapon pads, the use of Bombs (remaining active until hit) and Quakes (can be fired backwards) on at least four tracks in the European version of the game (Sinucit, Citta Nuova, Cardcity Run and Paris Hair, all on Phantom class with the team of your choice) that allow one to eliminate all the AI opponents on the track.
  • Framerate issues can cause barrel rolls to be very difficult to perform. This issue remains unfixed in Wipeout Pulse.
  • Wipeout Pure was said to be responsible for the emergence of the PSP homebrew scene, as the game's content download feature had an integrated HTML web browser, and was exploited using DNS redirection to run unsigned code.
  • It is now possible to install all available regional downloadable content into the game regardless of the regional version of the game. To do so, one has to disable the signature check using the cwcheat. However, this can only be done on a modified PlayStation Portable device with custom firmware, or on specific PSP emulators such as PPSSPP.

References[]

  1. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20050313191545/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psp/games/reviews/42989.shtml
  2. ↑ http://psp.ign.com/articles/597/597359p3.html


All Wipeout Games
1990s: WipEout • 2097/XL • 64 • Wip3out
PS2/PSP: Fusion • Pure • Pulse
PS3/Vita: HD (Fury) • 2048
PS4: Omega Collection
Mobile: Merge
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