Wipeout Omega Collection
Techno-future spaceship racing returns to your PS4 – but are there enough thrills in this box set of revamped speed-feasts to make us hungry for an all-new instalment?
There was once a game called Wipeout. It screamed into our homes in 1995 as a launch title for the original Playstation, assaulting our senses with its ridiculously fast-paced gameplay and techno soundtrack, and proved so popular that it spawned eight sequels.
The last two of these, Wipeout HD and Wipeout 2048, arrived in 2008 and 2012 respectively, but there the story ended… or at least, we thought it did. Sony has now bundled up those two titles, plus Wipeout HD’S Fury DLC, and remastered them for the PS4 and PS4 Pro. So can the Omega Collection bring back the glory days of zero-gravity racing?
For the uninitiated, the Wipeout games are futuristic arcade racers that see you whizzing through cityscapes in anti-gravity racers, shooting opponents with a variety of power-ups. Acceleration is on the cross button, while the triggers control air brakes; you grab powerups by flying over them, and that’s pretty much the basics covered. It’s not easy, however. Even in the first sections of the campaigns you’ll have to replay races to pass them, and if you want to get the elite pass or gold medal you’ll really have your skills tested.
Part of this is down to the combat, and the sheer aggression of the enemy ships. The regularity with which you get pummeled with all manner of attacks is going to be alarming to newcomers.
It can get very frustrating, and this is not the kind of racing game that ever lets you get too far ahead of your opponents. But it looks great, and still plays as well as you remember – just a bit harder than many will be used to in 2017.
Even though there isn’t really any new content, this is a huge collection of enjoyable racing moments with great multiplayer and split-screen options. With any luck this will get Wipeout to a whole new fanbase who, like us, will now be clamouring for a new, from-the-ground-up PS4 title. Make it happen, Sony. Adam Cook