WIPEOUT OMEGA COLLECTION
PlayStation’s techno racer returns for the ride of our lives
Whether you were a seasoned videogaming veteran or barely big enough to hold the grey gamepad, 1995 was a long time ago. PS1 was the gateway to a whole new future: how fitting that it launched us face-first into it via anti-gravity racing title WipEout. Faster and fresher than a Listerine whippet, speeding hoverships around boobytrapped tracks to a wicked synth soundtrack was the epitome of modern cool. And wouldn’t you know it? Twenty-one years and several follow-up games later, itstillis. PlayStation to the core, WipEout’s blessed every single format since the brand’s launch with its truly timeless sci-fi style. It makes all kinds of sense to see it skid onto PS4 now – but with miles of neon-lit track and the glittering wings of our ship reflected in our eyes, it’s never looked quite so… WipEout. The simmering cyan exhaust trails and fluorescent HDR-powered light strips of the Omega Collection seem almost as if they were hand-tailored for the powerful PS4 Pro. This is, however, a 4K remaster. Sharp, crisp and glowing with impossible circuitry, one of over 26 reversible tracks (from PS3’s WipEout HD and expansion Fury alongside PS Vita’s 2048) hums under our vehicle’s thrusters.
We could float here forever making goo-goo eyes at the pretty lights, of course, but what really matters – as it always has done – is how those three laps feel. And when we shoot off the starting line and immediately sense the essential clout of a liquid 60 frames-per-second behind our twitchy strafing, we’re sold. The Amphesium of the Fury expansion is suddenly a blur of bleeding colour behind us as we hurtle over boost pads and air-brake into the first corner with i.
Yes, we do mean literally into it. The legendary racer is as demanding as ever, with a steering system so unique and ultra-responsive that getting settled into top-speed corner-cuddling takes some time. A flurry of sparks kicks up as we scrape ourselves along around the outside of the hairpin right turn. Readjusting our air brakes (and egos), we accelerate out with q while the AI whizzes past, taking the next corner more carefully. This time, p gracefully swings us around an anti-clockwise U-turn – as The Prodigy’s Invaders Must Die kicks into overdrive – with almost no loss of momentum. Breath’s another story.
RACE INVADERS
New to one of PlayStation’s most iconic franchises? Then welcome to the quintessential experience: techno and heightened pulse thundering in your ears. We’re slipping once again into the zen-like state of mind required for pitch-perfect play, neurons noticing the lines of mines up ahead and allowing us to skirt neatly past. In the interest of fairness, WipEout also gives us some explosives of our own. Zoom over an on-track power-up and useful weapons can be yours: we send blasts the way of opponents ahead with r, “absorbing” our next pickup with e in favour of clawing back the shield meter we’ve accidentally lost on the nastier bends.
Confident in our long-dormant, now-regained abilities, we select a four-star-speed ship with slightly reduced handling and opt for WipEout HD’s Sol 2 as our second racetrack. This is an error, and wise old WipEout reminds us: without barriers to correct some of our oversteer, we’re spinning into the abyss again and kicking ourselves for not choosing a more conservative ride for this fiendish course. Even the most infernal of speed demons should think tactically.
Mastering this racer has always been about a sublime focus, a nearclinical approach to memorising and perfecting. But as we zoom in on the menu’s newly-textured ship models – beautifully scuffed and grooved, battered by 21 years of love – it’s clear the raw thrill and dash of WipEout is still alive. PS4 contenders, prepare to be eliminated.