Genre: Information/Explanation

Wipeout Pulse ( stylised as wipEout pulse ) is a futuristic racing video game developed by SCE Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable . It was first released in December 2007 in Australia and Europe , and in February 2008 in North America . A PlayStation 2 port was released exclusively in Europe in June 2009 . The game is the seventh instalment of the Wipeout series and serves as a sequel to Wipeout Pure . It takes place in 2198 and revolves around players competing in the FX400 anti-gravity racing league . The game was developed by Sony Studio Liverpool . Production was centred around focusing on the feedback left by fans regarding Wipeout Pure , and improving on aspects where the development team thought they had failed in with the predecessor . The game features sixteen licensed music tracks from techno artists , including Kraftwerk . Wipeout Pulse received positive reviews upon release . Critics praised the graphics and presentation , although some criticised the repetitiveness and hard difficulty . From left to right clockwise , the interface displays the number of laps , the teams of competing players , speedometer , shield strength , current playing song , and lap time . Wipeout Pulse is a racing game set in 2198 , one year after the events of Wipeout Pure . As with its predecessor , the game revolves around players competing in the FX400 anti-gravity racing league . Players pilot anti-gravity ships owned by racing corporations ( collectively refereed to as " teams " in-game ) . There are ten teams in Wipeout Pulse , with one ship available for each – although the player will have the ability to upgrade and change the appearance of their ships . Each ship has different characteristics ; depending on the team chosen , its ship will vary in terms of handling , speed , acceleration and shield strength . Every ship is equipped with an energy shield which will protect the player from damage sustained from weapons fire or colliding with walls , although energy is taken away if this happens . If the shield completely runs out , the ship will explode and the player will be eliminated from the race . In addition , the player's ship is equipped with air brakes which can be used for manoeuvring through difficult corners at high speed . The game features a number of weapons which can be utilised to destroy other opponents or for self-defence . Defensive weapons range from shields – which make the player's ship invulnerable to damage for a short period – to land mines and stationary bombs . Offensive weaponry vary from machine guns , missiles , plasma bolts , and a " quake " – which comes in the form of a devastating earthquake that will damage all opponents . The campaign mode features sixteen grids divided into cells , each containing a separate event which will vary from ordinary races to tournaments . Once the player finishes the event in a single cell , they will earn " completion points " needed to progress to the next grid . Clearing a cell will unlock additional cells adjoining it . Returning game modes from Wipeout Pure includes single races , tournaments , time trials , and the " Zone " mode , which involves the player's ship automatically accelerating to extreme speeds . A returning game mode from Wipeout 3 is " Elimination " , which revolves around a group of competitors attempting to destroy each other the quickest in a set amount of time . Wipeout Pulse was developed by Sony Studio Liverpool ( formerly known as Psygnosis ) . Colin Berry , the lead designer of the game , stated in an interview that the team had received a lot of positive feedback from Wipeout Pure , and was willing to use parts of the feedback to " help shape some elements of Pulse " . According to Berry , some people had felt that the previous game was too difficult ; the ships were considered too fast and the artificial intelligence ( AI ) too advanced , whereas others thought that the game was too easy and they wanted " something more challenging to keep them coming back " . The development team also took steps to decrease the feeling of repetition , which was often cited as one of the main complaints of Wipeout Pure . In addition , the team altered the game's difficulty settings so that players were given the choice to change the speed of the game at any time , in the event that they " got stuck " . Reflecting on this , Berry said : " We want the people who buy it , to see all the game , we do not want to lock them out " . During development , the team decided early on to focus on creating new content rather than bringing back old race tracks which were featured in previous Wipeout games . Berry , however , acknowledged that classic tracks " went down well " and sought out the possibility of introducing them through future downloadable content ( DLC ) . Berry stated that by the end of Wipeout Pure , Sony Studio Liverpool had designed almost 100 tracks as potentials to include in subsequent games , although the team were only satisfied with 32 of them . The remainder of the tracks were either disregarded or amalgamated into other games . Berry reflected that the tracks using the same 3D computer graphics software as its predecessor meant that certain repetition appeared and caused the team to " dry up on ideas " . The developers recognised that track design was an important aspect to the game , and also accepted the difficulty in designing a track that is both memorable and enjoyable . Berry felt concerned that the team were starting to repeat design features , and thus decided to create new variables to the track design : as a result of this , the team conceptualised the " mag strip " – a section of a track which would feature artificial gravity so that a player could safely circumnavigate loops , steep slopes , and upside down sections . After the release of Wipeout Pure on the PlayStation Portable , rumours circulated that a port was in development for the PlayStation 2 . In January 2009 , Sony issued a statement saying : " There are over 9.5 million PS2s in the UK and we will continue to support this large userbase with software on an ongoing basis " . The PlayStation 2 version was released exclusively in Europe in June 2009 , featuring enhanced graphics and all of the DLC . The game also features sixteen licensed music tracks in addition to customisable soundtracks from techno artists , including Kraftwerk , DJ Fresh , and Skream . The game received positive reviews upon release . It holds an average score of 82 per cent at Metacritic , based on an aggregate of 40 reviews . Critics unanimously praised the game's visuals and presentation . Jeff Haynes of IGN stated that the game was " Wipeout at its purest " , praising the visual presentation of the courses , cities , and other environments . Gabe Graziani of GameSpy thought the graphics were beautiful and also commended the design of the tracks . Eduardo Zacarias of GameZone stated that Wipeout Pulse was a " very visually pleasing game with some solid visual effects " , and also praised the detailed tracks and ships . A reviewer from Game Revolution considered the game's level of detail to the tracks and smooth framerate to be " staggering " on a handheld . The reviewer also praised the " meticulously constructed " backdrops and " incredibly styled " presentation . Guy Cocker of GameSpot said that the visuals were " superb " , though he thought that many aspects were similar to its predecessor , Wipeout Pure . A reviewer from Edge described the visuals as " even smoother , brighter , and sharper than Pure's " . The various aspects of gameplay were mostly praised , although some reviewers criticised the game's repetitiveness and difficulty . Tom Bradwell from Eurogamer praised the new " Elimination " mode , stating that it was initially " alarming " and frustrating , but admitted that it " grows to be rather good " . Cocker enjoyed the new tracks , the difficulty levels , and the promise of downloadable content , although he noted that it had not been made available in the United States at the time of his review . Game Revolution's reviewer surmised that Wipeout Pulse was a more refined version of Wipeout Pure , stating that despite all of the solid and reliable gameplay , the game did not revolutionise the series . Regarding general gameplay , Zacarias opined that Wipeout Pulse " does n't deliver " despite the variety in the game modes and " racetrack front " . Haynes similarly gave a negative opinion on the gameplay , stating that the repetition of tracks and balance of weapons for the AI was disappointing . Graziani criticised the game's difficulty , saying that it was " extremely challenging to the point of being impenetrable for the uninitiated " . Edge ' s reviewer described the game as simply another instalment of Wipeout .