Oct 18, 2007

We've already seen WipEout HD and brought you our first impressions. But now we've got the preview version in the office and it's looking ace. So ace, in fact, we thought you'd like to see it, so we've put together a video showing the best bits from the two tracks we've been given access to.

It's true, it runs in 1080p and at 60fps. It's sharp, solid and arcade-smooth and although these low-speed race tiers can feel a bit sluggish, when you get up to speed with a booster, it's quite the adrenaline rush - a taste of things to come. The ships look like they're actually made of metal, the animated aspects of the backgrounds (of which there will be more) are mesmerising, and the undulating nature of the tracks is classic WipEout.

The game structure currently seems very similar to WipEout Pulse, with a honeycomb-like grid system that you can colour in with the hue of the medal you earn in each cell. Our version only had four slots in it and they were all straight races, so we couldn't show you zone or hot lap, if indeed they will be present in the final game. Also, the base code may be shared between PSP's Pulse and PS3's HD, but the PS3 version does seem to have a more noticeable sensation of weight as you turn and hit things. Have a look at the vid and see what you think, then why not head over to the forum  to discuss it?

Above: This screenshot is 402 lines high. WipEout HD is 1,080 lines high. Pictures literally can't do it justice