Striking similarities between Scientology and Wipeout Pure: mere coincidences? or conspiracy?

I remember being a little squirt playing the Wipeout demo on the Playstation over and over again, bearing through all the unnecessary loading that comes with demo discs–it was that impressive. Mind-blowing speed, the dramatic battling for first, and unique tracks all helped make Wipeout one of the icons of modern gaming. But Wipeout went the way such as Tom Cruise is now going, and it makes you ashamed to admit you were a fan. I don’t know if it was because of the overload, it stopped being fun, or Xenu and the clams. Take your pick of whose downfall I’m referring to. After a noticeable absence though, Wipeout has returned in it’s purest form to bring racing bliss to the PSP. I’m not entirely sure why this game is so brilliant compared to it’s predecessors; it’s still the same old Wipeout. It’s still break-neck speeds and fierce combat on extreme courses. The only difference is it’s now handheld.

“Pure” or “Clear,” eh… close enough Tom

I think the reason for this version’s success lies in it’s relentless attention to the concept of purity. The intro video, menus, controls, music, and… oh the racing all make you feel like a real competitor in the futuristic FX300 racing league. Every developer out there should take note on how important atmosphere is to a games success: the previous games did nothing different concerning gameplay, but they weren’t even close to making such an impact as Pure has. But I never claimed the music was good. Think what you will of me, but I’m pretty sure music of the future will mature beyond electronica’s current belief that it can be rhythmless without being painful to listen to. Yuck. Rhythm is not just a fad guys, it’s here to stay.

Levels and Free Zones

I’m talking about the levels of difficulty and the race mode “Zone”, not Scientology–I swear. This game is truly unique for me because it’s one of only a few that I just cannot beat. The first three race classes I can handle relatively well, but the 4th and 5th difficulty settings are impossibly hard! I guess this is a nice change, but disappointing that I will never finish it. And the ever-increasing-speed Zone mode and some of the time trial races are just too difficult and frustrating. I’m not totally disappointed though because the only reward you get is a concept drawing for each track and mode in which you finish first.

Scientology versus the Internet

One very important aspect of Pure (but is no longer as important) is its connectivity. With a wi-fi connection, you can download new tracks and ships for free! I love new content, but the best part of it was you could hack the settings to allow use of the simplistic browser for the World Wide Web! Before this became a standard feature of the PSP’s operating system, this game was the only way to do that. Plus, multiplayer capabilities are given through ad hoc mode, but sadly not also through infrastructure mode. I probably would play this game a lot more if there were dedicated servers so I could play anyone at any time.

It’s great to see Wipeout in the spotlight again, and any PSP library would be incomplete without it. I only wish they would’ve done more. Customizable ships maybe? or a custom soundtrack would be awesome! I’ll always have a soft spot for this series, but I hope the developers realize the next installment needs to be groundbreaking lest they’ll be jumping back into their old pit of despair–and Mr. Cruise isn’t a very good roommate. I give Wipeout Pure 3 hair-brained stars out of 5.