WipEout HD (PS3)

strange rating... a few things that you didn't like are plain subjective and the rest is like "great" - so this is 73/100? whatever...

Poor nintendo fankid you are son.

73-100 is 13 above average. It is also a strong recommendation in copy for the gamer who appreciates WipEout games (hence the history lesson from Gavin at the top). Gavin, by the way, is a longtime fan of the IP. He's also more than aware of its development/evolution and expressed that.

In terms of 'plain subjective'; it's a review of a piece of creative work experienced subjectively. The idea that any game review (or film or music or literature review) isn't subjective is immediately flawed. At best we can strive for objectivity - e.g. "The fact that the control system in NewBigGame is based on a single-button excluding all other aspects of the joypad, is a flaw" - but that's about as far as it goes.

All that said - at least you've bothered to read the review rather than simply referring to the score. Any chance you - and other readers - would like to post up how you think 1-100 review scores should break down?

All the best

Tim

Jesus Tim! Learn to count you idiot!

It's 23 above average!

Fool!

Tim

1080p and 60fps alone is more than 13 above average. your site ist more below average dude

next dumbass that cant count! obviously it is(t) a german one. rofl

50 is average of 1-100 but doesnt eman its the average review score of all games entire universe

THink average review score on average is 75% therefore this game is a below average game.

To be fair averages are so useless.

Hi guys. Just so you know, I'm the reviewer. Thanks for all your feedback.

For the record, I'm a big fan of WipEout games, that's why I got HD to review in the first place. I have played all of them, I even still own Wip3out and WipEout Fusion, widely regarded as the "worst" or "hardest" of the series depending on your POV.

A few reasons why the score is lower than you lot seem to have expected;

Even though I enjoyed the game and did reasonably well with it in the time I had to review it (I posted some top-10 times and scores on the reviewers' network leader boards), I can put myself into the place of other people who won't enjoy it as much.

SPOnG has many readers who either don't like WipEout or have never tried it, they will have a hard time liking HD without turning on the pilot assist function, which is basically cheating :-)

For those that love WipEout and have a PSP, you'll have played all of the tracks in WipEout HD when you played Pure and Pulse, but the Eliminator game mode has been removed.

So basically we've got a re-worked PSP game with some features removed and some additional tweaks that isn't very accessible to new players. On that basis, I had to give the game a lower score than I would have otherwise done.

SPOnG takes the view that 50% is an average game, nothing special, but playable, you wouldn't hate someone who gave you it as a gift even if you wouldn't buy it yourself. WipEout HD is a must buy for some of you, but others will hate it, so a mid-70s percentage is right by our scoring guidelines. If it was as excellent a game, but with much wider appeal, it would be in the 80s or even 90s.

If you love WipEout, you'll love HD, go and buy it now and enjoy it, even if you've played the PSP versions. If you hate WipEout, this game won't change your mind. If you're unsure, play it at a friend's house, you might really like it, but you'll have to give it some time.

So by that reckoning, any graphics whore tech demo with bugger all gameplay is deserving of "13 above average". Yeah, that;'s what games are all about.

I played Wipeout HD for a couple of rounds, and personally I wouldn't have given it 73 - it's really not that far above average. I know what you may be thinking; "a few rounds isn't enough to pass judgement!". Well, with a game like Wipeout HD, I think it probably is. Let's face it, it's hardly like there's some emergent gameplay in there, right? Seriously, the game shows no clear evolution over its predecessors is the gameplay department. The whole weapon pickup aspect continues to be a joke - you can only carry one randomly gifted weapon, and once it's gone it's gone. You can't stockpile and select a weapon for a given set of circumstances so, with s**t moving around so fast, you may as well just shoot the bolt and see what pointless weapon you get next.

I played the demo of Fatal Inertia a few weeks ago and the weapon aspect was much more entertaining and integral to the gameplay.

Wipeout needs to either embrace its weapons or ditch them.

McE - you're missing the point. Completely.

How different was the gameplay in GTA4 from its predecessor? Or Halo 2 from the original? Or MGS4 from 2 or 3? If it aint broke, you don't fix it.

When I download WipEout, the last thing I want is "Emergent Gameplay". I want WipEout, in all its 1080p 60fps glory. And please, do not even mention Fatal Inertia in the same breath - it's in a different postcode.

73% is comfortably the lowest score this game has received anywhere on the net. We're all entitled to our opinions I guess - mine just happens to be that Spong has scored this waaaaaaaaaaaaay low...

Subsitute "WipEout HD" with "Halo 2" and "The PSP Versions" with "Halo". If you loved the first, you'll love the sequel. But if you didn't like the first one, I have to mark this one down as you're bound not to like it.

By your logic, every sequel should get a 73%, despite the merits of the game itself. Bizarre.

In my opinion, the whole Halo series is overrated, but never mind.

At least Halo 2 added game play elements, it didn't take them away. It added new levels, it didn't reuse the ones from the original Halo. It was a true sequel that moved the series on.


No, that's only true if you twist my words to fit your argument. Many sequels add a lot to the series, they innovate the game play, they add levels and locations you haven't played before or they move the series forward in some other tangible way.

WipEout HD isn't a true sequel, it's a remake.

In fact, it's a remake with bits taken out.

In fact, it's a remake of a game that's difficult for new players to pick up, with bits taken out.

Personally I really like it. I downloaded it last night and was playing it until after midnight, replaying the races I'd completed on the review code. However, it's not new, it's not for everyone and it's not easy for new players to get into. Those factors have to affect the score.

Reviews aren't aimed at people who have already made up their mind. They aren't there to confirm your already made choice and make you feel good about it. They certainly aren't there to back-slap the latest most hyped game.

Reviews should be there to help everybody decide if they will like the game. You have to read the whole review to understand it, otherwise we'd just list game names and scores.

Put it this way; does me giving WipEout HD a score of 73% affect your enjoyment of the game?