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Wipeout HD has had quite a long and varied development history. From it’s original roots of simply a better looking version of Wipeout to a full on remake, Wipeout HD has definitely got a story behind it and that’s without mentioning the delays due to epilepsy. Despite the pro-longed development and even longer delays Studio Liverpool have finally finished their baby and was it ever worth the wait.

Wipeout HD breaks up the action into different series with each one getting progressively harder with more tracks and upgrades. It’s simple stuff but the fact that their are tons and tons of challenges on offer really helps the games long term appeal. All the tracks are taken from Wipeout’s PSP outings, resulting in a total of eight tracks. So although their are tons of challenges you will be racing on the same tracks over and over again. Luckily there is a decent amount of modes from basic race and time trails to the innovative zone mode, that keep the action from becoming stale. Wipeout also has some stupendous track design even if you don’t really notice it at first.

One of the most interesting modes is called Zone. This mode consists of your anti-gravity vehicle’s acceleration being computer controlled. During the first few seconds you’ll be going at a slower speed but as time goes on your car gets progressively faster and faster until you eventually crash. The idea is to survive as long as possible and although this seems basic, the Audiosurf-esque presentation really makes this mode stand out. Everything in the game appears as one or maybe two colours while certain buildings and lights pulsate to the music.

Race modes and time trial modes act as they should with brilliant visuals for your weapons in race modes and a great way to display your ghost run in time trials. There is only really a problem with the latter because the game forces you to hit every boost pad to actually achieve a gold. While it appears fine you’ll soon notice that it’s less about your skill and more down to how many pads you can hit in one run. You’ll also notice that sometimes you can struggle to even get bronze with one vehicle and get gold with seconds to spare with another.

Pilot Assist makes it’s debut to the series and although it sounds horrible it can be brilliant for new players to get into the game. Wipeout has always had floaty controls with awkward turning and the pilot assist makes the transition from traditional racing game a lot easier. It basically stops you hitting the walls in corners and it makes sure your facing the right way most of the time. Of course if you have no skill you’ll still crash one hell of a lot.

This isn’t just your normal Wipeout this is HD and it really tells while racing down a vertical drop at 60 fps. Anyone who played these tracks on their original PSP counterparts will be able to appreciate the difference HD makes. Not only does the game look crisper and faster but it really helps sell the near future concept art-esque vibe the series has been known for.

The series has always been known for it’s groundbreaking soundtracks with terrific artists. From The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy in the original to The Future Sound of London and Daft Punk in 2094/XL, Wipeout has always been renowned for introducing new artists to the masses. This time the game comes complete with some hard hitting drum and bass and thumping electro and yet again it fails to disappoint. Maybe it’s just the way the music is integrated into the game throughout the Zone mode but the soundtrack really helps sell the futuristic angle the game is going for. If for whatever reason your not a fan you can use custom soundtracks and the game thump along to those as well.

Wipeout HD might not be the most competent racer due to it’s leftfield handling and control system but the pilot assist really helps. Sure it might be a bit light on content but the amount of variation you’ll be doing counteracts this. It’s really the brilliant soundtrack, blisteringly fast pace and gorgeous visuals that make Wipeout HD great and at the low price it’s being offered at it’s really hard to say no.