Wipeout Omega Collection

Wipeout Omega Collection (stylised as WipE′out Omega Collection) is a video game compilation developed by XDev, Clever Beans and Creative Vault Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The compilation includes remasters of two entries in the series: Wipeout HD, along with its Wipeout HD Fury expansion, and Wipeout 2048. It was the first release without the involvement of original developers Studio Liverpool following the studio's closure in 2012.

Wipeout Omega Collection
Developer(s)XDev
Clever Beans
Creative Vault Studios
Publisher(s)Sony Interactive Entertainment
SeriesWipeout
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Release
  • NA: 6 June 2017
  • EU: 7 June 2017
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game was released on 6 June 2017.[1]

Overview

Wipeout Omega Collection is a remaster of the previous two titles in the Wipeout series: Wipeout HD (with its Wipeout HD Fury expansion) and Wipeout 2048. Wipeout HD itself contained content from Wipeout Pure and Wipeout Pulse. Players control anti-gravity ships which are owned by racing corporations (effectively referred to as 'teams' in-game). Every ship has different characteristics; for example, each ship's statistics vary in handling, thrust, top speed and shield strength (and in 2048, firepower). Each craft is equipped with an energy shield which absorbs damage sustained during a race; energy is lost whenever the player's ship collides with the trackside barrier, other ships, or is hit by weapon fire. If the shield runs out, the player's ship will explode and is consequently eliminated from the race. However, the player may replenish energy by absorbing weapon pick-ups.

Nine games modes appear in Omega Collection: Zone, Tournament, Speed Lap, Time Trial and Single Race from HD; Zone Battle, Eliminator and Detonator from Fury; and the Career Mode from 2048. The games contain 26 unique tracks and 46 unique ship models, and include local split-screen and online multiplayer.[2] Also, Racebox (which enables custom races across all game modes) is included for all tracks.[3] The campaigns are split into 3 groups, in a similar manner to how the HD and Fury campaigns were separated in Wipeout HD Fury.

Omega Collection was designed to be run at 1080p on the PlayStation 4 and 4K on the PlayStation 4 Pro, both at 60 frames per second. Van-Über and Tigron officially make reappearances as playable teams, both gaining new designs. Van-Über was a digital pre-order bonus and also included with all purchases of the digital download edition of the title, and Tigron is an early-game unlockable.[4][5]

Development and release

Studio Liverpool, the original developers of the Wipeout series, announced its closure by Sony Worldwide Studios. However, Sony stressed that the only part of the Liverpool campus that is being closed is Studio Liverpool. The campus still houses Sony's External Development Studio Europe (XDev) among other departments.[6]

In 2015, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida stated on a possible Wipeout for the PS4: "Never say never. From my standpoint I try to balance the number of games in a franchise. In the future there might be a chance to come back to a game like Wipeout."[7] In 2016, Nick Burcombe, co-creator of the original Wipeout, commented "If (my latest project) Table Top Racing is successful, I know I can put a team together for it as I get asked every week if we're making a new Wipeout. If there's demand there, we'd love to meet it. But as it stands right now, without the Wipeout brand on it – which I doubt Sony is about to relinquish anytime soon – it's kind of out of the question without Sony's blessing."[8]

The game was announced by Sony Interactive Entertainment on 4 December 2016, during the annual PlayStation Experience expo for a Summer 2017 release.[9][2] On 30 March 2017, Sony announced that the game would be available on 6 June for North America and 7 June for Europe.[10][1]

In December 2017, it was announced that a virtual reality (VR) game would be released. At the end of March 2018, a free patch was released, which added the VR mode to the game. Those who pre-ordered the game digitally were gifted a dynamic theme for their PS4 as well as access to the Van-Über ship.[11] Those who pre-ordered the disc version were given an exclusive steelbook as well as static themes for the PS4. The steelbook is not available in North America.[12]

Wipeout Omega Collection features 28 licensed soundtracks. If the PlayStation Music app is installed, players can use the "Best of WipEout" Spotify playlist to use tracks from older Wipeout games.[13][14]

Reception

Wipeout Omega Collection received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[15]

Jordan Devore's score of 8.5/10 on Destructoid indicated that there was "Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash."[16]

Miguel Conception from GameSpot gave the game a score of 9/10 saying that "By focusing on this specific era of the series, Wipeout Omega Collection maintains a level of cohesion you wouldn't get if this compilation included, say, Wipeout Pure or Fusion. While each of the three games exude style and stimulation in their own distinct ways, they collectively showcase the best elements of franchise's engrossing racing and silky smooth visuals. And even though it doesn't completely scratch the itch that only a completely new PS4 sequel can offer, this collection is easily the next best thing."[17]

David Miekleham of GamesRadar+ awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars stating that "With breakneck racing thrills and impeccable presentation, this ranks up there with The Last Of Us Remastered as the best redux on PS4."[18]

On 10 June 2017, Wipeout Omega Collection became the first game in the series to gain the UK All Formats physical No. 1.[19][20] It entered the download charts at No. 15.[21]

The game was nominated for "Racing Game" at The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards 2017,[22] and for "Music Design" at the 2018 Develop Awards.[23]

References
  1. Sousa, Mike (30 March 2017). "WipEout Omega Collection Releases On PS4 In June". Gaming Union. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  2. McLaughlin, John (3 December 2016). "WipEout Omega Collection announced for PS4 at PSX". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  3. Sony XDev Europe [@SonyXDevEurope] (30 March 2017). "Racebox for all tracks :-)" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via Twitter.
  4. Sony XDev Europe [@SonyXDevEurope] (31 March 2017). "We have another surprise to those who Purchase #WipEout via the #PSN stores.........someone is making a comeback!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 March 2017 – via Twitter.
  5. Dutton, Fred (4 May 2017). "Here's your first look at WipEout Omega Collection's new ship: the Tigron K-VSR". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  6. Yin-Poole, Wesley (22 August 2012). "Sony closes WipEout developer Sony Liverpool". Eurogamer. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  7. Hussein, Tamoor (28 September 2015). ""Never Say Never" to a New Wipeout Game, Says Sony Exec". GameSpot. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  8. Calvin, Alex (9 May 2016). "Wipeout co-creator Nick Burcombe wants the licence to make another one". MCV. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  9. Grixti, Shannon (4 December 2016). "WipEout Omega Collection Is Coming To PS4". Press Start. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  10. Romano, Sal (30 March 2017). "WipEout Omega Collection launches June 6 in North America, June 7 in Europe". Gematsu. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  11. Jenni (31 March 2017). "WipEout Omega Collection Arriving In June". Siliconera. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  12. Rajesh (10 April 2017). "Wipeout Omega Collection Steelbook Edition Announced". Gametransfers. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  13. McLaughlin, John (9 December 2016). "WipEout Antigrav Anthems – a Spotify playlist inspired by the iconic PlayStation series". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  14. Smith, Duncan (24 May 2017). "WipEout Omega Collection's full soundtrack revealed". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  15. "Wipeout: Omega Collection for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  16. Devore, Jordan (7 June 2017). "Review: WipEout Omega Collection". Destructoid. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  17. Concepcion, Miguel (6 June 2017). "Wipeout: Omega Collection Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  18. Meikleham, David (5 June 2017). "Wipeout Omega Collection review: "A ferocious blur of sumptuous, searing sights"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  19. "GFK Chart-Track". GFK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  20. Parfitt, Ben (12 June 2017). "Wipeout claims its first ever UK No.1". MCV. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  21. Khan, Zarmena (8 July 2017). "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Was PS Store UK's June Best-Seller Despite Being on Sale for a Day". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  22. "2017 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  23. MCV staff (21 May 2018). "Announcing the Develop Awards 2018 nominations shortlist". MCV. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.