So it's out, and it looks FUCKING FANTASTIC.

I remember that Wipeout HD had been announced as a launch title for the PS3. Delay after delay, the studio got renamed, and it pretty much fell off the radar. But given how much Studio Liverpool has been able to iron out the bugs and bring out a presentation as silky-smooth as it is, I say that more games should be delayed a little. We've all gotten so used to games patched after release, crash bugs, upscaling, and being asked "can my computer run Crysis?" Disappointment's become the norm, and we've begun to congratulate some titles merely for not sucking.

Everything moves as fast as advertised, and I have yet to see a hint of slowdown, even in multiplayer, even with distant opponents across both ponds. Lights are bright, colors are "pop", and everything feels really slick. Also, the pickups are great fun to use, projecting an impression of casual violence atypical to what you might expect from a futuristic racer. In some ways it's almost an anti-Gran Turismo, more concerned with messy fun than sanitized realism.



As I played my first few matches, I couldn't help but think that this is the Wachowski brothers were thinking about when they green-lit Speed Racer, except they tripped over a crate of fireworks and meth, and decided to do that instead.

About the only complaint I have is that since headsets aren't mandatory for PSN games, everything's still as silent as the typical Mario Kart session. Also, I still suck at Wipeout as much as I did back on the PS1. Thankfully, there's a pilot assist option which helps steer you away from the track walls. That's not as much of a cheat as it seems, since anyone who can use the air brakes properly can waste a pilot-assist driver. What it does is make it more fun for people who just can't tear themselves away from the wall. Bad driving is still bad driving, but this time you're at least kept in the running. In any case, it's better than DDA.

I like the soundtrack, too. Let the seizures begin!