WipEout 2048

The introduction video about progress in racing vehicles in history ends displaying the unforethought abilities of new antigravity floating cars, or rather ships, which move not touching the ground, thus freely from friction and able to perform and reach otherwise-impossible moves and speeds. It is the year 2048. Antigravity racing run by pilots driving racers that hover over the ground is at its outset, in New York City. WipeOut 2048 is a futuristic racing game, part of the launch software for the PS Vita, whose temporal setting places it in the beginning of the WipeOut chronology.

Success is achieved by both eliminating the rival drivers and preceding them to the goal, the gameplay essentially consisting in both ultra-speed racing (displayed at 30 frames per second, although the PS3 instalment of the series previous to this had graphics running at 60fps) and using weapons against the other racers. Tracks are wider, having been planned to simplify a gaming behaviour focusing on attacking the opponents. As racers float, the lack of friction with the ground makes the physical behaviour of these different with that of ground-touching racing vehicles, particularly increasing sensitivity to steering, which lays stress on gameplay's trickiness.

The single-player campaign consists of a succession of events of four varieties: Race, Time trial, Combat and Zone event. For each of them, there are 2 requirements (a standard and an elite pass one) which, if fulfilled, disclose one or more than one new events. Each event belongs to a speed class, that expresses its degree of difficulty; each Zone event, however, can be played in all speed classes (a new harder one everytime the earlier is cleared). Events are visualized in a honeycomb-like grid: success in one mission opens the way to one or several new ones; besides, the choice to go past an event is given to they who fail it for a certain number of times. Race events principally revolve around driving fast: requirements are usually to rank in the first three or first. Courses for race events are designed to ease sheer speed. In combat events, succeeding requires a bellicose playing style and a determined damage to be done to the rivals, which is measured by points. Courses for combat events are designed to encourage a bellicose, offensive playing style. Time trials events requirements exact the goal to be reached in a time under the given one. In Zone events, the vehicle is accelerated permanently: the task is to reach the end of the course safely, being allowed to nothing but to steer; these events are played in 8-bit-styled versions of the racetracks. Direct and indirect weapons, as well as other power-up items — an auto-pilot aid that, for a few seconds, deals with braking in place of the player, and a turbo boost—, are distributed along tracks together with speed boost pads. Newly for the series, the glowing pick-up icons representing all mentioned items are now of 2 colours, green (those that give a power-up) and yellow (those giving a weapon).

Racetracks are 10 in total, some of which ported from WipeOut HD. Racing vehicles a total of 20. Some of them are prototypes, experimental racers obtained by success in prototype events. 30 trophies, bracketed into bronze silver gold and platinum ones, are obtained by achieving assorted objectives and reward the player in different ways. Ships are assorted in 4 categories: Speed ships are the expedient choice for time trial racing and fastest driving generically. Agility ships suit the Zone mode. Fighters have the strongest bodies together with the most powerful weapons, being the choice for combat events and combat play generically. Finally, Prototype ships are peculiar, experimental vehicles obtained through success in prototype events: these see the player driving a prototype racer: if requirements are met, that will be able to be used in any event.

As it is habitual for the series, musical tracks are licensed pieces of electronic, techno dance, dubstep music composed or performed by groups such as The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Kraftwerk, many of whom have all provided sound tracks to other games of the series. The main sound effect is that of engines; at higher speeds, it comes to the foreground. Game controls are designed to on the one hand make it possible to play in the traditional manner and on the other one implement PS Vita characteristic capabilities: front and rear touch controls, motion controls, vocal commands controls are used to respectively accelerate, activate weapons and shields, fire weapons, motion sensors allow tilt controls, meaning that steering is possible by rotating the device on an axis perpendicular to the plan of the screen and passing on the centre of it. The front camera is used to take a shot of the player and show it to all opponents they have just beaten.

Multiplayer gaming is available both via local ad-hoc local and online play, up to 8 players. Online multiplayer, which exacts an online pass, is parted into a multiplayer campaign, whose design faithfully iterates that of the single-player one, and Cross-Platform Play, enabling challenges involving players on the PS Vita and on the PS3 on four courses from the PS3 game WipeOut HD. Online play is a straight succession of events over which players are left no power of decision except opting for one of two options after a race: it does not give the players choice over which track to race on, event type, speed class. If less than 8 players participate in the race, there are no cpu-controlled ships to make the amount of contenders be 8. Another Cross-Play feature is that who already owns PS3 WipeOut HD and WipEout HD: Fury will be gifted with free download of the games on their availability as DLC for the PS Vita.