Review: 'Wipeout 2048' is full of excellent racing -- once the loading screens finish

First things first.

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Dear Sony,

Thank you for having so many titles available for the Vita when it launched. However, if I’m playing on a hand-held, portable gaming system, I likely am using it while commuting, waiting in a lobby somewhere or something similar. This means I want to play for a short bit, and then move on.

This doesn’t mean I want to spend large amounts of that time staring at a loading screen, wasting the pitiful battery life while my hovercraft racing game loads the next race track instead of actually, you know, letting me race …

Thanks!

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With that out of the way, let’s get to the game!

Wipeout 2048 is a very, very fun game. It’s a solid entry into the Wipeout franchise, and one that every fan should pick up. The tracks are fun, but there are times when it’s easy to get distracted by the sheer amount of “eye candy” that SCE Studio Liverpool packed into the game. And with the incredibly beautiful OLED display, there’s plenty of eye candy to be had.

The gameplay has all the hallmarks of a classic Wipeout game with frenetic speeds, plentiful speed boosts, abundant weapons to take out your opponents, several multiplayer options. And it’s fun to play (once the loading screen is finished, that is).

While I’m not a fan of Zone Mode, where you simply have to survive for as long as you can while your ship steadily increases speed, I have to admit that it is visually beautiful on the Vita. The few times that the tracks feature environments beyond the usual urban fare are a joy to race along. The new Sol track in particular is phenomenal and, although I miss the jump more often than I make it, I love this track.

The multiplayer component seems limited, however. There are minimal options to configure, so you will regularly be placed into race types that you don’t want to play or won’t enjoy. While the ability to cross-platform connect with players on their PS3 console’s version of Wipeout HD is a brilliant touch, the lack of even some basic customizations is poor planning.

As hit-or-miss as the multiplayer portion is, the single-player campaign is a lot of fun, and one that I find myself coming back to. Once the loading screens finish, that is.

Come back tomorrow for a Vita giveaway bonanza.