The original "Wipeout" racing game hit the PlayStation in the midst of a worldwide cultural movement -- electronica. Beatboxes and keyboards were ringing in the new millennium as dance clubs saw renewed interest along with the club drugs that fueled the all-night raves. With its spacey visuals and techno soundtrack, the original "Wipeout" racing game was a digital companion to young Americans and Europeans caught up in the electronica new wave. Its success was pivotal in helping Sony shed the game industry's juvenile image that Nintendo had so earnestly maintained for nearly two decades.
Sony is hoping "Wipeout" will once again give its new hardware a cool and adult image, this time the PlayStation Portable handheld system. While much has happened since the series debuted on PlayStation 10 years ago, the game play of this PSP rendition -- "Wipeout Pure" -- hasn't changed a bit.
At its core, "Pure" is a racing title like most others -- players choose a vehicle and zoom around courses against friends or A.I.-controlled racers. Victories unlock new courses and tougher challenges. But unlike most racing titles, "Pure" is drenched in a techno futuristic theme with daunting skyscrapers painting the background and speedy hovercraft gliding over the ground. Pulsating techno beats provide the soundtrack for each race and a robotlike female announcer informs you of incoming missiles with cool, cyberpunk sobriety. Yes, in the year 2197, race tracks are littered with expired rocket shells and wrecked hovercraft.