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{{Short description|2005 video game}}
{{good article}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Wipeout Pure
| image = Wipeoutpure.jpg
| caption = European cover art
| developer = [[Studio Liverpool]]
| publisher = [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]
| designer = Colin Berry
| series = ''[[Wipeout (video game series)|Wipeout]]''
| released = {{vgrelease|NA|24 March 2005}}{{vgrelease|JP|7 April 2005}}{{vgrelease|EU|1 September 2005}}
| genre = [[Racing video game|Racing]]
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[PlayStation Portable]]
| producer = Phil Quirke-Webster, Tony Buckley
| programmer = Dave Burrows
}}
'''''Wipeout Pure''''' (stylised as '''''wipE′out pṳrE''''') is a 2005 [[Racing game|racing]] [[video game]] developed by [[Studio Liverpool]] and published by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] for the [[PlayStation Portable]]. It was released as a [[launch title]] for the platform in [[North America]] and [[PAL]] territories, in March and September respectively. The sixth installment of the [[Wipeout (video game series)|''Wipeout'' series]], following ''[[Wipeout Fusion]]'' (2002), the game takes place in the year 2197, exactly 100 years after the events of ''[[Wipeout 2097]]'' (1996), and revolves around players competing in the FX300 [[anti-gravity]] racing league. 

Developed by Studio Liverpool, production of ''Wipeout Pure'' started in August 2003 and lasted until early 2005. Throughout development, the team created entirely new [[user interface]]s and other algorithms which sped up the development process in time for the PlayStation Portable's North American launch. The game received positive reviews from critics upon release. Reviewers unanimously praised the graphics, track designs and general aesthetics, but some noticed occasional frame rate fluctuations.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Wipeout Pure gameplay.jpg|thumb|left|250px|From left to right clockwise, the interface displays lap time, current weapon, [[speedometer]], shield strength and number of laps.]]
''Wipeout Pure'' is a racing game which is set in the year 2197, exactly 100 years after the events of ''[[Wipeout 2097]]'', and revolves around players competing in the FX300 [[anti-gravity]] racing league. Players control anti-gravity ships which are owned by racing corporations (effectively referred to as 'teams' in-game).{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=3}} There are a total of eight teams featured in the game, with one ship available for each.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=11}} Every ship has different characteristics, for example each ship has variations in handling, thrust, maximum speed and shield strength.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=8}} Each craft is equipped with an energy shield which absorbs damage sustained during a race; energy is lost whenever the player's ship collides or is hit by weapon fire. If the shield runs out, the player's ship will explode and is consequently eliminated from the race.<ref name=IGN/>{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=9}} However, the player may replenish energy by absorbing weapon pick-ups.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=9}}

In addition to shielding, each ship has [[air brake (aeronautics)|air brakes]] which can be utilised for navigating through difficult corners at high speed.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=10}} The game also features several weapons which can be used against opponents, although some weapons have defensive purposes. For example, an autopilot will give control of the player's ship over to the computer for a short period of time, and shields can be used to protect the player's ship from all damage, albeit temporarily. Offensive weapons include rockets, missiles, plasma bolts and mines.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=19}} Game modes include a single race, tournament, time trial and an exclusive "Zone" mode, which revolves around survival as the player's ship increasingly accelerates to extreme speeds.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=12}} The game also features an online multiplayer mode in addition to [[downloadable content]], which features new ships, tracks and music.{{sfn|Studio Liverpool|2005|p=14}}

===Downloadable content===
''Wipeout Pure'' was the first PSP title to support [[downloadable content]] including extra vehicles, tracks, and artwork free of charge via the Internet. Packs of downloadable content were made available every month for six months. There were three main packs, in one form or another, in all regions where DLC support was made available: Gamma, Delta, and Classic. In addition, there were also a number of region-exclusive packs that was only available for a specific version. DLC packs are not cross-compatible. They were released on the ''Wipeout Pure'' official site, which was eventually shut down, but have since been preserved through third-party websites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wipeoutzone.com/forum/showthread.php?7242-Pure-Track-Packs|title=Pure Track Packs|access-date=2018-01-22|archive-date=2018-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122235123/http://www.wipeoutzone.com/forum/showthread.php?7242-Pure-Track-Packs|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Region differences===
To compensate for the delay of the launch in [[Europe]], both for the PSP and its games, Studio Liverpool added a few new features to the European version. ''Wipeout Pure'' supports game sharing which allowed owners of the European version the ability to send the demo version over Wi-Fi to other PSP owners who do not own ''Pure''. This gives said players the ability to have up to 8-player games with only one copy of the game (but limited to the demo tracks). Another feature added was the playable demo for ''[[Fired Up (video game)|Fired Up]]'' and a ''[[MediEvil: Resurrection]]'' movie demo.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.playstation.com/en-in/games/wipeout-pure-psp/ | title=WipEout™Pure | access-date=2018-03-04 | archive-date=2018-03-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305064215/https://www.playstation.com/en-in/games/wipeout-pure-psp/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Fired Up'' demo also supported game sharing for multiplayer with up to 7 friends who didn't own a copy of ''Pure'' or ''Fired Up'', but only on the "Junkyard" and "Arctic" levels. Finally, the European release contains four exclusive tracks then-available via download. These are named the Omega League. Aside from the American, European, and Japanese versions, there are two more versions: a Korean version with downloadable content support but no available downloads, and an Asian version which includes no download feature. Also, there was a demo for the game, which came bundled with the UMD release of the 2005 film, ''[[Stealth (film)|Stealth]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/wipeout-pure-stealth-edition|title=WipEout Pure: Stealth Edition for PSP (2005)|website=MobyGames|access-date=2020-02-21|archive-date=2019-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108111647/https://www.mobygames.com/game/wipeout-pure-stealth-edition|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Development==
''Wipeout Pure'' was developed by Liverpudlian developer [[Studio Liverpool]]. Pre-production of the game began in August 2003 and full production occurred in October of that year, with only two staff members working on the game at that time. The team received development kits for the [[PlayStation Portable]] in August 2004; by this time the development team had grown to twenty people.<ref name="dev">{{cite web|last1=Iain Simons|title=Postcard from GDC Europe 2005: Postmortem: SCEE's WipEout Pure|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130809/postcard_from_gdc_europe_2005_.php|website=Gamasutra|publisher=UBM|access-date=16 April 2016|date=7 September 2005|archive-date=23 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023004350/https://gamasutra.com/view/feature/130809/postcard_from_gdc_europe_2005_.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Dave Burrows, one of the original two staff members who conceptualised the game, reflected in a retrospective "post-mortem" that the studio had to learn from their previous mistakes with their predecessor, ''[[Wipeout Fusion]]''. Burrows cited that one of the principal difficulties the development team faced was that the team's artists and designers were "fighting almost all of the time"; designers would first design a track for the game, then pass it over to the artists whilst the former were still making adjustments to it. Burrows also recalled that the developer's editing kits required many hours worth of "tweaking", which ultimately did not result in a smooth workflow.<ref name=dev/>

{{Quote box|quote=We needed the dynamics, user interface, A.I. and core elements first so we can get in and test. Not in a finished state, but in a state that is at least basically playable.|source=Dave Burrows explaining the studio's development process in a retrospective "post-mortem".<ref name=dev/>|width=30em |quoted=1}}

During development, the team set out to make the game playable for testing as soon as possible. Burrows explained that Studio Liverpool were forced to create a [[user interface]] "entirely from scratch", along with dynamics, [[artificial intelligence]] and core elements before testing could commence. Development of each of these aspects were split into six-week cycles; Burrows stated that instead of the team spending six weeks designing and perfecting all the weapons in-game, the team spent three days designing weapons individually rather than simultaneously.<ref name=dev/> Burrows recalled that whilst developing ''Wipeout Fusion'', Studio Liverpool found that half of their time was being "soaked up" by building a user interface for their editor. As the team knew that ''Wipeout Pure'' would have to be shipped out in time for the PlayStation Portable's release, the decision was made to create new plugins for their software, [[Autodesk Maya]], in order to save time during development.<ref name=dev/>

After creating custom plugins for the [[3D computer graphics]] software, Burrows claimed that the team could create and test entire race tracks within five minutes. The custom plugin used for creating tracks consisted of a 450 kilobyte file, which contained polygon subdividing and data on artificial intelligence, effectively cutting down the time to create tracks from six hours to five minutes.<ref name=dev/> In order to the play the game as soon as possible, the team developed the user interface in the [[XML]] markup language, which allowed revisions to be made for the content at any time. However, Burrows recalled that the only downside to converting everything to XML was that the game was always in danger of becoming too large for the PlayStation Portable's [[Universal Media Disc]].<ref name=dev/> The game's cover art was designed by Popgun, who also designed the logos for games released by [[EA Sports]].<ref name=1UP/>

In order to showcase the PlayStation Portable's capabilities, the team had to develop a download system that could provide the game with future [[downloadable content]], which included new tracks, music and ships. In addition, Burrows realised that new downloadable content had the potential to bring in more revenue for Studio Liverpool.<ref name=dev/> In order to achieve this, the team had to find a way to bypass the problems involved in getting the PlayStation Portable to recognise download files. The solution required the use of [[piggybacking (Internet access)|piggybacking]] game data to a valid format recognised by the PlayStation Portable; in which a dummy file would be used on a web-based [[Java (programming language)|Java]] application.<ref name=dev/>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 88%<ref name=MC/>
| 1UP = 9/10<ref name=1UP/>
| Edge = 8/10<ref name=edge/>
| GamePro = 4.5/5<ref name=GamePro/>
| GSpot = 8.8/10<ref name=GSpot/>
| GSpy = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=GSpy/>
| GRadar = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name=gaydar/>
| IGN = 9.3/10<ref name=IGN/>
}}
''Wipeout Pure'' received positive reviews upon release. It holds an aggregate score of 88% from [[Metacritic]] based on 53 reviews.<ref name="MC">{{cite web|title=Wipeout Pure for PSP reviews|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/wipeout-pure/critic-reviews/?platform=psp|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-date=6 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406114044/http://www.metacritic.com/game/psp/wipeout-pure|url-status=live}}</ref>

The graphics were the most praised aspect of the game. Ryan Davis of ''[[GameSpot]]'' said that the visuals were "gorgeous" and breathtaking to look at, both in ship designs and details of the tracks. Davis noted that the game never remains at a "solid" 60 frames per second, which can cause occasional fluctuation.<ref name="GSpot">{{cite web|last1=Davis |first1=Ryan |title=Wipeout Pure for PSP review |url=http://www.gamespot.com/psp/driving/wipeout/review.html? |publisher=GameSpot |access-date=17 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113231638/http://www.gamespot.com/psp/driving/wipeout/review.html |archive-date=13 January 2007 |date=18 March 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A reviewer of ''[[GamePro]]'' similarly praised the visuals as breathtaking, stating that the "beautiful" panoramic scenery defied the notion of usual graphics displayed on a handheld console.<ref name="GamePro">{{cite web|title=Wipeout Pure review|url=http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psp/games/reviews/42989.shtml|publisher=GamePro|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050313191545/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psp/games/reviews/42989.shtml|archive-date=13 March 2005|date=9 March 2005}}</ref> Ryan O'Donnell of ''[[IGN]]'' considered the graphics to be the strongest aspect of the game, saying that its courses, weapon detail and ship designs were "beautiful", but he found that occasional framerate issues kept it from "perfection".<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last1=O'Donnell |first1=Ryan |title=Wipeout Pure review |url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2005/03/18/wipeout-pure?page=3?page=3 |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |access-date=17 April 2016 |pages=1–3 |date=18 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513033029/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/18/wipeout-pure?page=3%3Fpage%3D3 |archive-date=13 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Daniel Chang of ''[[GameSpy]]'' opined that the visuals were "well-crafted as any video game or feature film".<ref name="GSpy">{{cite web|last1=Chang|first1=Daniel|title=WipEout Pure review|url=http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/wipeout-psp/598410p1.html|publisher=GameSpy|access-date=17 April 2016|date=23 March 2005|archive-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507062830/http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/wipeout-psp/598410p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> John Davison of ''[[1UP.com|1UP]]'' stated that both the game's presentation and graphics were stunning and "absolutely beautiful".<ref name="1UP">{{cite web|last1=Davison|first1=John|title=Wipeout Pure review (2005)|url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/wipeout-pure_5|website=1UP|publisher=Ziff Davis|access-date=17 April 2016|date=21 March 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425063723/http://www.1up.com/reviews/wipeout-pure_5|archive-date=25 April 2016}}</ref> A reviewer from ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' similarly praised the aesthetics as "beautiful" and dynamic.<ref name="edge">{{cite web|title=Wipeout Pure review|url=http://www.edge-online.com/review/wipeout-pure-review/|website=Edge Online|publisher=Future plc|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403015745/http://www.edge-online.com/review/wipeout-pure-review/|archive-date=3 April 2013|date=14 April 2005}}</ref> Andy Kelly of [[GamesRadar]] stated that the visuals were well-designed, although he noticed some frame rate drops.<ref name="gaydar">{{cite web|last1=Kelly|first1=Andy|title=Wipeout Pure review|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/wipeout-pure-review/|archive-date=13 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013225537/http://www.gamesradar.com/wipeout-pure-review/|website=GamesRadar|publisher=Future plc|access-date=17 April 2016|date=23 March 2007}}</ref>

Critics also viewed various aspects of the gameplay favourably. Davis said that the high-speed gameplay was "incredibly engaging" and artistic on both a visual and technical level.<ref name=GSpot/> A reviewer of ''GamePro'' enjoyed the idea of using different ships in races and also praised the game's online multiplayer, stating that it "adds a whole new dynamic to the game".<ref name=GamePro/> O'Donnell cited the developer's intention of blending ultra-fast gameplay as "clever". In addition, O'Donnell acknowledged that Studio Liverpool "learned from their mistakes" from the poor gameplay of its predecessor, ''[[Wipeout Fusion]]'', and created what O'Donnell considered as "the most polished futuristic racer to ever hit the market".<ref name=IGN/> Chang similarly opined that the previous installment was "obtuse" and did not present a positive experience to the ''Wipeout'' franchise, although he agreed that ''Wipeout Pure'' resulted in becoming an "extremely polished" and playable futuristic racing game, further adding that the developers trimmed off elements that were considered ineffective in previous games.<ref name=GSpy/> A reviewer of ''Edge'' praised the game's different modes as dynamic and vicious, stating that the game delivers an "absolute" sense of control.<ref name=edge/> Kelly considered the online multiplayer "superbly executed" and the large amount of weapons in the game well-designed.<ref name=gaydar/>

During the [[9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]], ''Wipeout Pure'' received a nomination for "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition|Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2006&idGame=129 |title=D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Wipeout Pure |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] |website=interactive.org |access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref>

== References ==

===Citations===
{{Reflist|2}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | year=2005 |last=Studio Liverpool| title=WipEout Pure ''instruction manual'' | pages=2–24 | publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]] }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061114110914/http://www.wipeoutpure.com/ ''Wipeout Pure'' website]

{{Wipeout series}}
{{Psygnosis}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2005 video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:PlayStation Portable games]]
[[Category:PlayStation Portable-only games]]
[[Category:Psygnosis games]]
[[Category:Sony Interactive Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Tim Wright (Welsh musician)]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video games set in the 22nd century]]
[[Category:Wipeout (video game series)]]