Game Details
| Size | 149 MB |
| Region | USA |
| Genre | Racing |
| Format | 7z / ISO |
| Year | February 12, 2008 |
| Console | PSP |
WipEout Pulse (2007) is the high-octane successor to WipEout Pure. While Pure was a celebratory launch title, Pulse was designed to be the competitive peak of the series on PSP, introducing a more structured campaign and technical refinements that pushed the handheld’s hardware to its absolute limit.
The Premise: The FX400 League
The racing has evolved into the FX400 League. The stakes are higher, the tracks are more dangerous, and the technical requirements for pilots have increased.
-
The Structure: Gone is the simple menu of Pure. Pulse uses a Grid System for its campaign. Each grid contains a “honeycomb” of events (Single Race, Time Trial, Zone, and the new Eliminator mode).
-
The Goal: Earn enough “Loyalty Points” for your favorite team and “Completion Points” to unlock the next, more difficult grid.
Key Improvements Over Pure
-
Mag-Strips: The biggest gameplay addition. Specific sections of the track are magnetized, allowing ships to drive upside down or on vertical loops without falling off, leading to much more vertical and “rollercoaster-like” track designs.
-
Eliminator Mode: A fan-favorite mode where the goal isn’t just to finish first, but to destroy as many opponents as possible using a constant stream of weapons.
-
Photo Mode & Custom Skins: Pulse allowed players to take in-game screenshots and even create custom ship skins via a web-based editor, a feature far ahead of its time for a 2007 handheld.
-
Refined AI: The AI in Pulse is noticeably more aggressive and uses “rubber-banding” to stay closer to the player, making races feel more like a constant dogfight.
Teams and Tracks
-
Teams: Features 8 core teams at start (including FEISAR, AG Systems, Qirex, and Piranha), with others like Mirage and Icaras available via DLC or unlocks.
-
Tracks: The game shipped with 12 tracks, but each features a “White” (forward) and “Black” (reverse) version. These aren’t just mirrored; the “Black” variants often have different weapon pad placements and slight shortcuts.
-
Custom Soundtracks: One of the few PSP games that officially supported MP3 playback from your Memory Stick, allowing you to race to your own music alongside the official soundtrack (which features Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, and Noisia).
Short Review: The Technical King of PSP
The Good
-
Visual Fidelity: Pulse is often cited as one of the best-looking games on the PSP. It runs at a locked framerate even with 8 ships and explosions on screen.
-
Content Depth: The Grid system provides a much longer and more rewarding single-player experience than the “Single Race” format of Pure.
-
The Soundtrack: Widely considered one of the best in the series, perfectly capturing the dark, industrial, and high-energy feel of futuristic racing.
The Bad
-
High Difficulty: Pulse is significantly harder than Pure. Wall collisions are more punishing, and the “Phantom” speed class requires near-inhuman reflexes.
-
UMD Loading Times: Because of the high-quality assets, loading a race from a physical UMD can take a long time (though this is mitigated if playing a digital version).
-
DLC Fragmentation: Much of the best content (extra tracks and ships) was released as paid DLC, which can be difficult to acquire legally on original hardware today.
Screenshots
