I still remember the wonderful feeling I had when I got my PlayStation on launch day for a grand price of £299, and took with it a copy of wipEout. It was amazing from the insane CG intro sequence to the ultra-fast game with a kick ass soundtrack. That, along with Mario 64 and Gran Turismo 3 are some of the most memorable moments in gaming for me, and it’s something that has been mostly missing from the current generation of games on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

WipEout HD has given me that warm fuzzy feeling again, and it’s all for the same reasons that the original did. It feels like something special, something incredibly polished and loved, and it looks and plays like a dream.

To back up the visuals the audio is also incredible, with very good and varied engine sounds, lots of effect noises and a well chosen soundtrack (you can use your own if you wish too). The noise on the start line from the engines winding up sound incredible, and it really reminded me of Le Mans GT cars or the sound the Pod Racers make in Star Wars. A 5.1 system or decent headphones is the way to play this game, and you’ll never be able to have it loud enough.

Controls are sweet too, with the classic air brakes being on L2 and R2 but now they are analogue so you can control how much they brake as opposed to simply on or off. If you are mad you can use the SIXAXIS motion sensor to control the craft; I tried it and thought it was incredibly hard to steer with it. I switched to just pitch being on motion sensor, and that worked better but I thought that using the left stick or D-pad was a better choice.

Along with a game mode called Race Box which basically a quick race option where you choose your race type, circuit, difficulty and craft, there is also an online mode to the game. Unfortunately it is quite lightweight, with only either single player or Tournament play available. I would hope more modes will come at a later date through DLC. Maybe we might get the enjoyable Elimination Mode from the PSP WipEout’s, please?

There is, however, a two player split-screen multiplayer mode which works well and the game still looks fantastic, albeit reduced to 30fps, which is acceptable considering what it’s displaying. Not every racing game supports a split-screen mode anymore so it’s a nice inclusion.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a great game and an essential purchase for any WipEout fan, but I do feel they could have added more features or weapons into the mix to really show what they were capable of, but then, it costs less than twelve quid so perhaps I am asking for too much. Maybe they are working on a full Blu-Ray based sequel which will give some additions. For now though, thank you SCE very much for delivering such a stellar title; it really is a superb piece of entertainment.