Wipeout Omega Collection is a video game compilation developed by XDev, Clever Beans and Creative Vault Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The compilation includes remasters of two entries in the series: Wipeout HD, along with its Wipeout HD Fury expansion, and Wipeout 2048. It was the first release without the involvement of original developers Studio Liverpool following the studio's closure in 2012. The game was released on 6 June 2017.
Overview
Wipeout Omega Collection is a remaster of the previous two titles in the Wipeout series: Wipeout HD and Wipeout 2048. Wipeout HD itself contained content from Wipeout Pure and Wipeout Pulse. Players control anti-gravity ships which are owned by racing corporations. Every ship has different characteristics; for example, each ship's statistics vary in handling, thrust, top speed and shield strength. Each craft is equipped with an energy shield which absorbs damage sustained during a race; energy is lost whenever the player's ship collides with the trackside barrier, other ships, or is hit by weapon fire. If the shield runs out, the player's ship will explode and is consequently eliminated from the race. However, the player may replenish energy by absorbing weapon pick-ups. Nine games modes appear in Omega Collection: Zone, Tournament, Speed Lap, Time Trial and Single Race from HD; Zone Battle, Eliminator and Detonator from Fury; and the Career Mode from 2048. The games contain 26 unique tracks and 46 unique ship models, and include local split-screen and online multiplayer. Also, Racebox is included for all tracks. The campaigns are split into 3 groups, in a similar manner to how the HD and Fury campaigns were separated in Wipeout HD Fury. Omega Collection was designed to be run at 1080p on the PlayStation 4 and 4K on the PlayStation 4 Pro, both at 60 frames per second. Van-Über and Tigron officially make reappearances as playable teams, both gaining new designs, with the former as a digital pre-order bonus, though they are later bought as a redeemable code to obtain Van-Uber for free, with Tigron being unlocked early in the game.
Development and release
Studio Liverpool, the original developers of the Wipeout series, announced its closure by Sony Worldwide Studios. However, Sony stressed that the only part of the Liverpool campus that is being closed is Studio Liverpool. The campus still houses Sony's External Development Studio Europe among other departments. In 2015, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida stated on a possible Wipeout for the PS4: "Never say never. From my standpoint I try to balance the number of games in a franchise. In the future there might be a chance to come back to a game like Wipeout." In 2016, Nick Burcombe, co-creator of the original Wipeout, commented "If Table Top Racing is successful, I know I can put a team together for it as I get asked every week if we're making a new Wipeout. If there's demand there, we'd love to meet it. But as it stands right now, without the Wipeout brand on it – which I doubt Sony is about to relinquish anytime soon – it's kind of out of the question without Sony's blessing." The game was announced by Sony Interactive Entertainment on 4 December 2016, during the annual PlayStation Experience expo for a Summer 2017 release. On 30 March 2017, Sony announced that the game would be available on 6 June for North America and 7 June for Europe. In December 2017, it was announced that a virtual reality game would be released. At the end of March 2018, a free patch was released, which added the VR mode to the game. Those who pre-ordered the game digitally were gifted a dynamic theme for their PS4 as well as access to the Van-Über ship. Those who pre-ordered the disc version were given an exclusive steelbook as well as static themes for the PS4. The steelbook is not available in North America. Wipeout Omega Collection features 28 licensed soundtracks. If the PlayStation Music app is installed, players can use the "Best of WipEout" Spotify playlist to use tracks from older Wipeout games.
Reception
Wipeout Omega Collection received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregatorMetacritic. Jordan Devore's score of 8.5/10 on Destructoid indicated that there was "Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash." Miguel Conception from GameSpot gave the game a score of 9/10 saying that "By focusing on this specific era of the series, Wipeout Omega Collection maintains a level of cohesion you wouldn't get if this compilation included, say, Wipeout Pure or Fusion. While each of the three games exude style and stimulation in their own distinct ways, they collectively showcase the best elements of franchise's engrossing racing and silky smooth visuals. And even though it doesn't completely scratch the itch that only a completely new PS4 sequel can offer, this collection is easily the next best thing." David Miekleham of GamesRadar+ awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars stating that "With breakneck racing thrills and impeccable presentation, this ranks up there with The Last Of Us Remastered as the best redux on PS4." On 10 June 2017, Wipeout Omega Collection became the first game in the series to gain the UK All Formats physical No. 1. It entered the download charts at No. 15. The game was nominated for "Racing Game" at The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards 2017, and for "Music Design" at the 2018 Develop Awards.
