Wipeout HD

Wipeout HD is a racing game in which players compete in the FX350 anti-gravity racing league. The game features a selection of eight tracks originally used in Wipeout Pure and Wipeout Pulse, albeit updated in 1080p visuals and rendered in 60 frames per second. Players pilot anti-gravity ships owned by racing corporations (collectively referred to as "teams" in-game). The base game (excluding the Fury expansion pack) allows participation by up to twelve teams, with six ships each, trophy support, an online mode capable of holding eight players per race, and eight race tracks.

The game has five race modes: the first is a standard single race, which involves the player racing to finish first to earn a gold medal; securing second or third place will reward the player with silver and bronze medals, respectively. Tournament mode consists of four single races in each tournament; the player who earns the most points wins. Time trials and speed laps involve obtaining the fastest time in either three laps or a single lap. The final race mode is called "Zone Mode", in which survival is the goal, as the player's ship increasingly accelerates to extreme speeds.

Wipeout HD was developed by Liverpudlian developer Studio Liverpool. The studio wanted to take advantage of the PlayStation 3's rendering capabilities to make the game run in full 1080p and 60 frames per second. In a retrospective interview, director Tony Buckley said that the team made the decision to release the game as a PlayStation Store exclusive title before development, to stress that downloadable content does not have to be focused on minor games.

Wipeout HD was first announced during E3 2007, where it was initially said to be a download-only title featuring remastered versions of old race tracks. It was also revealed that the game runs in full high-definition and in 1080p. Later in the year at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony revealed to journalists that the game would be available before the end of 2007, and would include two further game modes that were ultimately not included for the final release. This release was not forthcoming; development continued through 2008, and a shifting release date was eventually finalised in the middle of September 2008, for a release later that month.

Wipeout HD received positive reviews on release. It holds an average score of 87 per cent at Metacritic, based on an aggregate of 51 reviews, and also appeared as Metacritic's fourteenth highest ranked PlayStation 3 game of 2008. Wipeout HD was nominated in the "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design" category during the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards and was also nominated under the racing category for the 28th Golden Joystick Awards.

Critics unanimously praised the graphics and visuals. Martin Robinson from the British IGN thought that the game featured the most sophisticated graphics to date on a downloadable title and applauded the game's futuristic aesthetics, saying that its 1080p visuals and seamless 60 frames per second were matched by significant details that benefit the game. Chris Roper from the American IGN praised the lighting effects and the attention to detail made to the ships and tracks, which he thought was visually impressive in 1080p and 60 frames per second. Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer noted that he was insistent that gameplay is a more important aspect than graphics, but stressed that Wipeout HD's visuals was the most important element.