Wipeout 2048 on NGP Blow-Out Preview.

Studio Liverpool's club-culture inspired racer was a smash on the original PlayStation, and hasn't looked back since.

The most recent entry, Wipeout HD on PlayStation 3, is probably the best to date. Boasting a gloriously serene visual style and outlandish sense of speed, Wipeout HD is a required component of any PlayStation owner's catalogue.

Wipeout 2048 is aiming to have a similar hold over expectant NGP purchasers. Developed once again at Sony's Liverpool studio, Wipeout 2048 is a prequel to the original PlayStation's Wipeout 2097.

  • The city. Wipeout 2048's near-future setting has allowed Studio Liverpool to get creative with its track design. Races take place in futuristic versions of real-world locations, with Times Square represented and other landmarks promised. The affect is one of familiarity, with Wipeout's trademark super-clean style encompassing the entire visual direction.
  • 30FPS. Unlike its PlayStation 3 sibling, Wipeout 2048 will run at 30 frames-per-second. It's unlikely regular gamers will notice the difference, with the trade-off in frame-rate improving the game's overall graphical fidelity. It's a shame that Studio Liverpool couldn't conduct some sorcery to get the game running at an enhanced 60FPS, but as long as the image is smooth we'll take whatever we can get.
  • Cross-platform play. Wipeout 2048 is the first game to hint at the NGP's cross-platform potential. The title will include all of the tracks from the PlayStation 3's Wipeout HD, allowing players to compete against each other across different platforms. While the functionality is being down-played a touch, it opens up enormous potential for future titles, with cross-platform play being a unique component of the NGP's feature-set.
  • Tilt controls. Similarly to Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048 will give players the option to control the game using the NGP's tilt controls. Weapons can also be handled using the front and rear touch-pads, though Studio Liverpool is adding a "Classic" control scheme for fans of the traditional Wipeout games. A casual control method will also be implemented, presumably making ships a little easier to control for newcomers.
  • Victory pose. Like Burnout Paradise, Wipeout 2048 makes use of the NGP's front-facing camera to allow race-winners to take a photograph and gloat when playing against other online competitors.
  • Augmented reality. Wipeout 2048 will also make use of the NGP's augmented reality features, introducing a gallery mode which will allow you to walk around the game's space-crafts and observe the ships in detail on your table-top.

Wipeout 2048 is rumoured for release alongside the NGP at some point in 2011.