WipEout Pure downloads explained
You won't have to pay for them, says man who knows about these things. But you will need a bigger Memory Stick. Oh, and a PSP...
Sony's Liverpool Studio has revealed more details of downloadable content for PSP title WipEout Pure, according to a report on gamesradar.com.
The add-on packs will feature 12 new tracks and four extra ships plus new team and menu skins. Once they're downloaded the packs will "integrate into the game to make new tournaments," studio communications manager Nino Ceraolo said.
Four of the new tracks may be familiar to Wipeout fans as they're actually circuits from previous games which have been spruced up Pure-style. Then there are four tracks which were under consideration for inclusion in the finished product - the gaming equivalent of deleted scenes, if you will.
The remaining four courses are described as "more minimal, abstract affairs". We hope this doesn't mean something in the style of Vib Ribbon. [Speak for yourself. I say bring on the musical rabbit space racing. -Ed]
All the add-on content will be downloadable from the game's official website, where you'll also find extra goodies such as new billboard designs and additional music tracks. There's even something called a "music mixer" so you can muck about with the tracks and upload remixes to your PSP.
However, the question still remains as to when the downloadable content will be available. "We want to make sure all downloadable content isn't already out in Japan and America before the European launch," said Ceraolo. Hmm.
But we do know that all the add-ons will be free to download. To begin with, anyway: "We want to get people to use the extra content, so for the first six months I can't see there being any paid-for content," said Ceraolo. "It's not something we want to do."
However, you will need to splash out on a new Memory Stick, as the first batch of add-ons will eat up all the space on the default one. But since it's only 32MB, that was probably a given anyway.
Wipeout Pure will be released on the same day as the PSP, which is due to launch around June / September / Christmas / this time next year, depending on who and what you want to believe.