WipEout HD a success or not?

[Laeke]

I do not know if WOHD can be considered an "AAA" title, in the different meanings of the word. I do not know what budget was invested in, so maybe I am far off on the financial side.

Not to knock SL off, as I think the game is fine and with a good level of "polish", but I wouldn't say the content of the game is "AAA". Yeah, they could have easily put the game on a disc and sell it for 50-70€ and it wouldn't be a ripoff. For 20€, I think the actual value of the game is excellent. But I'd say we are far off what is actually considered an AAA game content-wise. The game is "only" 8 tracks (and an half, with reverses), online play is very basic. When the Gran Turismo game is gonna be released ( 2015 maybe?), there will be way more than 8 tracks and 12 vehicles.

So again, not a way of knocking the game, I do think it is very good and that SL did a wonderful job. Magnificent graphics, absolutely awesome artistic direction, great sound, good game. But it has a "limited scope" compared to something like GTA, Gran Turismo of MGS4 (as far as comparing apples and oranges go).

My opinion is that WO is somewhat a "niche" game although it is part of the "Playstation brand" and that WOHD obviously serves as a forefront image -for Sony, for the HD graphics of the PS3, for the PSN-. But maybe Sony and SL think differently, I cannot really tell...

[kanar]

Thanks for the link, Frances Penfold. Still playing? I hope to race you one day on Ps3. Of course 250k or 300k copies sold is not enough, for the best game ever. As many of us said, this is great when you know there was no ads, only the word of mouth... I'm not surprised, they haven't money to spare for the best game ever promotion... So it seems it's all up to us... We have to spread the new through this world, by any means necessary : wipeout Hd rules. A lot.

[H3avyM3tal]

I think all things cosidered, the game sold quite well. It is a downloadable title, nothing new in it to offer, and it is cheap. Besides, how many people are working on this game?

Frances Penfold, SONY and SCE are not the same thing (Same parents, but different children).

[kanar]

I remember that fact, more than 10 years ago now (already said that in the past). One night we went out to party with friends in a huge nightclub complex near Montpellier (nice city cos' lot of universities=chicks). I passed the whole night on wipeout 1, IN the nightclub. Fantastic advertising campaign : nightclubs. So fun, and what a coincidence guys, I weared a blue AG-SYS shirt that particular night... I still remember that moment... The music, the dancing crowd, & guys like me playing wipeout (by the way, it was your dream Mad-Ice!). It was written for many of us, we would go back to Wipeout one day. Now it's done, it would be great that wipeout franchise invade nightclubs again. Wipeout is a transcendant experience, like music. Of course this is my 2 euro cents lol.

[Frances_Penfold]

SONY and SCE are not the same thing

My understanding (maybe wrong!) is that the Sony as an "electronics group" is in trouble, and that the gaming division is one part of the group that is most contributing to the trouble. Financial losses in the gaming division are on the order of 5 billion dollars since 2006, and the underwhelming performance of PS3 (and to a lesser extent the PSP) suggest that investment made to hardware won't be recovered anytime soon.

Of course, it may be that Stringer and other upper management value the future potential of the gaming divisions too much to touch it! It's hard financial times, here's hoping that the gaming industry isn't too much affected

Still playing? I hope to race you one day on Ps3. Of course 250k or 300k copies sold is not enough, for the best game ever.

WOHD is indeed awesome! Not playing too much at the moment due to workload but hopefully later in January!

I do not know if WOHD can be considered an "AAA" title, in the different meanings of the word. I do not know what budget was invested in, so maybe I am far off on the financial side.

Yeah, you are right. Maybe it's AAA for a PSN title though Here's hoping that it continues to sell well through the PS3's lifespan.

[Laeke]

Yeah the whole nightclub-music thing is important, in a way. I think I read on this board that Wipeout was mostly an European thing, sales wise. I think the original game(s) really tied in with an European (and English) culture. Watching the soundtrack of former games is a proof of that. I believe that techno or electronic music had a lesser "impact" culturally in the USA even though American artists are major players in the history of this music. (Very general statement thus a bit simplistic: basically what I mean is that Derrick May or Juan Atkins are much smaller stars in the US than KLF in the UK).

But maybe the game is past its "prime". The first Wipeout game were fresh & hip but that was ten years ago, so I do not know if such marketing was considered and brushed off...

[kanar]

Damn Laeke your english is quite perfect wow... Yeah, wipeout was "hype" ten years ago, I was just wondering how it could be hype again... I'm too much intoxicated with this game after one year of pulse & hd now... I'm not fair enough in my statement lol.

[blackwiggle]

Sony is losing money hand over fist in it's music division.
This has been the case for years.
Sony decision to set up it's own music download sites [using ATRAC] was a disaster,it's now shed it's self of ATRAC and all products that supported it and closed the useless download service.[Now all it's got to do is get rid of all those mooching sycophants in SONY MUSIC that pat each other on the back signing god awful rejects from idol and the like]

If it wasn't for the former head of Warners becoming the head of Sony we would still be in a format war with HDDVD [that's how Sony won that one].

PIONEER has stopped making it's own Plazma screens,I think SONY might be doing the same on it's big ticket items,which it would never have considered doing previously just for saving face.

[Axel]

The problem with Sony is in the way the organisation structure is set up. How that affects SL is not known. But remember SL should be fine after Studio Leeds was closed a couple of years back. So I think them guys should be fine. But I also do think their roster of games will expand. Put it this way, they may and try to diversify into other genres or games or different racing games.

They need to justify why Sony should still keep them. With the Credit Crunch and everything, no one is safe. Even the big companies. I'm sure SL will pull through, but I also have a feeling that certain design choices would be made to insure maximum profitability. So we may see more stuff like Pilot Assist etc which is not bad, but you get my drift

[eLhabib]

Well actually, SL have given away the F1 series (afaik) which used to be their bread and butter once...

[Axel]

They did? Oh right hmmmmmm well least hope they come up with something new then.

[LOUDandPROUD]

Want to start by saying I'm a first time poster here and I'm completely addicted to WipEout HD. What an incredible game, especially at $20. I went through the campaign on novice difficulty first, with a Gold in every event. Now I'm replaying the campaign on elite difficulty...I'm halfway through, so far, with gold in all the events. I imagine it's going to get increasingly harder to get gold on elite the farther I get...especially when I hit the Phantom events, but I welcome the challenge. Anyway, for me, the replay value of this game is super high and you can find me playing online pretty much daily. I can't get enough of it!

So, I tried to find SCEA sales data for this game, but was unsuccessful. I was, however, able to find some data regarding SCEE, via PS3 Fanboy, which sounded promising. Here it is, for those who haven't seen it already:

"Sony's just informed us that WipEout HD's been a pretty big success story. It is SCEE's best, and fastest, selling PSN download for the month of November. But SCEE's still not happy. It wants more people to enjoy the game, so it's releasing a demo version onto the European store next week. On Christmas Eve, to be precise

The demo will include a single track from the game. Once you've played that through you'll then be given a preview of all the other tracks. If that sufficiently tickles your fancy, you can buy the full version directly from the demo for a temporary reduced price. SCEE doesn't say what the cheaper price is, exactly. Only that it will return to its normal price on January 8th. We're betting this lower price and demo will persuade a good number of people, drunk on festive cheer, to part with their cash."

Now, if only SCEA had done something similar, I imagine sales here in the U.S. would have been MUCH better. What were they thinking? No demo? It's beyond me...

Well, I've gone on enough. Here's hoping for some DLC in the near future, as well as an all new WipEout down the road.

Hope to see you all online!

LOUDandPROUD

[kanar]

welcome here, LoudAndProud, great intro, & still another fresh exemple of the wipeout hd effect : total addiction from the start lol

[LOUDandPROUD]

Thanks, kanar! I'm psyched to have found this forum! Reading through this thread, I also happened to recognize someone I played against (and beat) online a few days ago...he goes by the ID of IH8YOU. Not sure if he remembers me, but his ID is unforgettable...and hilarious. You out there, IH8YOU? Rematch maybe?

[IH8YOU]

Lowell MA? You're less than 20 minutes down the road from me!

Haah.

You beat me, and I do remember your name. I tend to when I'm beaten.

Rematch is definitely in order, maybe loser buys dinner?

[Axel]

Sounds like a date

[kanar]

LOL yeah this is speed dating mate! (War & Love guys!)

[LOUDandPROUD]

Lowell MA? You're less than 20 minutes down the road from me!

Haah.

You beat me, and I do remember your name. I tend to when I'm beaten.

Rematch is definitely in order, maybe loser buys dinner?

Not sure about dinner (unless you're a girl, of course...haha)...as the other posters "date" comments insinuated, that would just be weird...LOL. That's cool that you're so close though...small world. Ok, so a rematch is on then...I'll shoot you a friend request when I get home so we can get something set up (the race...note a dinner date lol). You're going down...AGAIN. Wait...that just sounded WRONG.

[H3avyM3tal]

Lol, looks to me WOHD is a huge success!

"Lets have dinner on Sebenco Climb!"

"Ok, you'll bring the food and I'll bring the ammunition! We can shoot those pilots as they pass through! Scored 2 Icarass last week!"

"Haha, your hilarious man, Icarass!"

WOHD - The place where love CAN happen!

[IH8YOU]

I don't date AG Pilots.

No worries!