New WipEout HD patch makes your life much easier

by Jem Alexander { Nov 24th 2008 at 12:00PM }

WipEout HD is hard. If you've played the game, you probably know that and, if the newest patch is anything to go by, the developers at Studio Liverpool have also realized this. Updating the game to version 1.20, which will happen as soon as you start the game, will make getting medals in campaign mode a lot easier. You can now change the difficulty setting within campaign mode to novice, skilled or elite, just like in other modes. This changes the medal requirements, making completing the game a much simpler experience.

It also means the difficulty ramp for the game is far less steep, as you can blitz through on novice, then change up to skilled and then, eventually elite. The medals look different for each difficulty, so you can clearly see on which mode you've completed each task. This doesn't help with the most difficult trophies, but at least completing the game is actually possible for normal humans. So, if you haven't played WipEout HD for a while, give it another go. You might get sucked in all over again -- we certainly did.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Tags: patch, wipeout-hd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bagels @ Nov 24th 2008 12:15PM

This is great! I only got 20% of the trophies before realizing that it was physically impossible to get the others. This might be enough motivation to go back.

PSN: WolfLogic
LBP Levels available

warlock7 @ Nov 24th 2008 12:15PM

So, if I beat it on novice then beat it on intermediate the trophies will actually change?!?!

That would be neat. Now how does this affect the point value of each trophy?

WhiteSpy @ Nov 24th 2008 12:46PM

Point values don't change, but the icons in campaign mode are different if you got a medal on Novice vs Skilled or Elite so you can see at a glance what settings were used for that medal.

SuperGayParade @ Nov 24th 2008 12:15PM

They should add a hovercraft, like in Burnout Paradise

orthonovum @ Nov 24th 2008 12:55PM

uh... have you played wipeout? all of the "crafts" are hovering

balaam @ Nov 24th 2008 5:41PM

lol, nice

playcrackthesky @ Nov 24th 2008 5:59PM

LOL, all the fancy colours and music, I thought this game would of appealed to the 'alternative' man.

SuperGayParade @ Nov 24th 2008 7:24PM

Somebody got the joke!

tilsley @ Nov 24th 2008 12:16PM

got 100% anyway

Chris @ Nov 24th 2008 12:20PM

thanks for letting us know... here's the ps3fanboy bronze trophy.

sub phantom!!

tilsley @ Nov 24th 2008 12:32PM

no worrys

Danny F. @ Nov 24th 2008 12:16PM

Nice, now I dont have to curse out the game because I missed the Gold medal by 0.1-0.2 seconds!!! Which happened maybe like at least 15x-20x since I started it lol.

Kattleox @ Nov 24th 2008 2:43PM

I know what you are all saying; I have had a few races where the time difference between first and last place was .05 seconds. It's frustrating but that's the point, I think.

Sony and Studio Liverpool came out with a hardcore game for the hardcore gamers. They said it was hard I wanted it more when I heard that. It's like the Bayonetta team said: developers set a challenge and the gamers rise to that challenge.

Rate me down if you want, but I don't like these easy mode patches. If you think the .2 second losses are frustrating, power to you. What's frustrating to me is when I play a game, think I'm good at it, and then get it handed to me online. I just think hardcore gamers are going too casual, that's all. It makes me want to cry, sometimes. ;-;

hurricane @ Nov 24th 2008 3:25PM

Here's my take on it, Kattle:

If there are going to be difficulty levels, the game should be structured similar to Rock Band/Guitar Hero (maybe not that easy on the novice difficulty for this game but w/e) where you can start out on a simple difficulty level while adjusting to the control scheme, and then progress until it's very difficult.

This patch (and the last one, it would seem) didn't make me any better at the game, but it made it so that I didn't feel like killing myself every 10-20 minutes.

Meakyl @ Nov 24th 2008 12:22PM

Good thing, but for me, the most difficult is the races with other opponents...
Even if I can win gold medals alone (in difficult mode), when I go in races with weapons etc, I have a lot of pain to win bronze medals...

IHateBioshock @ Nov 24th 2008 12:28PM

good move.. the game became too hard and too chore like, esp for busy people.

il_duce620 @ Nov 24th 2008 12:35PM

Yeah, this is good. I very much enjoy the game, but progressing past the third set of levels has proven somewhat difficult, and I've got other games to play. I'll hit this up tonight, maybe!

(I = trophy whore...)

tittles @ Nov 24th 2008 12:39PM

I just noticed that the patch also added a feature that starts an online match automatically after a short amount of time if the host is AFK.

the "starting game" bar will count down from 15 seconds instead of 5? when this happens.

Tez @ Nov 24th 2008 12:41PM

I still can't get to Zone 50 :(

orthonovum @ Nov 24th 2008 12:56PM

yeh.. 32 is my zone record.. i dont see how anyone can get 50 or higher by that time you are going so fast the slightest touch of any control sends you ping ponging into all the turns and walls...

4thcage @ Nov 24th 2008 5:47PM

I came to a point that I was thinking how to program a lego mindstorm robotic hand to control my PS3 controller to get all GOLD... :D

jitty @ Nov 24th 2008 7:42PM

54 is my zone record :P

Shawn @ Nov 24th 2008 4:06PM

This is nice and all, but how about tweaking the difficulty of the opposing drivers. Even on Novice they're a nightmare when you get to Phantom races. Tweak the weapon damage too, I get tired of getting halfway through a Tournament in Campaign only to start disintegrating on every race about halfway through.

xFenixKnightx @ Nov 24th 2008 1:09PM

Thank you!!! I shall play it tonight!!! The difiiculty was teh only thing putting me off about it. Overall its gorgeous!

SSG @ Nov 24th 2008 1:21PM

If you want to see something funny, watch my dad play this game. He lasted about 20 seconds without auto pilot before his ship blew up.

Mr. Joe @ Nov 24th 2008 1:43PM

i'm on the last campaign's races. it's just too fast. i have a bunch of silvers but that's it. i have golds on every other campaign. the computer is fairly easy to beat when you've played long enough. it's just the speed that still remains the hardest factor.

Bendok @ Nov 24th 2008 8:06PM

Dude, have you tried beating the computer on Elite difficulty? Took me FOREVER to get that Elite Campaign trophy...

PSN ID: Bendok

Mr. Joe @ Nov 25th 2008 12:38PM

now that i think about it, i haven't played more than a few races on elite. but this patch doesn't necessarily change elite to being easier, does it?

Evan @ Nov 24th 2008 1:49PM

Awesome. I was having trouble with the time trials on the third set (easily beat everything in the first two). Makes this game doable without pouring tons of time into it.

nickux @ Nov 24th 2008 1:49PM

glad to see devs using patches this way to make the game more accessible. I only wish the patch were optional for those who do not want to update. I know I will though because I find games that are TOO hard to be off-putting. Challenge is one thing but when you replay something over and over to no avail it soon stops being fun (to me).

devilmaker @ Nov 24th 2008 2:15PM

Well. I don't need to worry about this. I've done every campaign torphy on every difficult. The only trophies I still need are 'Beat Zico', 'Bling Brigade' and 'Arcade Perfect'.

I haven't done 'Arcade Perfect' yet as I heard it needs to be done all in one sitting and I don't have the time for that.

rgoff31 @ Nov 24th 2008 2:54PM

I do love this game, but I to hit a point where I realized it was just to hard, and I couldn't go any farther. I guess I'll have to give it another try now.

Zak Webster @ Nov 24th 2008 3:52PM

About time, this game was so frustrating. I can't wait to get home from work to give it a shot. I've been a big fan since the original and was discouraged when I first tried to play this version.

maxpontiac @ Nov 24th 2008 4:03PM

Excellent move.

When gaming companies such as this take steps to make their games more accessible to all ages and levels of gamers, it's good for all of us.

Game companies = More sales.
Gamers = More fun.

Fun. Isn't that what games are for? Does not life represent enough difficulty and stress already??

If folks want competitive play, head online. Plenty of folds out there to offer challenge.

Fane @ Nov 25th 2008 5:44PM

Agreed 100%.

LordMetzen @ Nov 24th 2008 5:36PM

Patch doesn't make getting Trophies easier...just finishing Campaing Mode...

It doesn't change Zico Trophy and the such, so you still have to be pretty skilled to do that, Patch is just there so you can actually finish the Campaign, not that you can get trophies easier