I studied how the demonisation of video games may be stemming from the news media’s demonising portrayal of contemporary youth. Covering the history of crime representation, moral panics and a number of case studies.

The Demonisation of Video Games by the Media [PDF - 1.03MB]
Right Click  > Save Link As if you prefer to download.

I was awarded 78% [a 1st at BA]. All sources; books, articles, etc were accessible through the biggest and fastest library in the world – Google.

Anyway, enjoy. There are probably loads of typos, so if you are some kind of grammar nazi, feel free to point them all out. You might win a prize*.

You may remember me singing high praises for Wipeout HD in my review of the game about 6 months ago. In that time I have been trying to pick up as many trophies for the game as possible (I beat Zico with a time of 0.30.63) and wondering if add-on content would ever materialise. Well here it is, and it was definitely worth the wait.

The pack contains the below:

• 12 new tracks (4 of which are reversals)
• 13 new ship models
• 3 new game modes – Zone Battle, Eliminator and Detonator
• 6 new music tracks
• Brand new Fury Campaign
• Fury redesign for all previously available ships and the menu system
• New Trophies

Anyone familiar with the original release will notice that this expansion pack adds a huge amount of extra content. It comes in at a price of £7.99, which isn’t far off the price of the original game package. At first this seemed a bit steep, but only until I had booted up the game, to realise the amount of new content definitely warrants it.

In fact, when you look at the price some games charge for add-on content, such as mere skin packs for £3.19 (Dead Space, I’m looking at you), the Fury expansion becomes an obvious purchase for anyone looking to get a little more out of this game.

Two of the 3 new game modes for Wipeout HD are available to play online, as well as offline. You can read a summary of each below:

Eliminator

If you have played Wipeout: Pulse for PSP before now, you should recognise this mode. The aim is basically to destroy as many opponents as possible and rack up a score doing so. Simple. Having not played Pulse, I was skeptical at first about how well Wipeout would work with this kind of gameplay. I was pleasantly surprised, and it can get pretty intense. There is a handy L1 ‘ship flip’ to face your opponents if they are behind you. So there is no need to waste a Quake if you are ahead of the pack;  you can simply turn around and fire into your opponent’s face.

Zone Battle

Zone Mode was possibly one of the most popular game modes before now. Zone Mode involves racing solo around a track at ever increasing speed (broken into speed ratings called ‘Zones’), ending only once you have bounced off the walls so much that you explode. Yes, it really is as cool as it sounds. Zone Battle puts a twist on that original concept by allowing you to race against other ships, competing to reach a target Zone. You do this by traveling over speed pads to accumulate ‘Zone Boost’ juice, which when used, allows you to skip Zones. It also leaves behind a Zone Barrier when you use it, which is hazardous to whoever smacks into it.

At first (and a little still), I found the new mechanics a little confusing. I’m aware that you can ‘save up’ Zone Meter Boost juice, but how does the AI manage to save it so friggin quick on the higher difficulty settings? I hit all the same speed pads as you did, cheating scum. After a while it does become incredibly addictive, much like the original mode. With the added bonus of being able to play online against your friends.

Detonator

Detonator Mode is possibly the freshest concept added to the Wipeout franchise. It has similarities to the Zone themed modes, in visuals and the constantly increasing speed. What makes it unique is the arcade railed shooter aspect, which reminds me a hell of a lot of a certain game called Rez. You are set with destroying bombs that are dispersed all over the track, using your reloadable cannon. Naturally the laps get faster, and the bomb number increases. On top of that, bombs which you miss turn black and become low value, but still pack a nasty punch on your ship. Luckily you can charge up an EMP burst, which can destroy all obstacles in your path for maximum points. Unlike the other Zone modes, there is a set in stone lap limit of 14 laps. Which is a shame, as you will never reach those speeds you may of got used to in the original Zone Mode.

You can see a sample of the Detonator mode, along with the other 2, in the trailer below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The updated aesthetics that come with Fury are really slick. I couldn’t imagine how you could make such a futuristic game even more futuristic. The Wipeout games all have very distinctive design, though I was starting to feel the age of the ship skins. The new look skins packed with Fury are very sleek. They talk a little about their approach to the redesigns in the Developer Diaries, which I have linked to at the bottom of this article. There are other visual changes too, such as the menu system and loading screens, plus a few tweaks to the racing HUD. I personally think the main menu looks amazing, but if for some reason you don’t, they allow you to revert back to the older look in the Options menu.

Overall, the Fury expansion pack is an excellent purchase. I can imagine most people are still struggling (or gave up trying) to get the harder trophies from the original game (I’m so close to getting Zeus), so if you need something new to unleash yourself on, now is your chance. Wipeout is back.

Below are links to the developer diaries which led up to the expansion release.

Developer Diary 1: Ship Design
Developer Diary 2: Environment Design
Developer Diary 3: New Game Modes
Developer Diary 4: Zone Tracks

By the way, feel free to add Royzy to your PSN Network.

I have come to understand the game is essentially a remake, bringing back various elements from the previous versions (particularly Wipeout Pure and Wipeout Pulse on the PSP) and adding a few new features on top. What I have to say, is that Wipeout HD is a beautiful game. The image below was taken in game using the photo mode.

The game is one of few that has an output of 1080p and runs smoothly at 60 fps. The visuals are sharp and the colours are vibrant. One of the game modes (which features audio equalizer visuals) actually caused the game to have a release delay earlier in the year, due to failing an epilepsy testing. Although it was toned down as a result, the final version is still enough to give my mum a headache. It is impressive stuff.

It also supports a Dolby 5.1 surround soundtrack. If the audio tracks don’t do it for you, you can make your own playlist on the PS3 harddrive, as Wipeout HD supports custom playlists. Although the soundtrack is pretty good, nothing beats trying to achieve Zone Zeus whilst listening to the favourites in your own collection (I’m finding The Prodigy or Pendulum go quite nicely).

The gameplay is as you would expect from a Wipeout game. If you are new to the Wipeout series, I can tell you it is an anti-gravity racing game and can be very, very fast. The tracks are narrow and the weapons are lethal. Burnout Paradise may have traffic to evade, but nothing gives an adrenaline rush like dodging missiles at 900+ kph.

The ships (or ‘teams’, similar to say F1) and tracks are brought across from previous Wipeout games. The ships feel incredibly retro, since the design of them hasn’t changed since the initial release, but this is probably a good thing. It wouldn’t be Wipeout without the distinctive ships and tracks. The tracks are varied enough in aesthetic design, as well as shape, to keep you interested. They also all have the reverse versions of themselves to mix it up a bit.

Wipeout may be beautiful, but it is also very hard, particularly in the latter part of the campaign and can be very unforgiving. I can’t imagine many games have had to be patched to include easier difficulty levels like Wipeout HD did.

Regardless of the patch, the latter races in the campaign are incredibly tough due to the increase in race speed. Once you hit Phantom, you start to appreciate those 15 minute breaks your doctor told you about. It doesn’t matter how tame the AI are on Novice difficulty, if you are going to spend your first lap bouncing off the barriers and then explode.

That said, if you have Pilot Assist On, the game suddenly is friendly to anyone. Pilot Assist stops you from hitting the sides of the track so hard, which really can be the difference between DNF and coming 1st place in competitive split-screen races against friends. In my house, if you win with Pilot Assist On, it doesn’t count.

Although the lack of new content may come as a disappointment to fans of the series who were looking for something new; a next-gen remake of a classic at the price of £13.99, ready to download straight from the PSN Store, complete with offline and online multiplayer, should be music to any fan’s ears.

Also, with the promise of extra downloadable content, in the form of ships, tracks and music, it is hard not to see Wipeout HD as the definitive version.

Wipeout HD is currently available for download from the Playstation Network.

Royzy