It has emerged from a post on the official European PlayStation blog that one of PS Vita’s much awaited launch titles, WipEout 2048 was to have a Zombie mode which eventually didn’t make it to the final game. No particular reason has been cited by developer Liverpool Studios for this exclusion.
This mode was based on the simple mechanic of surviving for as long as possible by avoiding or destroying Zombie ships. The races were planned to start in the darkness, placing players alone on a track. Zombie ships would start arriving in groups and going all-out to destroy gamers’ crafts. A number of powers would be made available to players so as to defend themselves.
Stuart Tilley, Game Director, Liverpool Studios, said on the blog, “Our prototypes showed that it was a lot of fun to flee from a horde of terrifying Zombie ships, but ZOMBIE was just one of a number of cool modes in prototype. In the final reckoning, we made the call to put Zombie mode on the back burner. That said, like a real-life Zombie, Zombie mode is dead, but it’s not completely dead.”
All standard racing modes including Head to Head, Speed Lap, Time Trial, Zone Mode and Combat events will make their way into this game. Moreover, each of these has its own online leaderboards, encouraging gamers to battle for positions against their friends as well as the rest of the world.
WipEout 2048 will be released along with the PS Vita on February 22, 2012. It can be pre-ordered now at a price of 29.99 USD (approx. Rs. 1,590).