Wipeout Pulse

New to Pulse are "Mag-Strips," which cover portions of the track and allow for all sorts of rollercoaster-esque loops and curved segments without letting the vehicles fall off into nothingness. Along with the added EG-X racing team is extensive stat tracking and a loyalty points system, which unlocks goodies (such as ship skins) via dedication to a particular team.

Replacing the straightforward multi-race tournaments of previous Wipeout titles is the Race Campaign, aptly described as the "definitive" Wipeout single-player mode. Through 16 campaign grids, each comprised of eight to 16 events (236 in total), players will experience the world of Wipeout via seven gameplay variations, including the new Speed Lap, Head to Head and Eliminator modes. Eliminator is unlike the similarly titled lap knockout mode in Burnout and other racers, instead focusing on racking up kills using a respawnable ship. It also offers the best opportunity to check out the new weapons in Pulse, such as the Shuriken (bouncing blade) and Repulsor (shockwave).

Andrew Hayward
Freelance writer for GamesRadar and several other gaming and tech publications, including Official Xbox Magazine, Nintendo Power, Mac|Life, @Gamer, and PlayStation: The Official Magazine. Visit my work blog at http://andrewhayward.org.