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I’ve never been one for racing games, but when Wipeout XL released for the original PlayStation many years ago, I was immediately addicted. No longer was racing about modifying your cars, scheduling tune-ups, visiting the virtual garage, or running qualifying laps so you can start off the next round in first-place only to lose it twenty seconds in. The Wipeout series has always stressed its twist to racing, employing futuristic racing environments and sleek, super-speedy vehicles of death. The music wasn’t so bad either, featuring the earliest bits of techno and becoming one of the first titles on the market to use modern, "real" music in its soundtrack. All in all, a difficult but gratifying and fast racer that’s still one of my favorites.

So you can imagine my delight in hearing that another Wipeout title would be hitting the PlayStation 2, entitled Wipeout Fusion. Unfortunately the game suffered from a slow release and wasn’t exactly met with enthusiasm. Indeed, it seemed as though Wipeout would become another dropped series, at least until we received word that Sony’s Studio Liverpool was working on a PSP rendition for the handheld’s launch. This new version, Wipeout Pure, seeks to reclaim the franchise’s top seller position by including an enhanced aspect for the series: multiplayer and portability.

Wipeout Pure will consist of five racing modes, including Single Race, Tournament, Free Play, Time Trial, and Zone Mode (for single-player only). Single Race and Time Trial are rather self-explanatory, but Tournament allows players to join a league and then compete against other leagues, Free Play is your basic "learn the course" mode, and finally Zone Mode utilizes custom-built tracks and constant ship acceleration for that extra thrill.

The game will feature 16 total tracks, with four from previous installments in the series and four especially tailored for the Zone Mode’s speed racing. As far as race classes go, the expected ones are present: Vector, Venom, Flash, Rapier, and the fastest class available, Phantom; each craft receives a rating between 1-5 for the following areas: thrust, speed, shield, and handling. Another racing class option involves tournament play, where gamers can opt to join a league from the available list: Feisar, AG Systems, Auricom, Qirex, Piranha, Assegai, and the new Triakis and Harimau. Each league has its own unique racecraft with specialized characteristics. Weapons will of course be included, ranging from missiles and rockets to mines, bombs, and of course the classic "quake" that literally shakes up the track. For the winners gold, silver, bronze trophies and unlockables abound, including downloadable content like new tracks, menu skins, and music.

If the single-player option has you burnt out you can always attempt some multiplayer action. Ad Hoc Mode allows two or more PSP units to hook up via Wi-Fi for local multiplayer gaming, and the mode supports up to eight racers. This is perhaps the least-known area of the title, but upon its release we’ll see how well it was utilized.

For the presentation-oriented, you’ll be pleased to hear that Wipeout Pure’s soundtrack is receiving yet again the modern techno twist, featuring roughly 20 songs that can be played randomly or in a selected order. Thankfully players will be able to deselect songs from the playlist if any particular ones displease. The visuals themselves seem very nice, with weather effects like rain and snow included. Each track receives its own unique design (or in some cases, re-design) and it comes as no surprise that the racecraft are all stylishly designed too. As for the framerate, so far there have been no negative reports of the game not keeping up with players, and that’s the safest cue that Wipeout Pure is an astonishing racing title for the PSP.

It remains to be seen how the handling – a racing title’s most important aspect – functions, or how updated the visuals will be, but if the gameplay is modern enough then Wipeout Pure will be one of the more interesting title’s at the PSP’s launch. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this futuristic racer as March 24 draws nearer. Until then, be sure to visit our gamepages to stay updated on all of the PSP’s offerings.