Killer Loop is gorgeous. The first time you take off from the vertical drop on the Himalayan track, you’ll know exactly what I mean. It flows at a crazily fast frame-rate, and when the speedometer says you’re going 700 mph, you feel like you are. This is visceral racing at its best, and the graphics do nothing but support it. The menu graphics are sparse, but they continue the game’s “feel,” and get the job done. The ship models are pretty generic, but the tracks and scenery more than make up for it. I won’t admit how many times I’ve done the Needle Rock levels on Time Trial just so I can stop in the middle of the track to ogle at the spire and the pieces of track coming out of it willy-nilly, and then subsequently fall off because my magnet ran out. Oops.

The music ranges from unnoticed techno to, erm, noticeable techno. Nothing too original, but it suits the game. The sound effects are suitably clangy and explosive, with the metal-scraping-against-railing sounds one of my favorites. Great presentation. Now, is it fun?

Hell yes. This is probably the best racer I’ve played in a long time, surpassing even the Wipeout series in pure fun. Sure, it’s practically a copy of it, but who the hell cares when it does the job better? You’re driving a MK vehicle, a futuristic racer that has magnets built in that let it hang off the ground for a limited amount of time. There’s more plot, but who cares? The game makes superb use of this mechanic, with some levels consisting almost entirely of upside down track. The track spins, climbs, wiggles, and dives. I’m ashamed to say that Killer Loop is the first game that’s ever made me even remotely vertiginous -- and that’s saying a lot. The drops in this game look and feel like the real thing. I can’t express just how tight this game feels when you’re playing it -- it simply must be experienced. The first time you spin around the underwater tube in Hawaii, you’ll feel the power that is the Killer Loop.

There are various weapons that you can pick up, and the system is actually rather simple. The first power-up you pick up is either an upwards-point arrow (offense) or downwards-pointing arrow (defense). You can pick up two more power-ups that make it cycle through the different abilities (missile to lasers to homing missile on the offensive side, and mines to shield to super-shield plus boost on the defensive side). Like in Wipeout, proper use of power-ups can make or break the game.

Unlike in Wipeout XL, the racers in this game race HARD. I’ve played five or six times through a track and come in last. The A.I. doesn’t skimp, racing full speed ahead and taking advantage of every speed power-up and magnet boost that they can find. It’s difficult to get first in a track, much less get first in all the tracks in a league with the same vehicle so you can move onto the next league. There are four in all, each wilder than the next. Be prepared for some crazy tracks and tons of speed when you get this game.

Killer Loop is a bitch, but it’s a bitch that you’ll keep coming back to. It’s difficult without being impossible, and it’s the perfect level for a racing game. You’ll love it. Honest.

It takes a while to get used to the slide and magnet buttons, and it took me a bit to realize that I was simply holding the controller wrong. Once I shifted my grip on my Dual Shock, using my pointer fingers for the slide and my right middle finger for weapons, the game became eminently more playable. Analog pad controls work great. The game plays great. Sure, sometimes you can’t see enough in front of you to really know what’s coming, but it’s part of the vicarious experience of racing in some of the fastest racers ever. Shift your viewpoint to the farthest outside you can for best control or the cockpit view if you feel like getting sick. This game rocks. If you like racers, or just cool games, get Killer Loop.