Unbelievable. Wipeout Pure takes the jaw-dropping graphics that the Wipeout line has consistently brought to gamers and shrinks it down to a delicious widescreen handheld delight. Wipeout Pure literally looks like a PS2 version of Wipeout on a (small) widescreen.

The models of the ships are detailed and the special effects are top notch. I was pleased to find that, for the most part, collision detection was excellent as well. The first occasion that I saw a clipping issue was when I took a wrong turn at ridiculously high speeds and ran straight into a wall. If it were reality instead of a game, I still probably would have seen the inside of the wall.

There's even two "skins" you can use for the game's UI itself. The default skin is a bright skin with a lot of white, while the "Hacker" skin is a dark skin with a black background. Not only is it wicked cool looking, it just might save battery a bit when you're in the menu screens. At any rate, it's a nice feature to throw into a game.

As for the sound, the sound effects are excellent, and the soundtrack has 19 different techno / industrial tracks from artists such as Aphex Twin, Tiesto, Thenroc, Tayo Meets Acid Rockers Uptown, Stanton Warriors, T Power, Rennie Pilgren & Roxiller, Plumb DJs, Photek, Paul Hartnoll, Ming + FS, LFO, Jay Tripwire, Friendly, Freq Nasty, Elite Force, Drumattic Twins, Cosmos, and Cold Storage. Any of these are excellent for accompanying your fight to be the first to make it across the finish line alive.

It's hard to wrap one's head around the fact that a game can look so good on a portable system. If you get a PSP and can even remotely stand the Wipeout series, you owe it to yourself to get Wipeout Pure - if nothing else just to be able to show up your non-PSP wielding friends.

If you've played Wipeout on the PlayStation 2, you'll be pretty well prepared for Wipeout Pure. If not, you're in for a treat of futuristic, fast-paced anti-gravity racing. The competition is tight and the control is tricky, due to the intricacies of the control scheme, but the same aspect that increases the learning curve also allows for more customization of play style and use of strategy. If you want to make your best time, you'll need to pull your nose up when going uphill and push your nose down when going downhill. You'll need to make your own determination as to how to handle the long jumps. You'll have to decide if you want to use that weapon pickup you just got, or if you want to absorb its energy to add to your shields. Do you choose a fast ship with little shields, or a slower ship that's a bit more sturdy? The choice is yours to make. There is no right or wrong answer, just what works best for you.

The controls in Wipeout Pure may take some getting used to if you're new to the Wipeout series. You'll need to control thrust, steering left and right, tilting your ship's nose up and down, and collecting special power ups on the track and either using them against your opponents, using them to help yourself, or using them to recharge your shields. Steering is accomplished by a combination of using steering controls (either on the D-pad or the analog stick) and using your air brakes (shoulder buttons). You'll achieve a much finer and smoother control with the analog stick - if you can control it well. I find that I switch back and forth between the analog stick and the D-pad depending on ship, track and even whim.

While it takes practice to efficiently and effectively control the ships in Wipeout Pure, the Zones, Time Trial and Single Race modes are good for doing just that - practicing. You'll want to work on controlling not only your steering, but managing your shields and using the weapons as well. I find that there's always something that you can at least do well enough in. As you get better, you'll be up for bigger challenges. In this way, Wipeout Pure stays interesting and fun despite its higher than average learning curve.

Wipeout Pure is the perfect game for showing off the PSP's abilities. The gameplay is fun and tight, and the presentation is exceptional. The great thing is that Wipeout Pure is actually fun enough to play (for hours on end) when there's no one to show off to.

As of my writing this, I have not yet been able to test out the Ad Hoc Wi-Fi Multiplayer mode and the "Downloads" section only shows me a "Coming Soon" screen. When I am able to test these features, I will update this review as necessary. However, I feel quite confident that the content and presentation of Wipeout: Pure that I've experienced to date is worthy of a perfect score. As long as the Ad Hoc networking and Downloads section doesn't destroy the UMD, erase my game or fry my PSP, the score won't be negatively affected. I see the game as excellent with what I've already tested; the other features are, as we say in Louisiana, "lagniappe".