Who could forget the nerve-tingling thrill of seeing WipEout for the first time - the games stark futuristic visuals, slick art design and thumpin techo soundtrack ushering in a new age where moustachioed plumbers and blue hedgehogs were, well, * passé *? Now, 12 years later, its both encouraging and bewildering to see precious little has changed for Sonys lightning-paced franchise.
For devoted fans this latest edition is damn-near perfect, the games imaginative visuals, striking effects and eye-watering sense of speed looking better than ever on the sexy PSP screen. New magnetic strips that allow your ships to rocket along outrageous loops and corkscrews also help refine the experience, while the streamlined championship progression is a friendlier approach to working through the single player campaign.
At its heart, though, Pulse is still about sticking to a racing line and mastering the air brakes for precision cornering, a time-honoured routine that makes for compelling races when your computer-controlled opponents put up a decent fight towards the end of the game, but can be tiresome when plodding through the first batch of races.