It also completely revamps the standard method of game progression.

Wipeout Racing Pulse is broadly similar to other games in the Wipeout franchise, and indeed to other racing games as a whole.

The player drives powered futuristic hovering vehicles on a series of race tracks which they must navigate, and sometimes with other vehicles to compete against.

They are aided in this endeavor by the traditional arsenal of weaponry (including rockets, missiles, plasma bolts, etc.)

and bursts of speed, both of which are gained by driving over special pads on the track;

they are also allowed to choose between a number of different ships, each with their own characteristics.

The game features electronic music and extraordinary visual and graphic design, two hallmarks of the Wipeout franchise;

it also features downloadable content from the PlayStation Network, each containing a new ship and two new tracks;

however all have been released only in Europe and are not yet available elsewhere in the world.

Pulse delivers a number of new variations on this basic formula: while the game only has 12 tracks,

these can be played both forwards and backwards; the race direction is marked by the suffix "White" or "Black" on the race's title (i.e. "Talon's Junction White")

and may show subtle variations depending on which way they are driven.

Certain circuits also have "Mag-Strips" on some portion of the track, which lock the player's ship onto the track and allow for roller coaster-esque loops, sideways U-turns, waterfall-like sheer drops, and so on.

Most racing games present the player with a series of "cups" in which they must come in first while racing against opposition.

Pulse players are instead challenged to complete "grids", a cluster of hexagons which represent a wide variety of tracks and race types: time trials; seven-lap "Speed Lap" races in which the player attempts to achieve a particular lap time;

single races against one opponent ("Head-to-Head" mode); single races against seven opponents ("Single Race");