Wipeout Pure [PSP]

Wipeout Pure is a futuristic racing game in which players have to race their hovering race vehicles over tracks that can go up into the clouds over a city and down below the ocean. Think of a roller coaster track, just wider and the vehicles are not attached to it.

Goal:
The goal is to be the first to reach the finish line by any means possible. Built into the tracks are pads which can provide a substantial boost or give the player a randomly selected weapon.

Means to improve the odds of reaching the goal:
The weapons can be homing missiles, straight going missiles, EMP bursts, mines and track-wide explosions. It is also possible to pick up powerups such as shields, extra boosts, or an auto pilot instead.

Goals in more detail:
The first place is designated a certain best race time. The first AI opponent will always reach the finish line around that time, so the goal for the player is to beat that best race time.
The player is awarded a score, entered into the high score list and is awarded a gold/silver/bronze medal kind of thing if he gets 1st, 2nd or 3rd place.
The game has an online mode (really online, not just within the local WiFi), associated with that is a global high score list. Each

Cooperation:
There is no alliance / coop model in this game. The player always races against all of the AI or other players altough it is possible to imagine that a race held by only real players might be influenced by social alliances between certain players, keeping each others backs clear so one of them could win.

Competition for resources:
In front of upcoming booster / weapon pads there is often a struggle to push away, overtake or block the closest enemy because the pads give an advantage and the weapons pad in particular has to recharge before it can give out a new weapon.

Game attributes:
Each race vehicle has different attributes in terms of top speed, acceleration, agility and shields.
There are different leagues (difficulty modes) which increase the overall pace and add new race course. The faster one has to go the easier it is to crash into walls or fall off the track which costs time.

Decision making:
Apart from deciding when to break or accelerate in order to navigate difficult parts of the race course the player only has to decide when to use a certain powerup or weapon he picked up. Shooting missiles when no-one is around is pointless, so is activating the shield powerup when nobody is shooting at the player or no mines lay around. The best time to use the auto pilot is in very difficult to navigate places whereas the extra boost should only be used on long, open stretches as it makes the vehicle hard to control.

Risks:
Using certain weapons or powerups presents a risk to the player. He could knock himself out with the EMP burst if he shoots it into a wall right in front of him, or if he hits an enemy which is too close. Using the extra booster when a corner without walls is coming up might not be a good idea either, since the player would fall trough the world and be reset, costing him time and shield charge.