How to Play Wipeout

Select your console and version. Since its initial release, a number of versions of Wipeout have been developed. If you have an original PlayStation lying around, pick up Wipeout to get started. If not, find Wipeout Fusion for the PlayStation 2 or get Wipeout 64 for the Nintendo 64 console. If none of this works for you, then find the original Wipeout that was designed for the DOS operating system or an updated PC version of the game.

Pick your team. At the beginning of each game, you need to select your team of pilot and co-pilot. Wipeout teams usually represent geographic regions and are structured, branded and "funded" in a way similar to the teams of Formula 1 racing. The teams' piloting and weapons strengths and weaknesses vary in each of the games so do a bit of background checking to see who's best for speed, balance and strength.

Select a track. The original Wipeout loads with seven possible tracks to choose from. You can take a quick tour of each track by doing a time trial. Subsequent versions of the game added difficulty to the tracks by placing obstacles, jumps and loops for you to deal with. To get started, pick one of the tracks such as Altima VII, Karbonis V or Terramax.

Get weapons. One of the most important parts of playing Wipeout is the weapons. Weapons are placed around the track for you to pick up. Even if you need to lose a place or go out of you way for a weapon, it's worthwhile, since the weapon can help you take out any potential threats. So, pick up the weapons and fire away to take first place in your Wipeout race.

Play multiplayer. Wipeout comes with a standard multiplayer mode that allows you to race other players. However, more advanced versions of the game such as Wipeout Pure let you play online via WiFi to race up to eight other gamers at once. Mix things up with the multiplayer function to get the most out of Wipeout.