i like both types of record tables. In super stardust there's a "monthly high-score" table that is easier to compete on (making it more fun for scrubs like me). I dont really compete on the overall high-score table, but i like to look at the monthly ones.

Maybe wipeout could benifit from having both types of scoreboards (having one where times only stick around for a month or so). The downside to this is that it would be like an MMO where people would have to grind out new high scores for every event, with every track, every month, to stay at the top of the boards. Still, it might be fun for some people.

Also, this is probably not the place to suggest this, but trackmania had a good idea with local times. So you could say "global", "friends", or "texas" (if you're from texas, for example). I always wanted to see how other players in my local area are performing.