Joining The Club!

[Task]

The most impressive feature of Pure is how much bigger the game got with the free downloadable content. Literally doubling your game in size with 3 new leagues and just more of everything, the Gamma and Delta packs are shining examples of just how good it can be.

GAMMA - Even better?!?
This set of tracks are of superior quality, the only problem you'll generally find with them is that you'll get going so fast that leaving the track area is way too easy. You could hardly ask for a better set of tracks, I could race this tournament all day.

Exostra Run
The first one is the speed track, and very fast! This track has many walls to keep you from tracking out. The only tricky part is the final right turn, too much speed and you can fly off the left side.
SR: The double boost pads are as usual excellent places for Bombs, using a turbo to cross the finish line can easily win you the race. Rating: Easy and fun!
TT: Not as challenging to master as Staten Park, but if you're looking for an experience of speed you can get there quickly here. At higher speeds the downhill left and uphill right can be tricky, but this track is fairly simple. Rating: Not challenging. Until you try and beat Jack on it. 8 )

Ubermall
A longer track with many challenging sections, you'll have to put a lot of practice into the corners on this track before you'll master it.
SR: The big hill is a nasty corridor, be very careful not only navigating it but also on landing! This track will challenge you, but you can gain a lot of time by turboing up the hill and barrel rolling over the finish line. Rating: Very difficult and highly rewarding to fly properly.
TT: This track seems easy at Vector, but every time you crank up the speed class you'll find new challenges. Rating: You'll learn a lot from this track, and have fun doing it.

Staten Park
A speed track that'll take some practice to get used to the corners, but once you can fly it it's a serious rush. There are boost pads in all the right places, and doubles to boot! Turboing up the hill gives you an easy BR, but landing it is very tricky. Very similar to Exostra Run, but not as fast and a little more challenging.
SR: You can out-race a lot of weapons here, and the track is wide enough that Bombs and Mines are easily avoidable, so this is a test of your racing skills more than anything. Rating: Fast and fun!
TT: You're going to need good laps to maintain the high average speed required, on Phantom this track can be very difficult. Rating: Keep the speed up, and no problem.

Sebenco Peak
The worst thing about this track is that while "Sebenco" is a fine name for a track, we really don't need two of them. Besides that minor point, it's an excellent and very sneaky track. It starts out easily enough, with a left turn onto three (3!) boost pads, and that fires you with great speed into a murderous S. If you can manage to come out of that on the left side and catch the boost pad you can quickly get to the dangerous downhill left. Serious airbrakes are necessary, but your timing is what's really being tested here.
SR: All the wide turns make for killing fields if you don't get through them quick enough. Hitting in the S or on the downhill left can kill your speed and make you a sitting duck. Rating: Practice this one till you nail it! You'll be a better pilot for it.
TT: Assuming you've got your timing down pat, you shouldn't have much difficulty here. There's really only one line, the only challenge is to follow it. Rating: Really good airbrake practice.

DELTA - Throwing some new tricks into the mix!
This was the final set of 4 tracks released for the NA game, the most notable feature of them is how new and different some of these tracks are. After releasing 20 tracks for the game, they still managed to keep it fresh. A remarkable feat!

Iridia
As usual, we start with a speed track. It all starts out wide and flat, with an interesting wide left turn leading into an uphill section, but shortly turns into narrow, banked, and twisting. If you haven't already learned how to follow a straight line on a banked turn, this track will try and teach you.
SR: The narrow sections can be very dangerous, fly with caution through them. By the time you get to this track, you'll likely have no problem with it. Rating: The most challenging of the "easy" tracks.
TT: With no weapons, this track can almost look boring. At the lower speed classes, it really is that simple. At higher speed classes, it gets more difficult. Rating: Follow the line, how hard can it be? ; )

Anulpha Pass
Introducing The Skill Cut!
Bringing something really different to the game, this track features a very dangerous shortcut that will save you a ton of time on your lap... If you're good enough to fly it. I don't think we've seen this track feature since Silverstream, and that one was unintentional. You'll need to put a lot of practice into this one, because generally it's a choice of taking the shortcut or losing the race.
SR: The track bottlenecks after the first downhill, you'll have trouble avoiding track garbage here. So will your opponents. Whether or not you take the shortcut will depend on a lot of factors, but the winning formula is to try and block your opponents from being able to use it. Rating: Probably the most strategic track Wipeout has ever seen.
TT: You're going to need consistently good laps, but as long as you take the shortcut beating this track isn't too difficult. Of course, taking that shortcut can be tough at higher speeds. Doing 5 straight laps of it without tracking out once is easily the biggest challenge here. Getting this Phantom gold is a serious achievement. Rating: Fly in a straight line, WAY more challenging than it sounds.

Koltiwa
Featuring two drops for easy barrel rolling, this is a speed track of few boost pads. Your biggest difficulty is going to be landing the BR and not wasting it with your nose in the air. Learn that trick and you've got the track beat.
SR: The chicane has a narrow straight line through it, this high-traffic strip can get very dangerous. The hard left turn before the final drop is, as usual, a great place to turn yourself into a sitting duck if you don't fly it well. Rating: Tricky, so learn your line.
TT: Maintain your speed through the corners, use the few boost pads available to maximum effect, and grab the BR when the opportunity presents itself. A simple formula that applies for all tracks, but is really emphasized here. Once you get up to Phantom, you might need Triakis to pull it off. Rating: Basic, a good track to learn the BR on.

Khara Descent
This track is very difficult, in many ways. It can also be extremely annoying. The track starts with a nasty chicane section, and that leads into a hard right that'll just kill your speed. After that are two areas (the steps and the banked right) that are very easy to track out on. The steps are toughest at the higher speeds, the banked right is toughest at the slow speeds, so the difficulty remains roughly even over all speed classes. Inbetween them is a double boost pad that you might be better off avoiding, it all depends on your line. The annoyance factor often comes from tracking out, because you're almost guaranteed to track out again when you teleport back onto the track. This can lead to a vicious cycle that might end with you throwing the PSP at the wall, so attack this track with patience and caution.
SR: Your main opponent here is the track itself, the weaponry by itself just isn't as dangerous. The track is wide enough and there are usually multiple lines available. Choose wisely. Rating: Just plain difficult, a win on this track is earned.
TT: At Phantom, getting a BR off the steps isn't too tough. At Venom and Vector, it's not even required. At Flash and Rapier you'll be banging your head against the wall trying to beat this track. The slowest section is the hard right before the steps, so that's where you turbo. That additional speed is what you'll need to get the BR. Now you just have to put in a hundred laps of practice so you can have some consistency. Rating: The most difficult gold medal in the game is right here, are you fast enough to get it?

Next up: The blast from the past!