Just a thought: Could certain firmware versions or even hacked firmwares be the reason for freezes? I haven't experienced them as far as I can remember. I also don't feel like slowdowns are nearly as intrusive as they have been in Pure. There may be some, but they never get in the way or get me out of the flow as was the case with Pure.

Design-wise I think Pulse tracks _are_ more distinct in terms of their layout. Visually though, as fantastic as they are, they still remind me of Pure, so maybe that's why they feel somewhat less inspired to some? And I have to agree with Colin on Metropia White. It's an awesome rush in the higher classes! Plus, I love its "Neo-Tokyo" design.

I too find the menu far less impressive than Pure's, but so what...

And what's most important about any racing game: Pulse absolutely nails the physics! I disagree with people seeing Pulse as being less floaty than Pure, because at its core it isn't. BUT: Ships now feel like they actually carry some weight, and most tracks leave you only few chances to BR, if any at all. So, with Pure there where complaints about too many BRs and now there's too few of them... Beats me. Personally, I like the few huge and medium jumps in the game and the fact that there's not too many of them. (Some tracks, like Metropia White, are still BR mania in certain classes.) Plus, you get lots of I think extremely cool moments where you hit a bump or fall of a short ramp and "crash" land back on the track. To me this kind of "floatyness AND heavyness" adds a lot to the experience!

Having said that, I also don't agree on that more direct control over the craft makes the game easy as such. It makes it more accessible, but I for one don't think Rapier and Phantom on hard are easy.

Ben