A ship grazing the wall at 900 km/h, and an electronic bassline pounding through your skull.

On the gut choice, Wipeout HD only edges out 36% of games. Then one number blows it all open: the feel with a controller in hand puts it ahead of 93% of titles, though on just three duels that is a lead, not a verdict. The soundtrack follows, above average, which will surprise nobody. Fun holds barely in the middle. And the rest drops: attachment and desert island near the floor, rediscovery lower still. There is the tension. This game lives in your fingers, in the acceleration and the mastery of the air brake, but it never builds a lasting bond.

The futuristic racer works that way: no characters, no story, just a perfect line to chase for hours. Next to games you carry with you for their worlds, this one is not playing the same match. It aims for pure sensation and it hits it.

So, who is it for? For you if you want speed, a tense ride and a soundtrack that pushes you into one more lap. Much less so if you expect a game to stay with you long after you switch it off.