[1] Players control anti-gravity ships owned by large racing corporations (collectively referred to as "teams").

[7] Every ship is also equipped with a standard energy shield which will protect the player from damage caused by collisions or weapon fire.

Rick Sanchez of IGN felt disappointed with the game's visuals, opining that its graphics had not changed since he had played it at E3 2001.

[16] John Kauderer of GameSpy praised the game's key improvements over its predecessor – in particular its cutting edge graphic design, stating that it "sets [the game] worlds apart from the tired side scrollers and kiddy characters that populated the 16-bit systems".

Additionally, Davis also expressed disappointment in the lack of awe-inspiring tracks, as well as the game's occasional slowdown and graphical pop-up issues.

[18] Critics praised the game's techno soundtrack and recognized that it was an important part of the Wipeout series.

Sanchez also commended the game's sound effects and music, stating that both aspects are "dead on for a member of the Wipeout family".

[17] Davis praised the "hard hitting" techno soundtrack; saying that it was a type of music "you'd want to listen to even when you weren't playing the game".

[18] A reviewer from Edge lauded the soundtrack, describing it as "excellent, trance-inducing", but also said that the gameplay "has failed to keep up with the times".