Complex sentence: The game also featured the new ability to damage the opponents' racing craft instead of merely stalling them as in the original game, and even potentially destroying them, therefore eliminating them from the race and lessening the number of opponents.
Split into simpler sentences: The game also featured the new ability to damage the opponents' racing craft as opposed to merely stalling them as in the original game. The newly designed mechanics allowed even potentially destroying them, therefore eliminating them from the race and lessening the number of opponents.