First revealed at E3 two years ago,
Sony's Motorstorm is probably one of the most-anticipated Playstation 3
titles to date. What's most impressive about the final product is how
close the finished game comes to the target video that first wowed gamers
in terms of visuals. Motorstorm has a cool, yet easy to understand
concept. It revolves around an underground music and racing festival that
takes place in the forbidding mesas of Monument Valley. It's quite an
impressive setting, and the developers have done an excellent job in
creating an underground, extreme-sports feel for the title. This might
sound limiting, but the developers have done an excellent job in giving
the game a great deal of variety. Players have the option to play a number
of different tracks during the game, and can select them from 'tickets'
that can be earned by qualifying in previous races. Each ticket contains
several races, and each of these has a specific type of vehicle for the
most part, though there are some open tickets where you can select from
any available. There's a decent number of vehicles available at the start,
but more can be unlocked as you progress through single player mode.
Motorstorm offers several types of vehicles in each class and players can
further customize them with different paint jobs and riders. On the
surface, this might not seem like much, but the game's versatile and
impressive physics engine offers a surprising amount of variety within its
parameters.
This
is readily apparent in the wide array of vehicle types which include all
terrain vehicles, mud buggies, motorcycles, large trucks, rally cars and
ATVs. Each vehicle offers a different and unique racing challenge that
requires a different approach. The courses themselves are vast expanses
that take several minutes to drive through and include large jumps,
multiple paths and dangerous obstacles. Some of the initial courses seem
like cakewalks early on, but can become much harder depending on the class
and types of vehicles racing. Mastering the layouts of each course is
essential to progression in Motorstorm, which adds to the game's
addictiveness. The designs and layouts are surprisingly complex and many
of the courses are quite narrow and give you little leeway, so you need to
traverse the areas carefully. There are many ledges and blind spots that
can leave you plummeting off the side if you aren't careful. In addition,
each of Motorstorm's courses have rocks and walls that seem to come out of
nowhere and require fast reflexes to avoid. During each race, you'll also
have to watch out for your opponents, who will bump and stomp on you
mercilessly. It's not such a big deal when you're racing against similar
sized vehicles, but becomes a much more important factor if you find
yourself on a motorcycle going against a fleet of heavier and larger
vehicles such as trucks. This sense of heft and realism is what makes
Motorstorm so engaging, you can see and almost feel the size of each
vehicle, which makes for some intimidating competitors.
This realistic feeling is further
enhanced by Motorstorm's superb physics engine. Each vehicle has a unique
feel and different handling. For example, the motorcycles are faster and
more maneuverable, but become harder to control at high speeds. On the
other hand, the heavier trucks and buggies offer more grip on the track,
but don't turn as easily, meaning their progress is slower and more
deliberate. Since each race on the ticket requires you to use a certain
type of vehicle, you need to become proficient at all types in order to
advance. This is an excellent system that challenges you to keep yourself
sharp. One of the key advantages of this system is that fact that is makes
the same course feel completely different depending on which vehicle is
used. When you ride a course with a motorcycle, it requires a different
strategy than using a truck, and you need to take corners differently.
Each course also includes different paths, which may offer better results
and lines depending on which vehicles you use. Some are better in the
muddy terrain while others need more sand and gravel. Deciding which path
to use can make the difference between winning and losing. Motorstom
allows you to check out all its vehicles and while this is basically an
arcade racer, there are subtle differences that keep you coming back for
more. The physics engine is quite sophisticated and allow each vehicle on
the course feels and reacts as they would in reality, you can see the
shocks and suspension being punished with each bump in the course. While
you have to stay vigilant about your boost, you also cannot take to much
damage, which adds to the sense of being in the seat of the vehicle,
amplifying the danger felt during each race. Motorstorm's standard
controls are superb and most players should have little trouble navigating
the mesa using the standard d-pad and buttons. However, the game also
supports the Sixaxis, which offers an interesting control system that's
been markedly improved from the awkward system seen in the demo. The
motion sensing isn't as accurate or intuitive as you'd expect, but it
makes a nice change of pace from the normal interface.
While
the physics and gameplay are fantastic, Motorstorm truly sets itself apart
in its use of spectacular visual effects. Every element of the game, from
its' realistic mud physics, to the incredibly detailed vehicles looks
absolutely stunning. The renderings of each mesa are perfect, right down
to the cracks in the dried pavement, gritty mud-spewing tracks and
occasionally breathtaking views of the mesas themselves has been created
with an exacting sense of realism. Motorstorm flows at a consistently high
frame rate throughout which creates a sense of exhilaration that few other
'extreme' racing titles to date have matched. The game's light-sourcing is
impressive with glare, reflection and sunlight used to create dynamic and
incredibly realistic sensations that pull you into the action. You can
choose either an outside or behind the wheel viewpoint, though some
vehicles only allow you to get a closer zoom, which is slightly
disappointing. One of the game's cooler aspects is the mud itself, which
temporarily impedes your view at certain points, which adds to the sense
of realism. As you'd expect from the demo, the game features a number of
hard-rock and heavy metal tracks to accompany the action and they set the
mood of rebellion and aggression perfectly. It's soundtrack and visuals
are impressive, but the real icing on the cake are Motorstorm's
slow-motion crashes, which let you see your vehicle smashed into thousands
of pieces while your driver bounces off the side of the mountains in an
impressive use of rag-doll physics.
It's a fairly dramatic effect that takes
a page from the Burnout series, but surprisingly these massive crashes
aren't as devastating as you think they would be. Motorstorm's AI has been
programmed in a way as to make the races feel more like rubber bands than
you'd expect. It makes the game feel a bit less realistic than it should,
and while it can be great when you're behind the pack, it also has
drawbacks. You can work towards a huge lead only to find yourself
over-taken at the last second, which can be incredibly frustrating at
times. However, the game is fairly forgiving and you usually only need to
race a second time to usually take another shot at the trophy. Since you
can usually qualify on a ticket to unlock the next stage by finishing in
third early on, it makes things much easier than you'd expect. You can
blow through the initial levels fairly easily with little effort which
reduces the challenge until you come up against a sudden increase in
difficulty about half-way through which is disconcerting and frustrating
to say the least.
Despite some sudden shifts in its level
of difficulty, Motorstorm remains the most entertaining, challenging and
exciting Playstation 3 title to date. From a visual standpoint, the game's
graphics showcase a remarkable level of detail, with stunningly realistic
environments, realistic vehicles inside an intense off-road racer. The
game's unique setting and premise is underlined by an excellent
presentation with a hard-rocking soundtrack. The slick production values
are great, but the fluctuations in difficulty and somewhat limited single
player modes are sticking points. However, this is still a brilliant title
that mostly delivers on its initial promise which makes it one of the most
impressive releases for the console yet.
- Michael Palisano
Grade:
A-
