Changing the setting from previous titles,
Motorstorm: Apocalypse takes the off-road racing series into a new
environment filled with crumbling buildings. In the new game, the racers
have descended on a deserted city that been evacuated following an
earthquake. As if this disaster wasn't enough, the city also endures other
disasters such as tornadoes and other calamities while the racers are
competing, changing the courses themselves, eliminating short-cuts,
creating new paths and changing on the fly. Reacting to sudden changes,
such as collapsing buildings or crashing trains gives the game a new level
of visceral excitement. This approach contrasts from the first two games,
which were off-road racers set in natural areas. Motorstorm: Apocalypse
feels like a big-budget disaster movie which increases the intensity and
danger of each race dramatically. The clash of different vehicle types has
always been one of the series' trademarks and this installment is no
exception. Players can race one of nearly 2 dozen different vehicle
classes, including mud-pluggers, choppers, dirt bikes, rally cars, super
bikes and more. Each vehicle has a unique set of handling and other
options. Each class includes several different vehicles. Some of these are
available from the start but others need to be unlocked.
There are more than a dozen vehicle
classes in the game, each on with its own strengths and weaknesses, which
affect not only how they compete against other vehicles, but which paths
you take on the courses. Each of the courses features multiple branches
and paths, some of which are better-suited to certain vehicles. Learning
where to go is a process that may take a few rounds, but some of the
techniques, such as using the slower, more-resistant vehicles in the
underground musty courses and saving the nimbler ones to the faster tracks
is fairly obvious. Each vehicle is ranked in various areas, so you can
know what you're getting into ahead of time. These attributes apply to
different vehicles in that the faster smaller vehicles like the
motorcycles and buggies are more maneuverable but are also more prone to
crashing with collisions while the slower vehicles absorb more damage but
aren't as nimble.
This plays into the most entertaining
aspects of Motorstorm is its arcade-style game engine with it exaggerated
physics and in over-the-top crash animations. When you crash, you don't
simply hit the wall and restart, the game pauses and shows you the effects
of your mistake in vivid slow motion. Its still a pretty cool effect after
all these years and enhances the game's attitude. Not that anyone would
crash on purpose to see these animations, but they're definitely fun to
watch. Once you've re-spawned, its back to the race. Unlike other racers
where a single crash can be catastrophic, Apocalypse treats these as minor
bumps in the road. The AI is a bit rubber-banded, which lets you catch up
quickly, but also allows opponents to beat you at the last second, which
can be frustrating. Motorstorm's approach is definitely tilted towards
action and this makes for a fun vibe throughout, one where you don't
really need to be perfect on every lap.
Controlling
the vehicles is fairly easy and the dual-shock controller is well-suited
to the task, which is a good thing because the chaos the unfolds on each
track requires split-second reactions. While you have to maintain an eye
on your fellow drivers, who will knock you around, you'll need to pay
close attention to the tracks themselves. There are numerous short-cuts
and jumps that you can use to cut seconds off your lap time, and as usual
you have a speed boost that you can use to turbo charge your vehicles.
However, this time there's a twist in that the environments can play havoc
with your engine's temperature level. Driving through burning debis and
fire increases your temp quickly, which increases the danger of
overheating dramatically. On the other hand, when you find a pool of
water, it lowers your temperature quickly. You'll also have to be careful
of the large gaps in between buildings and other objects, and time your
jumps so you won't plunge into the abyss.
The tracks themselves can also be narrow
and there are evolving events which alter or block paths and create
obstacles in certain sections, such as collapsing buildings, high winds
from tornadoes and floods that you have to navigate on the fly. Add in the
fact that the crumbling city is in a constant state of flux and you have a
racing game that's surprisingly challenging. You can't go on auto-pilot
because there's no consistent path and the events can completely change
sections of the track without warning. Additionally, while some tracks
repeat during the course of the game, they're significantly altered from
level to level, so you can't memorize layouts and go on burned-in auto-run
through the later stages as you can in other racers. If all this sounds
chaotic and over-the-top, that's because it is - and this is a key part of
the game's appeal. Motorstorm: Apocalypse isn't a subtle game, and its
manic pace and exaggerated physics make the races all the more exciting.
Motorstorm's story mode is called
Wreckreation and is the most elaborate part of the game. This allows you
to play through a series of races as a single character and watch as their
plotlines unfold. Each race has a different vehicle and assigns you a
qualifying position to finish. The early stages aren't too difficult, but
once you gain a bit of experience, the difficulty level begins to ramp up.
Playing through this mode successfully is the only way players will be
able to unlock additional vehicles and makes the game more challenging.
It's a bit of a slow-starter, but its quite fun in its own way. Players
who want to get right into things for quick play can choose the festival
mode where they can choose any unlocked vehicle or track and you can also
select the number of laps and opponents. You might want to max the
opponents for the most exciting race. This mode is a good way to practice
and learn the tracks you'll be facing in the story mode, and can also be a
good testing ground for the online modes.
Motorstorm: Apocalypse offers the usual
array of standard racing modes, but there are a few interesting variations
that keep things interesting., The first of these is the elimination mode
where the player in last place at the end of each lap is eliminated while
the follow the leader mode has you competing against a rival one-on-one.
Apocalypse also features an extensive array of online modes where you can
race against 16 other players simultaneously while earning extra items as
well. The game also supports leaderboards and the company promises to add
some DLC content to the game down the road. This gives the game players a
ton of content to go through and makes for a surprisingly deep racing
game. With its overheated volcanoes, tidal waves, stormy tornadoes and
earthquakes, the game sets and epic stage of destruction on which its
races unfold. While you have to keep your eyes on the road for the most
part, its hard not to be impressed by the dramatic and cool set-pieces
you'll encounter. Racing over the tops and through falling skyscrapers and
tall buildings, avoiding tons of falling derbris and literally racing over
bridges seconds before they collapse is a lot of fun. Avoiding smashing
into walls, avoiding rails gone off the tracks as while you scream through
underground train tunnels makes things incredibly exciting at certain
sections, with instant reactions and reflexes required to win.
Most of the races take you through a
destroyed city, though there are a few sections, such as a beach and
suburbs that you can blast through which gives the gameplay plenty of
variety. The visuals are quite impressive throughout, with detailed
renders of the city, impressive light sourcing and most importantly, a
smooth, fast frame-rate throughout that makes the game fly by in a blaze
of destruction and speed. There's definitely a cinematic flair evident in
the game and its orchestral score only adds to the game's summer-movie
feel. This makes the game immediately enjoyable and entertaining. You
won't need to spend long hours in tedious practice rounds or license
tests. Instead, you press down on the accelerator and race into a wild and
intense race. Motorstorm: Apocalypse is definitely a little more
cartoonish and exaggerated than the previous games. Replacing the
semi-realistic jungles and cliffs of the first games seems to have opened
up things a little more. Its more exaggerated setting and storyline makes
it feel more like an arcade game. Many elements that made the first game
so much fun have returned, but it feels less self-serious this time,
giving it a more immediate appeal. Longer term, it's online play, DLC
content and multi-branching courses extend its replay value. While its'
not the deepest racer on the marker, Motorstorm: Apocalypse is an
immediately fun and challenging driving game that delivers an exciting and
fun gaming experience.
- Michael Palisano
