While
you’d expect the portable version of the PS3 series to deliver a
watered-down experience, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge is a surprisingly
faithful edition of the series that recreates the series’ trademark
elements faithfully. A new setting in the cold climate of a desolate
mountain gives it a refreshing feel, though the basic gameplay mechanics
are largely intact. The game is all about bringing chaos to the racing
course – where monster trucks, motorcycles and other extreme sports
staples battle against each other in a series of off-road courses. Each
course brings open-ended layouts with multiple paths and terrain. Knowing
which path to use with your vehicle makes a huge difference, since certain
vehicles are better in the mud and gravel, while others excel in snowier
sections. Usually, the fastest route depends on which type of vehicle
you’re using, with the higher sections offering better traction for
smaller vehicles while larger ones need the more straightforward sections
in the lower portions. Stages also have steep curved walls you can drive
through, jumps you need to master and tricky sections you’ll need to
navigate without bumping into walls.
Perhaps
one of the most annoying things about the game is that you can bump into
some objects without losing too much traction while others cause you to
crash at the slightest touch. This can be frustrating and causes you to
lose a lot of time for apparently no reason. Making jumps is fairly simple
most of the time, but hitting ramps at the wrong angle can make you crash
into a wall and punish you severely with lots of damage. These aggravating
crashes don’t happen most of the time, but when they do, it feels cheap,
making Arctic Edge feel less polished than it should. Aside from this, the
racing in Arctic Edge is fairly straightforward. That is, except for one
key element – the boost meter. While you might be able to put up a
decent finish without it, you need to learn how to use this to succeed. It
takes a few seconds to charge up at the beginning of each race, but once
enabled, pressing down on the key gives you a nitrous charge. It increases
your speed dramatically, but also leaves you more vulnerable to flying
into a wall or off the side of the track, since it reduces your steering
ability. The longer you have it enabled, the higher your temperature goes,
and if it overheats, you’re vehicle will explode. With this in mind, you
need to keep an eye on this and not rely on it too much. One of the more
interesting aspects of the boost here is that you can cool down by driving
through snow or water sections, which is a cool feature to learn.
Motorstorm
allows you to choose from two modes: Festival and Wreckreation.
Wreakreaction is just what it sounds like, a few time trial and practice
modes where you can run around without much at stake. The real meat of the
game comes in Festival mode, which allows you to earn points to unlock
additional levels and vehicles as you race through stages. In this mode,
your standing at the end of each race decides how many points you get.
Earning enough of these allows you to proceed to additional racing tiers,
which increase in difficulty. Progression is fairly consistent early on,
and you’ll unlock many stages quickly without much effort. Races are
divided into tiers that you can unlock by earning enough points. While the
early tiers don’t offer much competition, your opponents become more
aggressive as you work your way up to the harder stages. Before each race
starts, you select which stage you’ll race and your vehicle to use. Most
races require you to use a specific vehicle and class, which makes things
interesting since you’re always switching between vehicles. There are a
wide variety of these available during the course of your career ranging
from motorcycles, trucks, and buggies. Thanks to the cold weather, you
also get a chance to race more exotic vehicles including large plows and
snow machines. Each of these vehicles offers different types of control
and handling, with the larger vehicles giving you more weight at the
expense of maneuverability. There’s a somewhat limited selection
available at first, but you can earn other vehicles and classes as you win
races. Arctic Edge also allows you to earn paint jobs and decals that let
you create a custom look for your vehicles. The controls in Arctic Edge
are fairly decent and most players should have little trouble moving
around. Using the analog stick and shift button is fairly intuitive and
the cars and vehicles are fairly responsive throughout, making the
arcade-action style of play easy to learn and get into. Arctic Edge’s
physics are fairly decent, with some nice crash animations, though the
game isn’t too realistic; it’s still loads of fun to play.
Visually,
the game delivers an impressive by PSP standards aesthetic experience with
consistent frame rates, nicely rendered vehicles and expansive courses.
Its courses have a cool, post-apocalyptic vibe to them which adds to the
game’s underground feel, giving the game a punky, outlaw feel that makes
it feel more dangerous. The action moves along at a smooth pace throughout
and there’s little in the way of slowdown. Impressive special effects
such as light-sourcing and weather effects give Motorstorm a polished and
highly professional appearance. Players can choose from either a
behind-the-vehicle perspective or a first person viewpoint that allows for
a slightly more immersive experience. There are loads of different-size
vehicles on the courses simultaneously, and the PSP version does an
excellent job in recreating the sense of chaos and unpredictability that
made the PS3 Motorstom titles so much fun to play. The only drawback in
terms of presentation is the somewhat lame soundtrack, which fills your
ears with a predictable mix of tired metal. Fortunately, the music can be
turned off – greatly enhancing the experience.
From an online standpoint, the game is excellent and supports up to 6
players simultaneously in ad-hoc mode, delivering the same intense
gameplay as the standard modes. Arctic Edge also includes support for
remote play if you have a PS3. Most of the same modes and similar play are
available online as well. Before you set up a race and opponents, the
game’s easy to navigate menus make this a straightforward process.
Between the online mode’s added value and the solid single-player game,
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge offers a solid dose of off-road racing with
challenging track layouts, a varied selection of vehicle classes and a
good progression system that keeps you coming back for more. While it’s
not as elaborate as the PS3 editions in terms of visual quality, the game
delivers most of the essential gameplay elements that made the series so
popular. There are a few minor annoyances with track layouts, some weird
collision detection and other minor issues, but Arctic Edge is an exciting
title that brings Motorstorm’s intense off-road racing to the PSP
effectively.
- Michael Palisano
