Official Website

Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Racing

Number of Players: 1 -12

Support: HD 720p, Headset, PS Network Compatible
Ethernet Broadband Required

It hasn’t even been a week since Sony released their first PlayStation 3 racing title, Formula One Championship Edition, but the high speed racing game that has a great level of realism associated with it could very well be too much for all but veteran race fans. For those that have an insatiable desire, there’s still an answer that goes beyond arcade style and delivers adrenalin pumping action.

Welcome to the world of MotorStorm, a racing event set in the picturesque and rugged terrain of Monumental Valley, Arizona. This has been the chosen location for a festival of music and most importantly, offroad racing. There’s no need for customizing, no worries about what car to buy next, but instead the focus is on one thing and one thing only: racing.

MotorStorm has already been a game that’s been in the public eye since the PlayStation 3 began popping up in kiosks in retailers, and this has been the demo that has been running on all of them. But, what you may have seen on the demo, what you may have downloaded and played already on your PS3, is but a mere taste of what the game has to offer. MotorStorm takes offroad racing to a level of excellence that only the next generation systems can provide, and more specifically, the PS3.

Consisting of 21 stages, each more challenging than the last and each with a multitude of races, you’ll find your skills pushed to the extreme. This is much like a cross between a game series from the good old days of gaming, Super Off-Road, and the rally tracks found in Gran Turismo. Yes, this is a game about racing, but there’s a lot more under the hood than just crossing the finish line, you’ll need to do it in one piece, and that’s not always easy.

MotorStorm uses a number of different features to put itself in a class all its own, and one of the most notable is the real-time track deformation. The courses themselves have a number of paths that can be followed, and many of these have at least one that will lead you into mud. Going through the first time around isn’t bad, but the more racers that tear through the terrain, the more difficult the mud becomes to navigate, and in some cases, you’ll not only be struggling to push your way through, but sliding and slipping as you try and keep up with the pack.

The tracks also feature interactive environments such as signs, wrecked cars, fences, and a number of other things. Driving head on through a fence will utterly destroy it, but on your next lap, there will still be pieces that can be ran over further, or you may find that a barrel you knocked over previously is still on the track. These things don’t simply fade away, and once again we see the true power of the PS3 in action. It’s not just the environments that take a beating, but your vehicle as well, and you’ll being to see scratch in the pain, dents and dings on the hood or in the doors, and if there’s enough damage, you’ll begin to loose pieces.

This isn’t a game of just one type of vehicle either, and there are seven different types to select from, though some games will require you to use a certain type. MX Bikes. Big Rigs, racing trucks, rally cars, buggies, ATV’s, and mudpluggers are all on the available list and each as a number of different designs and colors to choose from. Really, those don’t matter too much, at least not in my opinion. That nice, green truck I may have selected will soon be coated in mud making the color nearly impossible to see. Each vehicle also has advantages and weakness with the terrain. Some excel at navigating through mud while others will be slowed down. MX Bikes are fast and agile for instance, but this is MotorStorm, and anything does, meaning you can do what’s necessary to eliminate opponents, though not permanently. Think your bike is going to stand up to a big rig? That’s merely wishful thinking.

At first, MotorStorm is a bit of a challenge, at least until you begin to learn the mechanics of how the game plays. With the damage that each vehicle is susceptible to and hitting a patch of mud the wrong way, you may find yourself slamming into a pile of rocks and totaling your car, and time waits for no one. Aside from getting to enjoy a nice visual display of your wreck, other drivers will pass you by. The key really seems to be drifting to make it around some of those slippery or rocky turns. There’s even a bit of a Road Rash nod thrown in and when on a bike, you can attack other rivals, at least as long as they are on a bike themselves. Drivers in cars and such will only get an aggressive (but not obscene) gesture from you. Also, you have a boost option, and you won’t have to try and drift around corners to charge this up, but be warned, as you hold it down longer, you will begin to overheat and if you max out the meter, your vehicle will explode.

If you’re up for a real challenge though, you can try the game with the SIXAXIS controller in the motion sensor mode. As I’ve found the case to be, this does take some time to grow accustomed to, and in MotorStorm, this might be truer than ever before. The game is incredibly sensitive and the slightest wrong move can cost you the race. From my experience though, it seems that playing using the in-car mode (though it’s just a closer behind view for bikes) seems to make things a bit easier when trying to use the motion sensor mode.

A racing game probably wouldn’t be the same these days without an online mode, and MotorStorm features this option for up to twelve players. You can choose to join a game or host your own with the option to select not only the track, but what vehicles will be allowed how many laps the race will have, and the ambience featured in your creation. The game also supports the headset options allowing you to converse with other players as well.

Some complaints that I have heard about the demo version was that it didn’t look as good as expected, but remember, that was the demo. MotorStorm looks absolutely amazing and features some fantastic details. Having a driver hit a patch of mud when you’re nearby can result in dirt landing on your hood, and it will stay there unless of course you loose it during the race, or crash. If you’re playing in the behind car mode, you will see the dirt and grime begin to pile up, and it will also ht the screen, though it will fade after a few seconds, but it’s a nice touch. The lighting in the game is amazing as well, and you’ll note that the sun glistens on the mud in some cases, turning into a canyon can have you in the shade, and there are those times when the sun might be glaring in your eyes. The landscapes found in the game are amazing, and seeing bits of grass as your drive by, trees, and even loose rock or dust flying up in the air adds to the realism. All of these elements are what makes MotorStorm an offroad game that players are going to immerse themselves in and developers will be examining in full detail.

The PlayStation 3 is definitely getting its fair share of great racing titles, and having played all of them at this point, MotorStorm definitely ranks in as being on the best in my opinion, dropping my addiction to Formula One Championship Edition and Ridge Racer 7 down a bit. Sony wants you to get down and dirty, and MotorStorm is the perfect game to do so. No fine tuning required and no showers necessary, just good, solid gameplay, and if you doubted the “killer app” status that many have put on this game months ago, let me assure you, that only begins to define MotorStorm.

-mike-