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MotorStorm Review
Chris Leyton
27/03/2007
Evolution Studios loses the WRC to bring a sense of brutality to the PS3 launch line-up...
Sat amongst a crowd of late 360 ports and dubbed the "killer-app" from Phil "Mr PlayStation" Harrison, Evolution Studios' off-road racer has a lot to contend with if it hopes to sustain the early charge behind the PlayStation3.
From the creators of SCEE' World Rally Championship series, MotorStorm sticks to familiar territory. This time around, however, Evolution have ditched any notions of replicating a realistic motorsport, replacing it with an octane-fuelled, intense, racer, which could be just enough to convince anybody sitting on the PS3 fence and quell some of the concerns of the early adopters.
Set in the unmistakable landscape of Monument Valley, MotorStorm challenges the player to a series of races covering rally cars, big rigs, dirt bikes, quads, buggies, racing trucks and mud pluggers. Split across 21 different tickets, each offering up to four different races, MotorStorm adheres to the time-honoured tradition of placing first, second or third to progress, unlocking new tickets, tracks, and vehicles along the way. Because of the way in which the game progresses and tracks unlock, the choice is open to the player, ensuring that you'll never really come to a point when the game breaks down - it seems
Did She Just Show Me The Finger?
Despite the wide selection of unlicensed vehicles available, MotorStorm still manages to provide one of the most balanced races around. Instead of focussing on the little details, such as a certain vehicle being slightly faster or featuring improved handling, it's more about the routes suited to them and above all else your skill on the track. Whereas big rigs and buggies will quite happily slide around in the mud and across rough terrain, lighter vehicles will struggle and end up flying around uncontrollably. The importance of the routes is emphasised by the hard work that Evolution have splashed across the tracks; the initial offering may be on the thin side, but the effort, design, and what they bring to the overall nature of the game cannot be understated. Routes get faster and more direct dependant on the vehicle you're in; although you can try to wallow in the thick mud with a dirt-bike you probably won't finish the race in first, equally trucks hurtling from ramps is never a sound strategy.
The one thing that MotorStorm does above anything else is creating a rough, brutal, race of pure intensity, from the moment the clock starts to the minute it stops. Racing across the tops of canyons, performing death-defying leaps and weaving in between junkyards, MotorStorm is a brutal game that never lets off on the gas pedal. Stripping away any complexities (even going so far as removing the customary speed and circuit from the HUD), the only gameplay feature beyond getting to know the track and how to take a corner, is when to use the boost and when to hold off. Increasing the speed to retina-busting proportions, MotorStorm is exemplified by hurtling over jumps or racing through canyons at ludicrous speeds; hold it too long, however, and you risk blowing the engine and the entire vehicle in one combustive fireball, sending wheels, springs and car parts flying in every direction. It's not just you who runs the risk of taking it too far, computer-controlled cars fighting for position will ram into walls or overdo it on the boost, intensifying the sense of carnage that runs throughout the MotorStorm experience - there's isn't too many racers like it! The brutality is also evident in the taunts, typically a gimmicky little novelty, there's a sense of intent when flashing the finger or sliding it across the throat - better still, quad and dirt bike riders can swing a punch to knock wayward riders from their seat Road Rash style!
Although certain races are grouped into certain classes, the best races are when vehicles from each classification are going at it; rigs crushing bikes, rally cars speeding past buggies, and quads nipping in between. It's these races that capture what MotorStorm is all about and serve as a highlight as to what Evolution Studios have achieved in balancing the vehicles and creating tracks that offer suitable routes for each one.
Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud
There's little point denying that next-generation titles need to have that visual wow factor, it's the easiest thing for developers to accomplish in light of innovation on a grander scale. MotorStorm has this; it's one of the few PS3 launch titles that really screams out next-generation, most notably for its depiction of mud. Yes that's right, we've never seen mud quite like this and it's easily one of the most impressive visual effects we've seen on any next-generation title, PS3 or Xbox 360. There's a genuine sense of variety in the terrain, whether it's the wet and slippery mud that is quickly carved up, or the dusty, dirty tracks that some
Much of MotorStorm's pre-hype surrounded the deformation of the terrain that the trucks, bikes and quads create; sure it sounded like the hype that Sony have become infamous for, but it's actual implementation goes a lot further then that. The cars quickly carve through the terrain, changing the landscape considerably from the first lap and ensuring there's a sense of dynamism beyond any other racer around. It goes further then just a neat visual trick; whilst the lighter selection of vehicles such as the rally cars and bikes will struggle in the quagmire, the behemoth rigs, quads and mud pluggers will happily race through it, leaving valleys of mud in their wake. Routes through the track are the key factor to success in MotorStorm, more so then the finer details between
Killer-App, Not Quite
Impressive visuals and intense yet fun-fuelled gameplay aside, MotorStorm doesn't quite succeed on all fronts when it comes to delivering the decisive gaming experience that the PS3 is in desperate need for. The load times in between tracks, and more noticeably when selecting vehicles, suggests that the Blu-ray disc speed issue is slightly bigger then Sony maintains. Several PS3 titles are using the HDD to cache data to improve these times, though it doesn't seem as though Evolution got around to including this functionality.
The mediocre selection of tracks is also of slight concern; an indication that perhaps the game was rushed for release and that more will find their way to the PlayStation Store at some stage.
It's also the victim of Sony's fabled "is it, isn't it" rendered footage that was used to demonstrate the target look of PS3 titles ahead of any specific hardware. There's little denying that it comes close to what Sony showed, and the concept at least seems fully realised from a gameplay perspective; however, it's ammo for the sceptics and 360 fanboys to hurl in Sony's face.
Further still, the implementation of SixAxis motion-control at least goes a little further then most of the gimmicks we've seen in PS3 launch titles, although the actual effect feels so weak to raise serious concerns over its long-term validity. Light and unresponsive, it's highly unlikely you'll stick with this control setup beyond the initial curiosity; traditional thumbsticks are far better, which leaves us to moan over the lack of rumble in a game that sorely needs it.
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