MotorStorm Sony Computer Entertainment/Evolution Studios, 2007. PlayStation3. Rated T for Teen. Available online at Amazon.com.
MotorStorm is a classic racing game set in the mesa plains of America, featuring head-to-head competitions between good old American trucks, semi-trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, and rally cars. At first glance, this may seem like just another racing game - but Playstation3 owners, fasten your seatbelts, as you'll quickly discover that this is one of the best racing games for the platform yet.
The game features hard modern rock tunes as your background music, and plenty of mud, dirt, rocks, and ridges to drive on. Your goal is to race as fast as you can around a custom track filled with all kinds of obstacles - and ultimately win top place, thereby advancing to the next level and securing your ticket to participate in a new race. (1st through 4th gets you ahead in the game; but you really just want that 1st place gold medal, don't you?)
The type of vehicle you race for each competition is sometimes race-dependent, and other times completely up to you. You learn very quickly, though, that what type of route you travel on throughout each race is also affected by the vehicle you drive; you don't want to ride the top ridges in a semi-truck, and you certainly don't want to race the flat bottom, mud-filled tracks on your motorcycle. Taking the wrong path means that you'll crash and burn, flip over, run into other vehicles, and generally explode more often than not (I'll admit that falling off of a ridge into the abyss is pretty cool, though).
The steering for the game is accomplished with the left analog stick and the acceleration is done with the R3 button, while L3 is used for braking and backing up. The real button to have your trigger finger on, though, is the X button, which gets you your boost (flames out the back, and super-fast speed). The problem is that using your boost too much will overheat your vehicle's engine, and that, ladies and gentlemen, will cause your vehicle to explode. (And it will happen, because you'll press that button to get ahead in the race and then forget that you're still pressing it.) If you forget to check the gauge in the lower left-hand side of the screen (as I often did), which quickly jumps up toward the "red zone" as your engine heats up, then... well, voila! - you'll have yourself one huge onscreen explosion. Just remember: Hit the red zone - and you're toast. You'll crash and burn - and discover suddenly that your lead of 1st place has been knocked down to more like 12th!
MotorStorm is a pretty fun game, albeit pretty basic in its premise. You'll find that you race on the same tracks over and over again with different vehicles, which may sound boring at first but actually adds a bit of challenge since (see above) each vehicle responds differently to various routes. The racetrack is always jam-packed with other vehicles, and you can run into one another quite easily (with intent, or by accident). And, if you are on an ATV or motorcycle, you can swing your arm at another motorcycle or ATV rider to knock them off. (Sound like SSX, anyone?) I initially thought the game would be kind of boring, since it is just racing; but I've since changed that opinion. It was very difficult to figure out how to stay racing on the first track and not crash or explode from boost overuse. Once I overcame that hurdle, the racing since has been not-too-difficult, but also very fun.
The sound for the game comes in on digital 5.1 (if you have the sound system for that) and the graphics are the new HD 720p standard for PS3 games. This is a highly recommended game for the 720p capable TVs, because the detail in this game is extraordinary - and one of the best reasons to run out and purchase this game. If you've got a TV that can handle it, the opening sequences of the game alone will knock your socks off, making the purchase worth every penny.
Racing game fans, especially, will love MotorStorm - and may even worship it - for its graphics and heavy-handed game play, as well as the intense racing and crash sequences. Recommended.
Screenshots
About the Author
Emily Roma is a proud, strangely calm (inebriated?), strict, doting, and placating mother of no children. Her husband Clive would be extremely supportive of her non-work ethic and frequently opposing mental forces of self-congratulation and humble non-certitude if he would stop doing movies and finally come home. But until that time, she is quite happy applying an objectively opinionated view on the philosophical colors of the world.
My curse is my gift. My nightmares, deep sensitivity, and emotional instability gives the best (and most uncomfortable) inspirations I could ever have. For me, art is passion - and visions are the mirror, which show my feelings and connect me with the rest of the world. Read More...
MotorStorm
Subscribe to this comment's feed
