MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
One of the strongest titles in the PlayStation 3’s early release schedule, the first MotorStorm was a rally game that emphasised speed, excitement and outrageous physics over any sort of realism. Its sequel, now in an 80% complete form, is no different; in fact, we’d go so far as to say it’s pushed even further into the realm of white-knuckle fantasy racing in its move to the seaside.
The deforming terrain, an impressive if inconsequential feature from the first game has been downplayed and in its place the game presents multiple routes and set-piece course elements to the fore. This suits the Pacific jungle locations very well: now there are any number of different routes through the thick foliage, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. The game is as much about plotting your route through an environment effectively as it is about doing it quickly.
The Pacific island setting has introduced environmental elements that have more than just an aesthetic purpose. Now, for example, driving through a 50-foot tall waterfall will instantly cool off your vehicle’s boost bar (a gauge that fills as you hold down the boost button, blowing up your vehicle if it maxes out). This means that, if your timing is good, you can chain together long stretches of all out boosting, depleting the gauge via a water source just as it reaches breaking point.
The tracks we’ve played have been thoughtfully designed, each brimming with different elements that will be of benefit to different vehicle types during a race. Ramps and jumps mean very different things depending on whether you’re on a bike, in a truck, buggy, ATV or, the game’s new vehicle type, the monster truck.
Visually the game is a treat, the Pacific theme used to great effect in the course Cascade Falls, which presents deep blue skies and far distance mountain tops that frame muddy gullies, shallow water pools and an intricate matrix of overhanging vines.
In our latest hands-on we also had chance to play on the 'Wildfire' course, a volcanic rollercoaster ride of magma pools and blackened terrain. Here the boost bar fills quicker (volcanoes are hot, you see) and, if you land yourself in some magma, than you‘ll sink and explode before being returned to the track having lost valuable seconds.
There are 16 tracks to come in the final version, as well as the introduction of four player split screen and wide-ranging online multiplayer options. But more than bigger and better stats, Pacific Rift, by emphasising meaningful design tweaks over mere technological advancement, looks set to expand upon and improve the template set out by its predecessor.
