Motorstorm Review

MotorStorm
Publisher: SCEE
ERP: £39.99

Mud, glorious mud; the appeal of MotorStorm is undoubtedly the grime. That and wrecking some very fine off-road vehicles in wince-inducing slow-motion replays. As a PS3 flagship title MotorStorm might not be clever as in complicated, but the terrain certainly is big, the competition is mean and, of course, constantly very dirty.

Folks volunteering for a few bursts of MotorStorm shouldn’t expect a long-term fulfilling experience. However we’d wager most blokes will want a turn at the wheel; or rather the new SIXAXIS controller with its triggers that have now replaced the old L2 and R2 shoulder buttons. You drive, you crash, you laugh at the spectacle, eventually you might even win a few races and that unlocks more circuits. Really that’s the long and short of it, so inevitably getting all muddied up in some no-name desert loses its appeal after the initial wow factor of PlayStation 3.

Yet equally guaranteed is the fun to be had racing online real-life rivals. Then it gets personal, and you rather idiotically accredit yourself with genius after instigating grand-scale disasters. Similarly you’ll grit your teeth with determination to get back with the pack if you’re caught in a collision. Sure, none of this is what you might call next-generation gameplay. But Sony knows its audience, and what’s required above all is a graphical showcase combined with enjoyable easy-access multiplayer.

With “MotorStorm” Sony has answered its critics by matching the visual fidelity of those early PS3 tech demos. By offering multiplayer functions that include in-game voice chat, online tournaments and constantly updated Leaderboards some of the fuss has died down over PlayStation Network versus Xbox Live. We wish we could tell you that MotorStorm is a launch classic that will still be enjoyed a year from now. It isn’t. However for flat out racing pure and simple with all the special effects you prayed PS3 would deliver, MotorStorm is your game.

Back to Playstation 3 Launch Special