MotorStorm lives and thrives on the moments when you're right in the middle of a pack of vehicles, everyone pushing each other towards the cliff sides and you're doing all you can just to survive. There are more "Oh $#@&" moments in MotorStorm than any other game around, and no matter how many laps around the same track you've made, you'll constantly see new crashes and vehicles careening to their death.
Really, there are very, very few racing titles (or even games in general) around that deliver as engaging an experience as MotorStorm. There's really no better way to put it than that.
On a similar topic, it's quite clear that MotorStorm is a beautiful game and one that really shows what the PlayStation 3 is capable of. One of the reasons that it's so engaging is because of just how brutal the crashes can look, or how imposing the other vehicles can appear when you're racing tire-to-tire. When a computer driver misses a jump and smashes into a cavern wall and its vehicle smashes into a hundred flailing bits, a smile will cross your face. The game's terrain rendering system really lets you know what sort of surface you're driving on, and tires will cut through encrusted layers of dirt to reveal the slick and dirty mud below it.
MotorStorm's track designs are generally fantastic. Each course features a number of different pathways that you can take, with the quicker, higher routes geared for bikes and ATVs more risky than the ground-level paths straight through the mud. There are shortcuts everywhere, and a large part of your racing strategy will be based on which paths you take. In many courses there are so many options that half of your entire race can be unique, even after three laps.
The game can be extremely fun online, especially when you're talking trash with a bunch of your friends and cursing at them when they run you off a cliff. Again, you can only take part in straight-up races, but you do have options for things like turning on or off catch-up assist, what vehicles you want to be made available and what time of day you want to race.
Helping to keep people glued to their seats, the game includes a ranking feature that allows you to increase your title. One small issue that we have here is that your overall record is dictated solely by how many wins you've attained. If you're always playing in 12 player races and constantly finish in the top three, but don't actually win all that often, other players should be able to see that you finish well in large competitions. Two friends who only ever race each other and split the wins will look incredible compared to the full-field racer.
Closing Comments
Sony has jump-started its newest racing franchise in a fantastic way. Yes, the limited number of tracks and gameplay options hold it back quite a bit, but the fundamental racing is incredible. The variety in vehicle types is great, the track designs are awesome and the online is extremely fun. We simply cannot wait for a sequel.
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Soon, very soon...