Motorstorm: Pacific Rift - PS3

Motorstorm was one of the first games to truly test the graphical power of the Playstation 3. Not only did it look breathtaking, it played excellently. So when Sony announced the release of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, I was eager to see how it would compare with the first game.

Moving the proceedings away from the desert and onto an un-named island in the Pacific ocean, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, like is earlier counterpart, is a fast paced racing game. Like any other racing game, the point is to come first (or at least in the top 3) on each track. What sets this title apart however, is the way that different vehicles work in different environments. The outcome of each race, really depends on your choice of vehicle and your chosen route. For example, the smaller vehicles like motorbikes and quads, will not handle well on terrain that has a lot of vegetation.

Possibly, the wisest thing that Evolution Studios have done with this title, is that they have given the gamer a good variety of races. In festival mode, there are four different terrains that you can choose to race on - earth, air, water and fire.

The earth levels are dense jungle tracks, featuring a high volume of vegetation and mud. The air levels are quite similar to the terrain seen in the first Motorstorm game, featuring a vast array of high jumps and dirt. The water levels are a bit like the earth tracks, but there is more emphasis on avoiding waterfalls, lakes and rivers - again, these are particularly tricky if you are riding a motorcycle. The fire levels however, are complete mayhem, featuring a volcanic landscape, complete with molten lava. Using your speed boost on this level will cause your engine to quickly overheat and eventually, blow up.

There is also a variety of unlockable levels. The eliminator and speed races are unlocked by finishing a race without smashing your vehical over 3 times. The eliminator is essentially a race where the last placed vehical is blown up every 15 seconds, quite an interesting concept and works surprisingly well. However, the speed races are a bit of a mixed bag. Featuring that old concept of getting to the next checkpoint with time still on the clock, each track has a variety of directions you can choose and as a result, these races require you to memorise your routes. This is quite a pain, considering that you are unable to view a map of the track beforehand.

Much like its predecessor, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift is graphically solid. A bit more work could have been done on some terrains, but generally this doesn’t affect the gameplay and is not really noticeable when you are moving (which is most of the game). The animation is also smooth, which is particularly evident on the slow motion crash sequences.

Again, sound wise, everything is good. Like the first game, there is a good variety of heavy rock songs (submitted by artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, Primal Scream) to accompany the frantic pace of each race.

All in all, Evolution Studios have basically taken all problems with the first game and ironed them out. There are still a few flaws here and there. The handling is a bit iffy at times and the AI is often lacking, but this is still quite an enjoyable title and well worth your time.

If you enjoyed the original Motorstorm, or even if you missed it and like a good racing title, this is the game for you.

Verdict: 7.5 out of 10

The Good
- Fast paced fun
- Rocking soundtrack
- Nice variety of terrain
- Good online features

The Bad
- Speed races are a pain
- iffy controls at times
- No maps of tracks before the race

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