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8.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MOTORSTORM: PACIFIC RIFT Posted by Joe Anderson on Nov 4, 2008 12:54 (Nov 4, 2008 12:54) |
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The original Motorstorm was something of a dilemma, sure it was an excellent racer and it showed what could be done with the Sixaxis controller, but it’s only problem was that after a while all looked a bit the same really, thanks to it’s endless brown deserts with not a tree in site. The sequel takes a different approach by setting the game on a tropical island and the switch of environment certainly helps bring more to the game.
Rather than just stick to one type of track, Motorstorm Pacific Rift introduces four new types, which have been divided into the elements, Earth, Fire, Air and Water and now rather than having to start at one category and work your way up to the others, you are now given the choice to race in a few tracks in either of these categories, with more obviously being unlocked as your progress. If you manage to finish in the top three you are also awarded with points which can be saved to unlock all manner of items such as new vehicles and paint jobs.
 The handling of the vehicles thankfully hasn’t changed too much, well with the exception that you can no longer use the Sixaxis controls to steer your vehicle (am I the only one who made use of that feature?), instead the motion control is used to tip your vehicle back onto two wheels should it tip over, though to be honest not once did I make use of this feature. The sheer speed of the racing has not changed much either, you can still boost the nitro in your vehicle to the point of explosion, which is great to watch, you can almost feel the wind whizzing by your head. The vehicles themselves are all very distinguishable and handle differently from each other, the buggies while fast are quite difficult to steer, they are also pretty useless at going through water, slowing down to a snails pace without the use of the nitro, the same can be said for the bikes, which while fast are also pretty fragile and useless in the wet, the rally car does offer a good balance as you would except, while the heavy mud plugger and trucks while being able to get through the mud and water, are a lot less agile and prone to crashes when going over jumps.
To get all of the included trophies and make your way through all of the races and challenges you will have to master all of the games vehicles, the game will force you to use certain vehicles for challenges, therefore when you have the option to choose a vehicle it is best to vary your choice rather than just sticking to one type.
As well as the standard races, there are challenges such as Eliminator, where you try to stay in first place until you are the last one left when the time runs out, and there is also the speed event where you have to pass through the checkpoints as quickly as possible in order to earn yourself a podium finish.
Driving around the islands tracks really is so much fun which is made even better by the newly included environments, each of these element categories bring a new and exciting challenge, choose air and you will be flying your way around thanks to the high jumps, fire fills the environments with lava hazards, so one wrong turn and you quite literally are toast, the earth course tests your skill with it’s muddy fields whereas the long beach stretch of water tracks is a joy to drive along and offers something different from the others. These all new categories really add the variety which was missing in the original.
Perhaps the biggest addition to the game this year is the offline split-screen, this allows four players to duke it out on the same PS3, this is a great addition and it works really well, without taking away from the looks of the game. The online multiplayer though is probably where you will spend most of your time and thankfully finding a game to play in is easy. There are plenty of options to get online, choosing a quick match will get you into the action straight away, or you can use the option to find players more suited to your own skill level. Game modes include ranked or unranked matches and if you wish you can also create a custom match. It’s all fairly straightforward stuff but it works really well, which is all you can ask for when it comes to playing online.
 Graphically the game looks as stunning as ever, the environments all look varied and very colourful when compared to the originals more toned down look, each of the different categories tracks have their own unique look and all feel great to play in. The action itself is not hindered and there is thankfully no slowdown whatsoever with everything running along at a great pace with no slowdown. The loading times are also reduced, meaning that the long waits from the previous game are a thing of the past.
Motorstorm Pacific Rift takes the original game and improves it in all of the areas where improvement was needed, it provides new environments, split-screen offline racing and tweaks the driving experience slightly to give the vehicles a better balance. Anyone who loved the original will love this, no doubt.
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