Review: MotorStorm (PlayStation 3. Evolution Studios, SCEE)

Gamers are an aggressive, pushy, destructive and just plain malicious bunch. We’ll shoot anything without question; pummel an opponent into submission forgetting to maybe talk things through first and drive over an innocent pedestrian whilst cackling maniacally. Fortunately, the majority of players confine these activities to their games, keeping their virtual insanity just that: virtual.
We’d like to think that were we to participate in a huge dirt track event that involved jostling for position amongst a variety of different vehicles, we would be careful not to kill ourselves, driving responsibly, considering the safety of others.
Adopting such tactics in MotorStorm is a sure recipe for disaster. Races are all about unleashing the aggressive gamer within, not thinking twice about callously ramming a bike into a canyon wall in a bloody huge big rig. Take even a split-second to consider the racers around you and you’re mincemeat.
MotorStorm’s tracks are intense and unforgiving with constantly changing terrain, destructible obstacles and sheer drops off treacherous cliff edges. It takes every ounce of concentration coupled with a honed instinct to best MotorStorm’s increasingly challenging events, especially online against other actual, sadistic gamers just like you. Leave your conscience to one side while you play MotorStorm because you don’t want to feel guilty about nudging the race leader into a chasm, sniggering to yourself like an idiot. MotorStorm makes you work for victories and when you do win you really feel like you earned it.
Arguably, your most merciless opponents in MotorStorm are the eight gruelling courses. Navigating potholes, muddy furrows, rocks and burnt out cars isn’t easy and watching in horror as your car flips over in a shower of twisted metal, losing precious seconds can become a frequent heart-in-mouth moment.
Forming part of PlayStation 3’s launch line-up, MotorStorm is not just an amazing console exclusive, it’s PS3’s first truly essential game, edging out global bestseller Resistance: Fall Of Man for sheer thrills. Instant gratification is what MotorStorm is all about. It’s the perfect game to keep ready in the disc slot, ready to quickly fire-up and grab a quick hit of eyeball scorching, next-gen excitement.
Visually, MotorStorm is like nothing else on current hardware offering attractive desert vistas with terrain that transforms with each lap. Developers Evolution have worked miracles with a palette of colours that are essentially all differing shades of brown. Wet mud glistens in the sunlight, dust kicks up in a vehicle’s wake and the surrounding scenery is breathtaking. Unusually for courses comprised of only mud and dust, they boast heaps of character and are individually recognisable, boasting their own unique challenges and traits. MotorStorm’s tracks with their towering rock formations and buzzing atmospherics invoke a sense of the epic, instilling an impression that you’re involved in something big.

Taking a peek under MotorStorm’s bonnet reveals an eclectic array of rag-tag vehicles, designed for the sole purpose of churning up mud and creating chaos. Each machine has its own strengths and weaknesses that you’ll come to learn and developing a favourite won’t take long, since there’s something to suit every taste. Bikes are vulnerable, twitchy and nimble able to take narrow short cuts whereas at the opposite end of the spectrum, big rigs are slower, heavy and able to effortlessly smash through barriers and rivals. Between these two extremes are ATVs, rally cars, buggies, mud pluggers and racing trucks each possessing unique individual characteristics. Each ride has its own set of physics making them either bouncy or weighty, suited for ploughing through sludge or flying off strategically placed ramps. Part of the fun is finding out which vehicles are best for certain routes and surfaces.
An element of strategy comes into play when boosting by holding the X button. Ideally it’s best to boost out of corners and down long straights but boosting, as in Burnout, rapidly becomes an art and can become pivotal in grabbing wins. Boost too much and your boost meter will flash just before your engine blows, sending a flaming wreck soaring through the air. Incidentally, it’s a laugh to try and time an engine eruption just before the finish line to triumph in style. Like Burnout, crashing has a starring role in MotorStorm doling out instant retribution for the reckless player. Crashes rarely frustrate however as they look spectacular, accompanied by a shower of sparks, flame, debris and an ill-fated, airborne rag doll driver. They’re always fair too and it’s your own fault if you tear nose-first into a rock. Less acceptable are the indiscriminate AI bullies, who relentlessly shove until you meet a fiery demise, but it’s all part and parcel of the game and against online players you’ll quickly form grudges. MotorStorm is an essential racing title for PS3 and a must have for all the aggressive, nasty gamers out there desperate to get down and dirty. That’s everybody then.
Filth: 9/10