Hands-on: Motorstorm: Pacific Rift

With the demo hitting the Playstation Store this week, I finally got to play Motorstorm: Pacific Rift which releases later this month. Having enjoyed the first game early in the PS3's life, I've been looking forward to seeing how this new Motorstorm would play.


So, how does it play? Well, actually, a lot like the first game which is to be expected and it's not really a bad thing. The game controls almost exactly the same. The R2 button accelerates, the X button is your boost, the circle button breaks, and the left analog stick steers. This is really all you need to know. I mean there are some other things like punching while on bikes plus new stuff like using L1 and R1 to bump opponents next to you. But the focus here is again on speeding through the course, powersliding around corners, and using your boost well (as using it too much will make you explode like before). The demo gives you access to one track, Rain God Spires, which you can play single-player or in two-player splitscreen. You also have access to different vehicles (bike, racing truck, and monster truck in single; rally car, buggy, and racing truck in splitscreen). Like before, different vehicles have a different feel to them and are better for different routes. Rain God Spires shows off how this sequel will again have multiple routes to take throughout the course. While this track doesn't have as many routes as some of the original's more elaborate tracks, it is very well designed with two main routes that intertwine throughout with plenty of jumps to get some big air. This track is in the jungle, but the actual portion you race on is a bit reminiscent of the dirt courses of the first game. I would have liked to have gotten to try out one of the courses featuring water which can be used to cool down your boost meter, but this course was still fun. The new monster truck plays well though I still prefer the faster vehicles like bikes and rally cars. I got the chance to try splitscreen as well. It's going to be a really great addition to the game. It does cut down on your view of the course which means it may be helpful for each player to try courses in single-player first to get a handle of the layouts. Otherwise, I think splitscreen will be a blast. While the game may not be one of the best looking games ever when it launches like the first game, it still looks good and runs well even in splitscreen (though it does take a bit of a hit there graphically obviously) especially considering this is seemingly an older build. And the crashes still look awesome. The soundtrack also fits well with the racing.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift looks to be in good shape. The core racing elements from the original are intact and feel as good as ever. And they've added some nice new features like splitscreen multiplayer and the monster truck while also fixing issues like reducing the first game's long loads for choosing a vehicle. The full game promises to have more courses (twice as many as the original) and a larger variety of environments than the first (read: not all desert courses). All this points to a sequel that should satisfy fans of the first while fixing the game's major issue by adding more play value to the game. Racing fans can look for Motorstorm: Pacific Rift when it ships to stores October 28th.