User Reviews
| | |
 Storming Success |  4.0
0 comments |
by  PangTong_Blademaster
from Oxford, , England | May 5, 2008 |
My first impressions of Motorstorm were that it was going to be yet another mediocre, full throttle racer and that may be your first impressions too but don't give up on this priceless title and give it a try.
If you are bored of donning a formula racing car or a pimped voyage and fancy something a little more "dirt friendly" then Motorstorm is the ideal racer for you. In Motorstorm you race it out in one of the seven vehicle types against a maximum of fifteen other AI racers or if you prefer playing online you can race with up to eleven rivals.
First things first, the vehicles of Motorstorm range from the nimble speed bikes to the behemoth like "Big Rigs." They all might look different and you may jump to the assumption that bikes are the fastest and Big rigs are the slowest but you would be wrong: all vehicles travel at similar speed if you know which path to take. There are seven vehicle types in Motorstorm. The Speed Bikes are the smallest and most flexible of the seven but the driver can easily be dismounted from the slightest bit of contact. The All Terrain Vehicle (or quad bike) is as prone to damage than the Bike but feels a little more bulky and stable. The Buggies are slim and can handle most terrain types but can give you a hard time steering. The rally cars are built to speed the straights on the track but are very fragile and will blow apart if you swerve into any hard terrain. The Trucks are fairly easy to manoeuvre but can run quite rough on specified terrain types. The Mud Pluggers aren’t too great but if your on a boggy track and keep in the mud you will storm ahead of the pack. Last of all the Big Rigs, the huge lorry like vehicles that tend to be slow starters but at full throttle can smash apart cars in its way but fails to show off airborne capabilities. Each vehicle type has at least four different variations of design and if that doesn’t satisfy your needs you can select a different paint job or even use you PSN wallet to purchase some of the downloadable ones.
There are eight tracks to play on, each set in the same kind of sandy location but each with its own unique features. Maps range from the long stretches and air bursts of the Dust Devil to the treacherous turns and perilous drops of the Rain God Mesa. Every map you play on Motorstorm is equal as run but you will find that there are some favourites out there, especially for online players. There may not be a difference into how the maps look on the outside but rest assured, each one plays out differently and there are a few paths to take on each map with certain vehicles to gain an advantage.
Graphics are sweet, you get the sunrays bouncing off the wet mud on your vehicles and splash of sludge thrown up onto your car but there isn’t much variation to how it does this. Mud and dust will always dirty your screen in the same spots and vehicles get dirty in the same places which can be annoying but hard to notice when your giving it full boost over a cliff top. The vehicle sounds are pretty average but changing those sounds could have made the game sound horrendous. The beeping of horns is rarely used and the full on crashes and explosions are quite plausible and throw you into a feeling of shame as you see your ride blast into tiny segments.
In the single player mode the goals are pretty simple, get a podium place every race. There are a couple of dozen tickets which have up to four different races on each which you need to clear. Once cleared you gain points which unlock newer and harder tickets and also new vehicles. New tickets may not seem like an incentive to do the single player but some of the unlock able vehicles are pretty cool.
Your speed in Motorstorm depends on a number of factors. Firstly the terrain, there are a few types of terrain from dust and rock to wet and mud which all effect how certain vehicles drive. If you match up the correct vehicle with its favourite terrain type you are guaranteed to gain a few places. Secondly your position on the track has quite an effect on your speed, if you start a race in last (which you usually do in single player) you will find yourself stuck behind all the other vehicles, therefore ploughing through them can prove difficult especially if you’re driving a ATV and you try to take over a Big Rig. Lastly you N boost is a decisive factor in how it all plays out. Each racer starts off with their N bar empty. Nitrous boosts can’t be used for the first ten seconds of a race so everyone starts equally. As soon as the ten seconds pass you are free to use your N boost via holding down the cross button, but be warned as you hold down the cross but your N guage starts to fill and when it reaches the limit, BOOM time, so it advised to keep a careful check on your guage at all times.
Some of the features described may already exist in other racing games but Motorstorm offers you a whole new perspective of looking at racing. The sheer ferocity of this game amplified by its amazing soundtrack including “Slam” by Pendulum and “Breed” by Nirvana makes it a storming success for the PS3 and if you are still not satisfied with the content you can download more from an ever growing list of expansions available.
Graphics: 4.3/ 5.0
Sound: 4.0/ 5.0
Gameplay: 4.5/ 5.0
Layout: 3.7/ 5.0
Online: 4.0/ 5.0
|
| 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
|
| | |
| Wears thin. Quickly |  3.2
0 comments |
by  Nozza_1000
from Near Manchester, , England | Jan 15, 2008 |
THE GOOD:
Graphics: The graphics in this game are stunning. The way the cars and camera get splattered with mud as you pass through a big muddy ditch, the way the track deforms as each individual car passes over it, the way the debris from a crash up ahead whistles past you. The graphics in this game are something else.
Originality: You won't have played any games like this before. It takes the racing genre and crosses every type of racing game there is and produces something so original it can be classed as revolutionary
Sound: The sound in this game is great. The engines have satisfactory grunt , the crashes have all the noises you would expect, metal screeching, big bangs etc. The soundtrack is great also and it fits in to the action, it's fast paced unpredictable rock.
Spectacular crashes: Burnout is a game that has a major selling point of huge crashes but the crashes in this are even bigger, better, more violent and more spectacular. The way the car bounces off a rock across the track as it's bodywork is ripped apart and thrown into the path of the oncoming racers causing them to have further crashes is simply amazing.
Lots of vehicles: There are several classes of vehicle to choose from these include the light fast bikes to the huge track owning big rigs. Within these classes are different types of styles from your racing big rig to your huge "there is no way you are getting past me mate" big rigs all of which come with multiple paint choicesTHE BAD:
Enemy A.I: At first you will think this is great they are behaving as if they really want to win the race and aren't just there to make up the numbers but as time goes by you will see quite the opposite. Instead of trying to win it seems as if their actual goal is to stop you winning and any result other than you winning is a success, e.g. I was racing on a bike and I was neck and neck with another racer when for no reason he cut across the track taking both of us out and resulting in us finishing last.
Physics: Again it's the same here at first it looks good, cars crash and break apart realistically and anything can happen like a stray tyre from that crash could fly off and cause another huge pile up elsewhere. But as time goes by you will see that you in your big rig you are the one that gets forced around the track by bikes and buggies e.g. i was heading along by the side of a cliff when a bike pulls up alongside me, leans into me and forces me into the cliff as the quarter tonne bike heads off unscathed whilst the 3 tonne big rig it managed to force off the road is left hanging there in a spectacular slow-motion crash.
Lack of tracks: When you see the huge list of vehicles you would expect to see an equally huge list of track but unfortunately you only get a handful of tracks that you will find yourself constantly going round. Yes there are several paths to take within these tracks but the reality of it is there are only a handful of tracks to pick from SUMMARY:
This had all the ingredients required to make a great racer plus some more but unfortunately it couldn't quite bring them altogether and you are left with a great looking game that in terms of gameplay is quite weak.
Don't be fooled by the fancy physics or the spectacular crashes because this really isn't as good as it seems and you will soon become frustrated and bored.
It is almost as if when they were making the game they lost the reason why they make games and instead went on a technical graphical and physics usage experiment to prove that they are capable of producing a great looking game with lots of fancy phrases for graphics and crashes but lost the core of any game which is the gameplay.
I am expecting a sequel and I expect it to have beefed up gameplay and to have changed some of the annoying little A.I and physics bugs. |
| 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
|
| | |
| Good..for a short time. | 4.0
0 comments |
by  Mnmfan
from Athlone, , Ireland | Jul 2, 2007 |
Motorstorm
Forget Ridge Racer, this is the first good racer on the PS3.
Motorstorm takes place entirely in a desert. Beautiful cliffs, rocky valleys, big jumps and multiple routes are what you and your rivals a racing in. It's a no holds bars race to the finish with Cars, Buggys, Bikes and Trucks all in the same race.
The introduction race takes place in a beautiful desert wasteland with 14 rivals. However it's a mixtures of different vehicles. If you prefer going for the shortcuts and high jumps then pick a light vehicle like a car, buggy or bike however if you like to keep your feet on the ground then go for a heavy vehicle like a truck.
It might be the first race but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The AI of the rivals is excellent. They do indeed try their hardest to win as they try to ram you of the road.
Motorstorm doesn't quite play like your usual racer. Each vehicle has different handling and some are hard to master. Pick the wrong vehicle on your first race and you might be disappointed with the game straight from the start. However practise makes perfect and before you know it you'll be in the top 3. The only way to advance is to place in the top 3. Come 4th and you have to try it again. This might sound pretty easy but be warned, it's not like your usual racer. With the AI being so good it actually is a challenge in every race to get into the top 3.
So how about the graphics?? Superb is the only answer I can think of.
Every stage looks amazing. The mud kicks up behind your bike as you scramble around a tight corner. On top of a mountain gives you a beautiful view far into the distance. Press start during gameplay allows you to rotate the camera around your vehicle viewing it in all angles in amazing HD quality.
Personally I'm not to fond of how the game is setup. You unlock tickets when ever you win a certain amount of races. Every ticket has 4 races to compete in. It feels shabby and a rushed way of setting up the interface.
The controls are tricky at first too. As every vehicle responds different it can be difficult to find that perfect vehicle for you.
During a race you can make use of boost. However not infinitely. Keep it pressed for too long and your engine will overheat and explode. Pretty annoying.
If you fancy a bit of fun try switching to Sixaxis Controls. This turns the controller into a steering wheel. Fun for a race or so but it's just a novelty and loses it's humour rapidly. For the first time we can now play a game while drinking tea at he same time though.
The difficulty might vend of some players. Even the early races can be very difficult and sometimes winning is just about luck.
Overall though Motorstorm is a great launch title. The graphics show off the PS3s potential and it's fun while it lasts.
You do bore of it after a while though. |
| 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
|
|
|
forums
3.73/5.0