Review: MotorStorm (PS3)

Graphics- 9.5/10
Sound- 9.5/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Replay Value- 8/10
Overall- 9/10

If you have a PS3, you probably downloaded the demo for MotorStorm, played it, and have been waiting for the game to come out. It's finally here, but was it worth the wait? The short answer: yes. The long answer: read the review.

First of all: the graphics. Holy crap, the graphics. They are simply phenomenal. Why do I mention them first? They are probably the first thing you've noticed about the game. The environments are beautifully rendered, and bring the game to life. The cars also look fantastic, each with their own unique style. Plus, the explosions look pretty good as well. This game just simply looks good. Also, this game sports an excellent soundtrack. If you enjoy rock music, you will find something here you like. And if you don't like a song? Just uncheck it from the playlist, a feature sadly missing in some games (Supercar Street Challenge, just to name one).

Which leads us to the gameplay. Honestly, the gameplay is a little disappointing. It's still very good, but it could be better. The storyline, I guess you can call it that, is pretty pointless. All you do in the game is race races over and over again. Yes, that is what you do in every other racing game, but some racing games (Gran Turismo 3, just to name one) have more variety in what you are allowed to do, with buying cars and so forth. It is just too linear. Speaking of the cars, yes there are unlockable cars, but the only difference between them and other cars of the same class is looks. They have the same speed and handling. As for the types of cars you can drive, there are seven. The small ones: the motorbike, small and agile, and the ATV, bigger than the bike, but less agile, more meant for driving in the dirt. The medium ones: the buggy, a smaller, speedy car meant for off-roading; the rally cars, the fastest car in the game, but limited to smoother roads; and the racing truck, good for rough terrain, but suffers in speed. And the big ones: the mudpluggers, a mix between monster trucks and pickup trucks, best for driving in, well, mud, and the big rig, slow, bad at handling, but this doesn't matter since you can plow through your enemies. With the different types of cars, there are also different things you can do with them. For example, if you are on a bike or an ATV, you can deliver an oh-so-satisfying punch to other drivers to knock them off their bikes or ATVs. Or if you are in a big rig, simply run over your bike/ATV-riding enemies.

To go along with the theme of cars, boosting is a major part of this game. Without it, there is no way you could win most of the races. When you boost too long, a fireball not-very-realistically comes out of the back of your car as a warning, because if you boost too long, you explode. However, this can create some entertaining moments, as you can have a fireball coming out of the back of a big rig (must be intimidating for the other racers). There are some more problems with the game. Sometimes you will get randomly stuck in a corner or on a rock if you take a turn too fast, the worst part being that it is hard to get unstuck. Most of the time, I have to boost so much that I explode just to get free. This can understandably make you go from first place to last in a matter of seconds. Also, there is no splitscreen multiplayer, meaning if I want to play with my Wii-owning friend, for example, he would have to buy a PS3. And by the time this happens, a better racing game will probably be out. The reason for this is probably because it would be pointless to have the graphics as freakishly good as they are if you cannot enjoy them, but still, the feature would have been very welcome. This game does have online multiplayer, however, and the system is very good, and worth playing. Also, in the preview, I thought there would be more courses, but I was mistaken. There are only eight, and while they are all long, this is still not enough. They get old rather quickly. The best part about the courses, though: there are so many paths to take, which leads to a different strategy for the different vehicle types. Overall, this game is worth buying if you like racing games and have a PS3, and is making me very excited for the expected MotorStorm 2.

Pros: Graphics, soundtrack, running over a biker with your truck, punching an opposing racer off their bike/ATV, fun, online multiplayer.
Cons: No splitscreen multiplayer, having to explode yourself to get unstuck.

Review: Eric