If Mad Max ever felt the proclivity to race off-road dune buggies, then he probably would have been a master at Motorstorm, the first Playstation3 offering from Evolution Studios.
As one of the first games released for the seventh-generation Sony machine, Motorstorm was always going to be a popular seller (there were only a handful of games available for sale at its March release).
Despite this, Motorstorm is one of the most visually spectacular racing games on the market and even at such an early stage of the PS3 gaming evolution, it already demonstrates the amazing graphics capabilities of the machine.
Motorstorm is set some time in the future, one can only assume, in a location more reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic wasteland - thus the Mad Max reference (specifically the really bad one with Tina Turner).
Your weapons of choice aren’t laser rifles or rocket launchers, instead mud pluggers, rally car hybrids, colossal trucks, jeeps, crossbred SUVs and ATVs and motorbikes.
Sadly in Motorstorm, and probably the game’s only disappointment, there are just two modes of play - single player and online racing.
While that may suit some, the restrictions of the single player `campaign’ can be a source of frustration, particularly in a game that sets such high visual and gameplay standards.
You can’t modify any of the vehicles, and even then the number available to choose from in each category is limited to just three or four.
That said, there is a reasonably wide range of different vehicles at your disposal, as listed earlier.
The premise of the game is simple.
You choose your track (more open up to the player as you work through the game), choose your set of wheels, and go racing.
Every track on Motorstorm has a number of different and varied paths available.
Include in that a wide range of jumps, diverse terrain (all of which have an impact on your speed and handling, depending on type of vehicle selected) - all mixed with a chaotic sense of mayhem and destruction.
The secret to success in Motorstorm is finding out through trial and error, which path around any given track is most suited to each vehicle.
And while there are just eight tracks available across the entire game, they are long and individual races can take anywhere up to 10 minutes to complete, and with a number of different class races on each track, even the best driver isn’t going to finish the single player section of Motorstorm in a short period of time.
One of the more enjoyable areas of Motorstorm is the ability to run your competitors off the track, off a ravine, into a cliff or boulder, or into one of the many obstacles and chunks of debris lying around the track.
That is, as long as you’re on the giving end, not receiving.
Each vehicle can take copious amounts of minor damage before they become a nightmare to control, but the subsequent destruction sequences are both breathtaking and gut-wrenching.
All vehicles also have a boost ability, a reasonable-length burst of nitrous that whips your given ride into a frenzy of velocity.
But be warned, hang on the nitro button too long and your vehicle will become a lethal fireball of destruction.
The graphics of Motorstorm, as mentioned, are a sight to behold.
Background visuals are well above average, but actual track and car graphics are incredibly detailed and one of the highlights of the game.
The soundtrack is similarly impressive.
The vehicles sound like what you’d expect them to sound like in real life. You can feel the explosions and collisions, when played through a theatre system, and the backing music is some of the best you’ll find on any game anywhere, with songs from Nirvana, Wolfmother, Queen and Slipknot.
The vehicles themselves are also a pleasure to drive, and give the feel of a good mixture between simulated and arcade racing.
With an impressive online capability (the ability to compete against up to 12 other online players at any one time), Motorstorm, while it has some minor gripes, is a wonderful, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable racing experience.
RATINGS
Graphics: 9
Sounds: 9
Gameplay: 8
OVERALL: 85%
As one of the first games released for the seventh-generation Sony machine, Motorstorm was always going to be a popular seller (there were only a handful of games available for sale at its March release).
Despite this, Motorstorm is one of the most visually spectacular racing games on the market and even at such an early stage of the PS3 gaming evolution, it already demonstrates the amazing graphics capabilities of the machine.
Motorstorm is set some time in the future, one can only assume, in a location more reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic wasteland - thus the Mad Max reference (specifically the really bad one with Tina Turner).
Your weapons of choice aren’t laser rifles or rocket launchers, instead mud pluggers, rally car hybrids, colossal trucks, jeeps, crossbred SUVs and ATVs and motorbikes.
Sadly in Motorstorm, and probably the game’s only disappointment, there are just two modes of play - single player and online racing.
While that may suit some, the restrictions of the single player `campaign’ can be a source of frustration, particularly in a game that sets such high visual and gameplay standards.
You can’t modify any of the vehicles, and even then the number available to choose from in each category is limited to just three or four.
That said, there is a reasonably wide range of different vehicles at your disposal, as listed earlier.
The premise of the game is simple.
You choose your track (more open up to the player as you work through the game), choose your set of wheels, and go racing.
Every track on Motorstorm has a number of different and varied paths available.
Include in that a wide range of jumps, diverse terrain (all of which have an impact on your speed and handling, depending on type of vehicle selected) - all mixed with a chaotic sense of mayhem and destruction.
The secret to success in Motorstorm is finding out through trial and error, which path around any given track is most suited to each vehicle.
And while there are just eight tracks available across the entire game, they are long and individual races can take anywhere up to 10 minutes to complete, and with a number of different class races on each track, even the best driver isn’t going to finish the single player section of Motorstorm in a short period of time.
One of the more enjoyable areas of Motorstorm is the ability to run your competitors off the track, off a ravine, into a cliff or boulder, or into one of the many obstacles and chunks of debris lying around the track.
That is, as long as you’re on the giving end, not receiving.
Each vehicle can take copious amounts of minor damage before they become a nightmare to control, but the subsequent destruction sequences are both breathtaking and gut-wrenching.
All vehicles also have a boost ability, a reasonable-length burst of nitrous that whips your given ride into a frenzy of velocity.
But be warned, hang on the nitro button too long and your vehicle will become a lethal fireball of destruction.
The graphics of Motorstorm, as mentioned, are a sight to behold.
Background visuals are well above average, but actual track and car graphics are incredibly detailed and one of the highlights of the game.
The soundtrack is similarly impressive.
The vehicles sound like what you’d expect them to sound like in real life. You can feel the explosions and collisions, when played through a theatre system, and the backing music is some of the best you’ll find on any game anywhere, with songs from Nirvana, Wolfmother, Queen and Slipknot.
The vehicles themselves are also a pleasure to drive, and give the feel of a good mixture between simulated and arcade racing.
With an impressive online capability (the ability to compete against up to 12 other online players at any one time), Motorstorm, while it has some minor gripes, is a wonderful, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable racing experience.
RATINGS
Graphics: 9
Sounds: 9
Gameplay: 8
OVERALL: 85%
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