MotorStorm Pacific Rift

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, is an arcade racing game that can only be defined as frantic. This action packed game has no shortage of thrill, and it is one of the most chaotic racing experiences you could ask for, and it works. Released in 2008, exclusively for the Playstation 3 the title was received with overall positive reviews, by fans and critics alike for embracing its originality.

Players are thrown into an exotic island and given control of various vehicles to drive, explore, race, interact and destroy to their heart's content. The players are also given the ability to enjoy the game with friends online, or in a split-screen multiplayer mode that supports up to four players.

A Natural Evolution

The predecessor for this title was Motorstorm, and it surprised players by its physics and the environmental impacts reflected by driving your car through terrain. In the original one though most of it happened in terrains made out of mud and dirt, here in the sequel players have contact with water, lava and foliage which all create different races, challenges and atmospheres. Most importantly every new aspect has its own way of being impacted by the player, at the same time it impacts gameplay. For example driving through water slows you down, being close to lava for too long you might overheat your engine, going through fields might destroy your vehicle, and so on.

These new concepts and mechanics are clearly a development, and expansion on the original concepts that made the first game such an important title for the Playstation 3. Everything here seems better, smoother, sharper and a natural evolution to the former title we experienced especially on a visual and performance standard. From a gameplay point-of-view everything feels very familiar to returning players, while adding new vehicles and challenges to the game.

Variety of vehicles, beautiful designs, and environment that feel alive are definitely positive aspects for any racing game, but this wouldn’t be a good game if the racing itself felt tedious. The A.I from developer Evolution Studios, and Sony Entertainment, might be the best part of the experience, racing against the computer often feels frustrating, yet here it sits at the sweet-spot between playable, and challenging.

Down the Highway

The game offers sixteen original race tracks, over fifty one vehicles, and forty-six songs from some of the biggest names in music. While players motorcycles, Mud Pluggers, Rally Cars, Monster Truck, they can enjoy the music of legendary acts such as Nirvana, David Bowie, Megadeth, Slipknot and other artists. Sometimes the best part of driving is the soundtrack, and if players are not content, the game allows you to use songs from their own local storage.

Verdict

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift does its absolute best to improve upon its predecessor, and it successfully achieves that goal. Not groundbreaking by any means, the game also has its fair share of issues, a short number of tracks, mis-placed or buggy check-points, and the occasional slow loading times are a few worthy mentions of improvements that can be made.

Pros:

• Great A.I
• Awesome Soundtrack
• Environmental Interactions
• Vehicle Variety

Cons:

• Occasional Loading Issues
• Poorly Designed Time Trials
• Handful of Races
• Too Similar to the Original