Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2483 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2007-03-23
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Manufacturer's Description
Developed by Evolution Studios, MotorStorm is a brutal, no-holds-barred offroad racing game created exclusively for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Set in the fictitious desert environment of Monument Valley, MotorStorm takes full advantage of the processing power of the PlayStation 3 to deliver an extreme racing event where the goal is to not only win, but to survive.

In the game, players will descend upon the MotorStorm Festival, a celebration of the alternative and extreme offroad racing culture. Throwing caution to the wind, players will take on a variety of racing fanatics and battle through chaotic, action-packed tracks to try and become the Festival champ.

Capitalizing on its pedigree in offroad racing, Evolution Studios has created a true next-generation gameplay experience that features smarter artificial intelligence (AI), real-time track deformation, fully destructible vehicles and environments, and stunningly detailed scenery. Tapping into the power of the PlayStation 3, MotorStorm will showcase cinematic effects such as motion blur, depth-of-field, and Hollywood-style crash cams that replay spectacular crash sequences during a race.

Customer Reviews

Until Motorstorm 2's Tropical Thrills, This Is The Best Racer On PS3.
The recently released trailer for Motorstorm 2 made me go back and play the original again. Its easy to forget how much of an impact this game has. Visually the game is incredibly detailed, but the actual racing feels realistic.

Career modes are shunned in favour of pure racing. These are unlocked after completing the previous event. This does create a few sticking points, escpecially around the Level 4 difficulty mark. Every race is a tense affair, where a slight mistake on the final lap could cost the race.
There are a limted amount of tracks, but they take a long time to master. Also the different vehicle classes open them up in completely new ways.
Various downloadable packs are available on the PlayStation store, increasing the game longevity, including vehicles and tracks. A time attack download is also available for free, with an ability to post your best times online.

Its obvious what needs improving in the sequel, particularly depth and variety. But for pure racing thrills, and an early glimpse of what the PS3 is capable of, Motorstorm is essential.

Love it / Hate it
Ok the graphics are amazing and sound track is excellent. The feel and environment of the game are bril. The gameplay; sometimes I'm puching the air with excitement at having won a thrilling race, other times I want to kick my PS3 across the room and break stuff after having a hard fought race victory snatched from me at the final corner. The game is no simulator, its pure arcade. When playing computer opponents the racers are all attached to an elastic band which means the racers in the front go slower and the racers behind go faster; catchup. This can make entertaining duels, on the other hand it gives the computer license to cheat big time, especially on the later races. Whether you win or loose a race is usually down to your position on this 'elastic band' in the final 10 seconds of the race. On line the game is great (once you get into a game- the lobby area is weak), but you will be racing against people who play the game 24/7 and are thus very very hard to beat. A better ranking system or ladder would have been nice.

Going down a storm!
Motorstorm was the reason I bought my PS3, I got it home, set everything up, put the disc in and just sat back and looked at how gorgeous everything looked. From the intro movie to when you actually start playing everything looks right (almost real) and adds to the excellent experience that is Motorstorm. The first few races you do consist mainly of driving round not quite believing how detailed everything looks, and of course pausing a lot so that you can swing the camera around and admire the mud spraying up as your chosen vehicle romps through the desert!

Ok, first thing's first, the mud, it's awesome, it glistens in the sun, sprays up when you drive through it, it splashes/hits the screen and covers your car... Not to mention the fact that you leave permanent tracks (at least for that race) on the course when you drive through it.

Now that's out the way, the rest. The vehicles you get to drive in the game range from super-fast rally cars to slow big-rigs. Having practically lived the Burnout series Motorstorm initially caused me a lot of problems, there's a boost button, but you have to wait and use it tactically rather than just "wasting" it as with the Burnout games, this proved frustrating on many occasion as the AI opponents you race seem to have boosting down to a fine art and always seem to boost longer and faster than you. The only other thing of note is the start of each race, there have been very few times I've actually stayed up with the pack at the beginning of a race and find this odd, there's obviously a trick to getting a good start, but unless you fluke this you'll be miles back.

Once you do get a few races into Motorstorm, the point of the game seems to come into focus and you learn how to drive the vehicle you have for that race in the correct way (big rigs love mud where-as bikes need to stay high and dry) and the whole game seems to make sense, it really does compel you to play it. That said, you will inevitably get to a race that leaves you pulling your hair out! As there's no option to select which car you have for which race (save for one course - The Grizzly) you really do have to learn the correct route round the track, which, if you miss a shortcut the first few tries, can become exhausting until you finally spot where you're supposed to be going.

There are a few minor niggles with the game, most of which are forgivable however, choosing a car before each race can become a chore, as you can't scroll through them using the text, you have to wait for each to load in turn, which on occasion, has taken a fair few seconds for some of the larger/more detailed car models.

That said, I can't praise Motorstorm enough, it has convinced me that there's massive potential that people still need to tap into on the PS3 before we even see half of what it can do, in the mean-time, Motorstorm will keep me going.