MotorStorm Pacific Rift Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 12th November 2008

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We head to the pacific to blast our way through Sony's follow-up to Motorstorm.

MotorStorm Pacific Rift Details:

	Racing
	PlayStation 3
	Evolution Studios
	Sony

TBA

Out Now

N/A

Motorstorm was regarded by many as one of the PlayStation 3 better launch titles, so you have to ask does Pacific Rift build on what was a solid foundation and take Sony’s off-road racer to the next level.

In some ways it does take a step further then the original game but at times you can’t help feeling it’s just more of the same, which really isn’t a bad thing since Motorstorm was a pretty solid arcade racer!

So what’s new in Pacific Rift? Well most notably is the game setting which has shifted to a tropical island in the Pacific giving a wider range of settings for races in Pacific Rift! These range from beaches, dense jungles and volcano’s where lava is a major obstacle.

The games environments also play a bigger part in the outcome of a race then in Motorstorm. For instance driving through shallow pools of water will cool your engine allowing you to boost for longer periods, however the same pools will also slow the games smaller vehicles down, Lava as you would expect has the opposite and simply jumping over it or getting too close will result in your vehicles engine getting a lot hotter quicker reducing the amount of time you can boost.

The games sixteen tracks are split into four themed categories (Earth, Fire, Water and Air) and are often more challenging and a lot more varied then those in the first game with multiple routes to the finish. Some routes are intended for large vehicles and vice versa, so you will have to find a route through each track that suits your chosen vehicle. Finding your way can also prove to be more challenging as the dense vegetation of the tropical island can often hide certain parts of a track.

Sadly just like the original whilst playing through the games main “festival” mode you will often be required to race on the same tracks over and over which is disappointing with the only difference being the type of vehicle in which you can compete in, although there are twice as many tracks then in Motorstorm.

Another new feature added to Pacific Rift is the ability to punch rivals if you’re on a bike or ATV or perform heavy slams when in any of the other vehicles. This allows you to take out rivals in a bid to gain the upper hand, although don’t expect to get away lightly as other racers will take offence to this and come after you.

Just like the first game Pacific Rift’s main mode is done in a festival style in which you have to compete in a number of events being placed in the top three to complete the course. New events are unlocked by progressing through a series of ranks which are obtained by gaining a set amount of points. Points are awarded for finishing within the top three in a race, obviously the level of points you are awarded depends on what position you finish in.

The bulk of the races featured in Motorstorm: Pacific Rift are straight races, however the game does also offer Eliminator and Speed events. Speed races see you having to make your way around a track passing through a series of checkpoints as you go, these are ok and offer a decent challenge as the checkpoints pop-up very quickly in front of you requiring you to make very quick adjustments to your course. The Eliminator races are fairly fun and see the driver in last place eliminated from the race about every 10 seconds until there’s only one left.

Other games modes include a Free-Play option that allows you to create custom races against AI controlled racers. There’s also the standard Time Attack and Split-screen modes included.

Just as in the original game playing through the games main mode will allow you to unlock new vehicle and driver styles. The game still supports the motion controls and now has vibration and trophy support.

Vehicles come in the same forms as the original game, with bikes, ATV’s, buggies, rally cars, racing trucks, mudplugger’s and big rigs all returning. There’s also a new vehicle in the shape of monster trucks to blast through the various tracks in. All the vehicles have unique handling style that you will have to learn and also have advantages and disadvantages over each other. However they all suffer from the same flaw and that is how they react to bumps and debris on the various tracks. It’s almost as if the vehicles are made out of some super lightweight material as they bounce and flip out of control with far too much ease, which is an unnecessary concern when planning your route.

Just like the original game, Pacific Rift serves up a good challenge, AI drivers will try to win and unlike in some racing titles don’t slowdown just to let you catch up. They are also prone to making mistakes just as you are, so whilst the challenge is there it’s fair.

The games online mode supports up to 12 players taking part in races, you can compete in ranked, casual and custom races. The online mode runs flawlessly with easy connections and no lag experience during our time playing, even at peak times.

Visually the game is very similar to the first Motorstorm; however environments are more varied and more vibrant then before. The game still features the excellent rag doll physics when your driver is flung from his vehicle. Vehicle models are a little sharper than before, although it must be said the biggest improvement in the games visual department is the increase in the speed that it runs at, which is a big improvement over the original game.

Sound design in the game is more or less the same, with all the usual sound effects and a similar alternative rock soundtrack which fits in well with the games theme.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift serves up twice as much racing action as the original game, without changing the successful formula too much. The additions made are nice and add a little more to the racing action. Overall Pacific Rift is a great follow-up to Motorstorm.