MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

"New Scenery, Same Greatness"

After the first Motorstorm came out of nowhere and impressed, people were looking forward to its sequel. Will it boost itself to first place? Or will it crash and burn?

Graphics
As is now commonplace for games on the PS3, the graphics for this are superb. The colours blends in brilliantly, the cars, bikes etc. stand out but at the same time don't look unrealistic. The water looks and acts like water. Sometimes though you can drive through taped off barriers without taking them down. The only other problem is when you are boosting and you crash. The flames and explosions look very unrealistic and it seems a rather hurried job. Overall though it is one of the better looking games out there.

9/10

Sound
The in-game sounds are also perfect. The boost sounds just like an airplane jet engine, when you crash you can here each metal part fall off. No music stands out when you are out of the racing, but then, you aren't staying in the menu for long.

9/10

Gameplay
Now we get down to the main area in which the previous game had a bit to improve on. Lets start with the controls which have stayed pretty much the same as the last instalment. Easy to pick up and use. Nothing is really hard once you have a basic understanding of them.

Next is the actual gameplay itself. The AI is equally as smart as before and tries to stick to a path that suite their particular vehicle. The addition of the monster truck is nice and adds a new challenge when driving in it of stability. The 16 tracks all vary on difficulty depending on what you drive although some zones (Air) are easier than others (Fire). Also sometimes in places with lots of trees it can be very disorientating and very easy to lose your way.

Finally there is the new additions to the menu, Eliminators, Time Attack and Multiplayer. Eliminators play out like you expect them to do. After a certain amount of time the person in last place blows up. The good thing is that their wreckage stays on the track (presuming they stayed on track) for the rest of the race. It is a very good addition. As for Time Attack it's pretty standard. In the original Motorstorm the main problem was that it was a multiplayer game without multiplayer.They have fixed it in this game and it truly does make the difference. It comes with Standard or Eliminator and you can choose how many opponents you want. It means that you no longer have to wait for your mate to finish his race before you snatch the controller away from him.

9/10

Replay Value
With the multiplayer function added it should last until Motorstorm 3 comes out. Until then....

10/10

I would suggest getting this game. Only those who truly despise racing games should stay away from this gem. It is truly worth the price.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/08

Game Release: MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (EU, 11/07/08)