Sony's original MotorStorm for PlayStation 3, was a fast-paced romp through desert canyons full of mud and bumpy terrain. It lacked the technical prowess of simulation racers, but it's not like we cared about tweaking our rides and slapping decals onto them. All we wanted to do was pit a truck against a motorcycle and watch what happened (usually highlighted by a spectacular crash). Its sequel, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift still lets us race dune buggies against ATVs, bikes and now even monster trucks, but it whisks us away to a new tropical paradise filled with peril.
When the game arrives October 28, it'll have 16 tracks divided into the following sections: air zone (high in the mountains), the fire zone (near an active volcano), the earth zone (tons of mud) and the water zone (pretty self-explanatory). The decision to split things up should add variety to the experience, especially since each course boasts multiple paths.
To give us a taste of what's to come, Sony let us play through the Wildfire (part of the fire zone) course, which takes place in dangerous territory. Lava beds surround the ramps, forcing us to successfully make all of our jumps without touching the hot parts; touch anything and your rider's toast. Of course, that's not the only way to wipeout. If you make a hairpin turn or lose focus for a second, you can accidentally introduce your rider to the nearest wall, which causes the vehicle to explode, spewing parts across the track.
Because it's so hot, using boost has this adverse effect where your vehicle begins to overheat earlier than usual. To combat this, Sony strategically placed pit stops (they're more like showers) that'll douse the flames and returns your ride to normal. Just don't expect to see them every few seconds. You'll need to survive for several moments before running into one, and you can only hope that you're in control enough to slow down and drive through the checkpoint.
In regards to controls, Pacific Rift drives just like its predecessor, but with access to monster trucks, which give you a more commanding view of what lies ahead. The action chugs at specific points, but the demo we played is 80 percent complete, so we're sure that developer Evolution Studios is hard at work tweaking the game. If not, then the slowdown could have a negative effect on not only the four-player split-screen racing, but also one of the game's biggest draws, its 16 person online play. We can only imagine the underhanded riders we'll face. Prepare to get rammed.
Similar to the original game, this new MotorStorm is a looker. We didn't see much of the track, since keeping our eyes on the road was our first priority, but the lava beds, lush green foliage, mountains in the distance and mud (which sticks to all vehicles) is excellent. With other stages packing tropical forests, large bodies of water and other cool things, Pacific Rift will most likely be one of PlayStation 3's best-looking games.
October is almost here, so get ready to strap yourself in and go for a wild ride. We'll return with more coverage of this thrilling racer as soon as Sony sends us more preview and eventually review copies. Till then, we have a volcano to conquer.
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