Hands-on: MotorStorm Pacific Rift

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 8th 2008 at 1:15PM }

We had a chance to check in with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift once again. An "80% complete" demo we played gave us access to four different levels: two single player and two split-screen races. Easily the most impressive level we played had to be the Wildfire level. This level takes everything that's good about MotorStorm and amplifies it to the extreme. Pacific Rift's play on hot versus cold goes into full effect here, in this dark volcanic level. It's unlike anything we've seen from the game so far, and it's a terrific contrast to the usual lush greens of the game.

With deadly lava and fire everywhere, this is quite possibly the most dramatic level in the MotorStorm series so far. Of course, with the heat so high, your vehicle will have a rather easy disposition to overheat whilst boosting -- we even went so far as to explode our bike. Ouch! Thankfully, there are numerous showering stations scattered throughout the branching course, which will cool down your vehicle and take out any fire which may still be clinging to your vehicle. The constant switch between molten lava and refreshing water is not only visually arresting, but creates a very good gameplay balance. Do you opt to take a shorter route to shave a few seconds off your time, or do you go headstrong through the water to cool down your vehicle, and earn a little bit more boost?

Gallery: MotorStorm Pacific Rift

Fans of the MotorStorm series should know how the game will control. For us, we found it rather difficult to navigate many of the courses, simply because of the multiple branching paths, and the overwhelming amount of environmental detail. Perhaps once we've learned the layouts of these "roads," we'll become a bit better at the game. Until then, first place still seems like an impossible goal just beyond our reach.

Handling is just as difficult as ever, especially in comparison to other similar racers, like Pure. The breaking and powersliding mechanics just aren't as responsive as we'd like -- especially in a game as fast and arcadey as this. However, it's undeniable that MotorStorm is a blast: jumping over fiery pits of lava as you try to fight other racers is intense.

Pacific Rift will launch exclusively on PS3 this October.

Tags: hands-on, joystiqfeatures, motorstorm, motorstorm-pacific-rift

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

will @ Sep 8th 2008 1:28PM

my god.... it's.... it's beautiful!

Devin @ Sep 8th 2008 2:13PM

I found turning to be very hard, but when I used boost it would push me in the direction I was wanting which helped, but yes, Motorstorm is not an easy game to master.....

Christian @ Sep 8th 2008 1:30PM

Argh, but I had decided not to buy anymore racing games for awhile.....more cool news about Motorstorm 2 and I might have to bail on that decision

ajiezer @ Sep 8th 2008 1:42PM

truly the only thing that attracts me the most is the offline versus racing, I suck at online racing competitions

JoeNut @ Sep 8th 2008 2:06PM

Looks awesome, pre-ordered the other day

riseer @ Sep 8th 2008 2:12PM

Wow looks so much fun.. and the 4 player racing will be sweet!

stuart @ Sep 8th 2008 2:14PM

you and me both ajiezer :o)

Groundskeeper Willie @ Sep 8th 2008 2:15PM

Holy shit that looks awesome! The lighting is superb, and I love it how parts of the motorbike caught fire. Can't wait for this.

Fiddlesworth @ Sep 8th 2008 2:16PM

"first place still seems like an impossible goal just beyond our reach"

Oxymoron?

I'm glad the driving is challenging (like the first game), in Pure there's no challenge to steering whatsoever.

Pat @ Sep 8th 2008 2:52PM

I agree. I tried the demo and I'm not thrilled about the controls in Pure. There is no weight to the vehicles or even momentum when you land a hard jump. Motorstorm, while not a simulation, gives you a better sense of how a vehicle as big as a truck or light as a bike would actually handle.

eddyk @ Sep 8th 2008 2:21PM

How does it compare with pure ?

francisco @ Sep 8th 2008 2:22PM

uh the demo comes with this month's Qore but is still not downloadable yet dont know why....

iamkid @ Sep 8th 2008 3:15PM

hmm. i thought read in gamepro that pacific rift was on both ps3 and 360? oh well, whatever, still looks cool, although i dont think ill get this one, since motorstorm 1 was just 'alright' for me, since it came with my ps3

James @ Sep 8th 2008 3:45PM

No chance of it being on the 360 as it is Sony First Party!

Normo @ Sep 8th 2008 3:20PM

SOOOO AWESOME......
it's good that it's difficult though, games are getting way too easy these days

arrggghhh this thing about pure is annoying me though, there's all this hype for it but when I tried the demo the other day I found it to be kinda mediocre, maybe I'm just too used to Motorstorm, but the thing is that it felt like a bit of a rip-off, but without 6 (soon to be 7) of the vehicle classes and not as great graphics, just a lot of bloom lighting and then it started playing frikking Woman by Wolfmother which is the song that defines the first Motorstorm for me and brings back memories. ARRGGGHHH stupid Pure :P

not saying that it won't be fun for some people, just wish that people didn't compare the two

limitt_45 @ Sep 8th 2008 5:21PM

The one major thing that i saw in this video that made me happy with this game was that the vehicles look like they finally have some weight to them.

in the first one if you had any vehicle other than a truck, muddpluger or a big rig. the enviorment would play png-pong with you and would be quite difficult to keep your vehicle steady at top speed

that being said, i gladly wait in anticipation for Pacific Rift:)

Carlton @ Sep 8th 2008 7:27PM

"Handling is just as difficult as ever"

The player is just as shit as ever.

jahd5000 @ Sep 8th 2008 9:11PM

LMAO XD funny
anybody know if this will have sixaXIS contro9ls? cuz i read somewhere it wont, or at least the same way it sed to, controlling it all, just like parts or something didnt get quite well XD if som1 can xplain.. :D

jahd5000 @ Sep 8th 2008 9:12PM

wehere is the coment i just made?
anyway here it is again:

LMAO XD funny
anybody know if this will have sixaXIS contro9ls? cuz i read somewhere it wont, or at least the same way it sed to, controlling it all, just like parts or something didnt get quite well XD if som1 can xplain.. :D

John S @ Sep 8th 2008 9:55PM

Beautiful looking game, no doubt.

It's hard to compare it to Pure though. Pure is more about the tricks than the racing.

I gotta admit, I can't stop playing that demo! The tricks are so much fun to pull. I just discovered you can friggin do backflips/frontflips. Laz-e-boy backflips. Also, that you can tweak the already existing tricks by holding either L1 or R1. I'm going to buy Pure.

I'm just hoping there's an instant replay mode or something.