The brutal offroad racing festival is back, with players this time attempting to tackle the diversity and unpredictability of a remote Pacific island environment. MotorStorm 2: Pacific Rift for PS3 revisits the intense racing action introduced in last year’s MotorStorm, this time allowing players to navigate a radically different tropical environment chock full of lush jungle, towering peaks, and crystal-clear water. Not just pretty backdrops to the action, these environments take centre stage in challenging players with everything in Mother Nature’s arsenal. Thick mud, tangled undergrowth, swift flowing rivers, choking volcanic clouds and searing lava pools all test the drivers to their limits and beyond.
Players experience a greater selection of tracks and vehicles to choose. All of the vehicle classes from the first MotorStorm are here again: ATVs, rally cars, buggies, motorbikes, race trucks, mudpluggers and Big Rigs – as well as the newly arrived monster trucks that climb, sprint and roll over any other vehicle in their way. There’s also an extensive multiplayer options including four player split screen and races with up to 20 players online. Additionally players can utilize a new photo mode to save images within the game and for the first time be able to take music from their PS3’s HDD to create a customized soundtrack.
Is this grudge-filled, high-octane racing festival enough to make up for its predecessor? Find out in this MotorStorm: Pacific Rift video review.
Game features include:
* Stunning Tropical Environments – racing locations set amongst the lush jungle, emerald lagoons and towering peaks of a remote Pacific island
* Robust Multiplayer Racing Action – For the first time, MotorStorm Pacific Rift offers players the opportunity to challenge friends offline with four player split screen racing. Additionally, players will be able to challenge others online in races of up to 20 vehicles
* Additional Tracks – MotorStorm Pacific Rift introduces 16 diverse, multi-route tracks to challenge even the most seasoned racers.
* New Vehicles – As the biggest vehicles available yet, a new monster truck class is available in addition to ATVs, rally cars, buggies, motorbikes, race trucks, mudpluggers, and Big Rigs
* Extensive Playstation Network Options – Features include matchmaking, detailed stats and leaderboards, plus plans for comprehensive downloadable content including tracks, vehicles, tickets, game modes, and themes
* Attacking and Offensive Driving – Players must not only try to win the race but survive against the other racers. Combat-like racing takes center stage as the vehicles are the weapons
* Cutting-Edge Artificial Intelligence – A.I. analyzes the race and surroundings and reacts in the most realistic manner possible. Not only will the competition try to win the race at all costs, but the A.I. will react to situations realistically, such as locating the best routes and changing the level of driving aggression based on player actions
* Real-time Track Deformation – Players will never experience the same lap twice as each vehicle will carve up the track in varying depths, making navigation of each lap different than the last
* Physics-Based Car Damage – Players will break and destroy a vehicle’s parts and panels during collisions with other drivers as well as with objects in the environment
To quote the GT video review: “MotorStorm’s infamous bone-crushing crashes return in full force, and will still put a smile on your face with their copious ragdoll ballets. The music features the same compilation of punk, rock, and electronica, but you can always customize your own if you want. Our biggest gripe is the sound of the engines. If you crank it up, they become obnoxious.
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is the game that should have been available at launch. If it had been released back then with these options, it would have been a home run. Standards are even higher now, so while the additions are great, there’s still room for improvement. Even so, few driving games will make you clinch your controller this tight or make your eyes water this hard. If you’re looking to sling some mud in the living room without ruining the couch, there are few choices better than Pacific Rift.”
Design — 8.3
Gameplay — 8.7
Presentation — 8.7
Overall — 8.6