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Hands on with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

• By Chris Morell
• May 16, 2008 16:49 PM PST
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The MotorStorm sequel steps up the realistic racing action on the PS3. Read on for our in-depth impressions.

Related MotorStorm 2 news:

• Pre-alpha video of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
• MotorStorm: Pacific Rim announced, details listed
• 33 new screens of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift in action

Hell hath no fury like MotorStorm: Pacific Rim, a PS3 exclusive for 2008

I was surprised to see the MotorStorm sequel, Pacific Rift, playable already at Sony's latest game showcase. I loved the first game, so my expectations are incredibly high. Burnout Paradise was such an amazing racing game that the pressure is now on everyone else to deliver the next blow. The first MotorStorm was an amazing from a technological and graphical standpoint, and one of the first PS3 games to really wow me. But the features were a little slim, offering straightforward racing pretty much all the way through. This time the game gets the four-player split-screen treatment, as well as new multiplayer modes (still to come...no updates today).

I played the one single-player level on display, a track called "Beach Comber." The track was more island-y than the first game, which was comprised of mud and rocky terrain. This level features tree groves, brush, and water.

Shortcuts and secret routes were a big focus in the original MotorStorm, but they play an even bigger role in MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. It's essential to use the different types of vehicles to your advantage, such as traversing the higher roads with bikes. Graphically, it's looking similar to the first game, but this level was quite expansive in size.

The dingy desert environments have given way to lush jungle tracks

For this demo there was only a bike, a car and a monster truck to choose from. I raced once with the bike and once with the car, and it was a very different experience for each. With bikes, you have to make sure not to get too close to a truck or else you'll get smashed. I used first-person view because it gives a nice detailed view of the track and its surroundings.

A fun new feature involves interaction with water. If you remember in the first game, too much boosting will cause your ride to overheat and explode. But now, if you're running hot, you can drive through water to cool your engine down. Water runs through streams and, of course, at the beach nearby. So, you can rest easy boosting like crazy if you know that you can drive through water on certain parts of the track. But you'll have to be careful if you're on a bike--deep water can cause your bike to completely submerge, and then you're in a heap of trouble.

There were a few jumps that let you hit some massive air on Beach Comber, but this wasn't a jump-heavy course. I expect others to be more air-focused.

The other course to play was multiplayer-only, called Raingod Spire (Raingod Mesa was a track from the first game), and it was a pretty standard split-screen affair.

GamePro will have more hands-on impressions on MotorStorm: Pacific Rift soon. Stay tuned!

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