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PS3 | Driving | MotorStorm

Boxart for MotorStorm
MotorStorm 38 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.75
  • SOUND: 4.50
  • CONTROL: 4.00
  • FUN FACTOR 4.50
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.6
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.3
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Hands-On: MotorStorm

Hands-On by The Gamepros | 10/03/2006 | 16:24:32 PM PST

MotorStorm is out to show just how powerful the PS3 really is. Our hands-on preview and exclusive gameplay footage inside!

Click HERE to watch exclusive gameplay footage of MotorStorm from the Tokyo Game Show!

MotorStorm was first unveiled to the press at E3 2005 to an auditorium of impressed eyes. Many speculated that the amazingly advanced off-road footage was all pre-rendered, but now we now exactly why everyone had such doubts. Video games aren't supposed to look this good.

It actually wasn't until the Tokyo Game Show in September that we were really able to gauge what MotorStorm was all about. TGS was the first time we were able to get our hands on the game and experience first-hand that technical feat that is MotorStorm.

Against all odds, this is one of the most striking PS3 games we've played yet. Evolution Studios, the folks behind the lucrative PS2 racing franchise World Rally Championship, hits the PS3 in style with MotorStorm, an eye-popping off-road "combat racer" that makes other rally racers seem like a calm Sunday drive to grandma's cabin.

A high-tech off-road racer at heart, MotorStorm's sparkling graphical detail practically exploded off the screen: amidst swirling clouds of dust and smoke, motorbikes shattered into flaming balls of debris, sending their riders bouncing off nearby rock formations. In a realistic detail, we noticed that airborne crash victims didn't display the typical rubber-boned "noodley" rag doll animations found in other games. And keep an eye peeled for track deformation, as vans and buggies carve deep ruts in the tracks.

Despite the lavish presentation, the game ran at a brisk pace, if not quite up to Ridge Racer 7's lighting-quick standard of 60 frames per second. There's no doubt about it -- this is one of the best-looking games we've ever seen. Ever. No word yet on 1080p support, but we should know more soon. The gameplay also shone, though amateurs may want to consider finding a different track: the pre-release version of MotorStorm is seriously difficult.

The controls seemed solid, with independent wheel suspension for a more realistic feel. But the game's authentic handling made handling tight turns and jumps a death-defying act: it was nightmarishly easy to be drilled right off the road into a yawning chasm. Even if you die, you can still have a blast watching your fatal crash with the slow-mo crash cam, which produced some of the most exquisitely bone-jarring crashes ever seen.

If you've got the guts, MotorStorm has the glory.


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