Motorstorm Apocalypse
When the PlayStation 3 was first shown at E3 2005, one of the most impressive demos was for Motorstorm, an off-road racing game from British developer Evolution Studios.
Although that demo was clearly a mock-up which many critics were sure would not resemble the final product, Evolution still managed to drop jaws with a beautiful, intense and visceral experience which didn’t look quite like anything else on the market.
They refined the game with its 2008 sequel, Pacific Rim, which replaced deserts with volcanoes as setting of choice and now, after an earthquake-induced delay, is the third in the series, Motorstorm Apocalypse which is, ironically, set in earth-quake ravaged cities.
The series staples of multi-discipline racing on one branching track remains the same; trucks, bikes, buggies and more all jostle to get to the finishing line, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Nimble and manoeuvrable motorbikes can take the winding high road and jump over obstacles, whereas large, immobile trucks can plough through the thick dirt that causes difficulty for others below. It’s incredibly fast and all a bit manic.
Getting a motorbike stuck between two competing trucks is a nerve-racking experience, and there are few things more satisfying than knocking a taunting driver off his ride when you get the chance.
The previous games in the series allowed players on ATVs and motorbikes to reach out and punch other riders beside them. This idea has been embellished to allow you to completely shunt opposition off the road in a mixture that’s part Burnout, part The Wheelman. It adds another mechanic to gameplay but it doesn’t add another dynamic; it’s a ill-conceived addition that distracts you from the core racing.
The biggest change from previous titles is the setting. Rather than an amazingly deformable dirt-track or incredibly detailed jungle island, Motorstorm Apocalypse is set across various cities.
It’s still ostensibly an off-road title, however, as the city has been almost entirely destroyed by earthquakes and other disasters - hence the apocalypse of the title. Rather than just an updated skin and an excuse for the shallow and incidental Festival Mode (the game’s story mode, which sees you race as characters Mash, Tyler and Big Dog across predefined events in a story loosely bound by ugly cutscenes), the tracks deform and change as you race in a very similar fashion to last year’s racing game Split Second.
This definitely adds a new dynamic; you can’t always stick to a certain route through the world as it may be blocked, altered or entirely destroyed as the race unfolds. Unlike Split Second, however, these disasters are scripted and pre-defined, not user-controllable, but it’s still a welcome change to the gameplay.
But while there are moments of visual excellence in these crumbling cities, the look of the game is missing the consistency and realism which made the last two games so beautiful. It’s still a spectacle, but at times seems very busy, jagged, cartoony and, worst of all, generic.
There was a very unique visual style in the previous Motorstorm games and that’s missing here. By trying to up the ante, I think Evolution have missed the point. The game’s graphics have slightly lost their charm.
Ultimately, though, it’s an excellent racing experience and although its new setting brings moments of annoyance, it also makes the tracks less static and more exciting.
And although its graphics lack the charm of its predecessors, Motorstorm Apocalypse still looks fantastic, especially from a first-person perspective - the sense of speed is unparalleled. Motorstorm Apocalypse is the videogame definition of visceral and a worthy addition to an excellent series.
Verdict: 8/10
Platform: PS3
Genre: Racing
Developer/Publisher: Evolution Studios/Sony
Release: 31/03/11
FemaleFirst Michael Moran