Mike Bantick
Friday, 07 November 2008 09:19
Opinion and Analysis
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The action of the MotorStorm Festival takes place over four distinct locations and sixteen tracks: The dustbowls, grassy meadows, rusty buildings and derelict faming machinery of the Earth Zone, the cliff side precariousness and giant jumps of the Air Zone, the mud, jungle and deep stagnant pools of the Water Zone and then the dry arid, lava filled heat of the Fire Zone.
The rules are simple, select your bike, buggy or truck and then bump, jump and roar your way around the ‘track’. ‘Track’ though is a loose term used to describe the channels, and sign-posted dangers of the environment you are about to traverse.
The environments are beautiful, ranging from the searing tortured earth of the “Scorched” track to the glorious photo-realistic rendering of Colossus Canyon, where you can almost feel the cool mist of waterfalls and smell the decomposing jungle flora.
Audio also needs a special mention, as the roar of engines, whine of turbines, and squeaks’ and rattles of suspension under pressure mix with the slap of foliage, thunk of tires through mud and gloop of lava swallowing another competitor.
In fact, with such realism in the presentation, the only thing that snaps you back to reality is the absurd cartoonesque nature of the racing itself. You will be hurtling through the undergrowth at ridiculous – but thanks to forgiving vehicle physics, manageable – speeds, and crash often. A sickening impact resulting, quite often, in your driver being hurtled, in a rag-doll fashion from the vehicle. It is a great affect, that when the added slo-mo camera kicks in, will make the most hardened wincing at the impact.
This is the issue however, how many folks over 18 years old immediately run out and chainsaw somebody to death after a bout of Fallout 3? Not too many I imagine. But it is difficult not to get through a frantic session of Pacific Rift, and then jump behind the wheel of your sensible family car with a whole new attitude to the rules of the road. Ban this game now!
The racing itself is, as mentioned, on the arcade side of fence. But that is not too say there are no strategies to be employed.
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