MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Hands-on Preview

After sampling a two-track demo of MotorStorm Pacfic Rift at E3 last month we were eager to see how the game was shaping up at Games Convention 2008. Now 80% complete and edging ever nearer to release we’re starting to see a game that more closely resembles what gamers will be playing when it hits stores later this year.

Three tracks were playable at GC 2008. As well as the Raingod and Cascade Falls tracks from the E3 build, we also got a chance to play Wild Fire, one of the tracks set in the new volcanic part of the island. The big difference here over the other tracks we’ve played in Pacific Rift is the danger awaiting you over each ramp and around every corner. Whereas there has always been a lot at stake in MotorStorm (flying off cliff edges, slamming into boulders or colliding with vehicles much bigger than yourself), on Wild Fire you have lava to contend with.

MotorStorm tracks seen to date have generally been fairly bright, featured plenty of mud and featured beautiful vistas. Wild Fire is completely different, with none of the tropical sunglight or flowing water we’ve come to expect from Pacific Rift. This has been replaced by moody lighting, plenty of airborne ash and an awful lot of glowing red magma – something you don’t want to land in.

As is the way in the original MotorStorm and the previously revealed Pacific Rift tracks, the route you take is key. Generally the high road is good for the nippier vehicles that sit low to the ground and bikes, whereas the low ground is good for the large vehicles that can barge their way through obstacles and plough through water and sticky mud. On Wild Fire it was hard to gauge if the different routes work in the same way, mainly because it’s such an oppressive track design and because there’s so much molten lava ready to melt you into oblivion.

It still feels like MotorStorm, but the added danger in jumps does make a big difference. Whereas on other tracks you might just lose some time if you don’t launch off of a ramp at the correct speed, on Wild Fire if you land short you die. Of course, you’ll be re-spawned on the track but it’s still a more severe penalty. Engine overheats also come into play on Wild Fire, with modest use of the turbo button causing your ride to explode in a fiery mess. Thankfully showers are placed on the track, which if driven through (they’re just off the normal racing line) cools down your engine to normal operating temperature.

The Games Convention build was marked as 80% complete (E3 08 build was 70%) and it showed a considerable graphical boost over the game we played only a month earlier. The detail in the environment seemed greater, the frame rate seemed smoother and it had an unquantifiable level of polish that just wasn’t there before. Even the two-player split-screen mode seemed improved over the last time we played it, with an unquestionably improved frame rate – even if the detail still isn’t up to par with the single-player game.

MotorStorm Pacific Rift is coming along very nicely indeed. Although we were slightly concerned when it made its first public appearance it now has the stunning next-gen visuals to match the exhilarating off-road racing. There’s still an awful lot to see though. We’ve only seen three out of the 16 tracks and not even had a sniff of the online play, but we’re mightily excited to find out more. With this and Disney’s Pure both out before the end of the year, 2008 is shaping up to be very good for dirt racing fans.