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PS3 - Motorstorm: Apocalypse Review
Jamie Donnelly
The release of Motorstorm: Apocalypse is kind of fitting if a little inappropriate, given the amount of natural disasters recently. Sony were sensitive in its decision to delay the release, but too much sensitivity would interfere with profits and so the delay was a short one. Can Motorstorm: Apocalypse capture the fear and adrenaline that racing through an Apocalypse would surely bring? Or should it have stuck to its muddy and dirty roots?
Developer: Evolution Studios
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Price: $59
Story
You have to give credit to Sony for being bold enough to try and manufacture an actual story into a genre that so often just ignores the need for one altogether. Sadly, in this instance, it just doesn’t work. Imagine coming up with the idea of baking a pie and then not bothering to put any filling in. The story of Motorstorm is as empty as the aforementioned pastry, and simply involves various gritty cutscenes showing equally gritty people doing some gritty things. They are all just adrenaline junkie stereotypes with painfully awful accents.
The story mode is also far too short. It feels like your engine has just started to warm up when it comes to an end. You then unlock the ability to play through it again with a new character, but I would have preferred if they had stretched the playtime with original tracks rather than by forcing us to play the same game again with a different character.
What’s the Gameplay like?
Motorstorm: Apocalpyse is an arcade style racer, and the simplicity of the racing sometimes goes even further than this and feels like a Kart game. There are plenty of jumps to fly over and sharp corners to drift round and you will need to keep your finger on the boost as much as possible. However, using boost overheats your engine and so you need to strategically let it cool down. More advanced techniques, such as releasing boost and accelerator in mid-air, allow your engine to cool down quicker and thus allow you to get back to boosting once again. There was just not enough skill or variety in the racing to make it interesting for more than a few races at a time. Boosting is available too frequently, and at times it feels like they may as well have removed it and just set the base speed higher. Add this simplicity and dullness to the frustration of crashes and the gameplay is far from enjoyable.
Be prepared to crash, a lot. I don’t mean that in the Burnout philosophy of awesome crashes are fun because of the destruction they cause, but it is more a case of constant crashes are a frustration that you can never get rid of. Don’t worry about losing a race because of crashing though; there were times where I flew off a cliff only to find myself respawning ahead of an opposition racer despite them not actually crashing. It wasn’t just the crashing that was annoying, it was the inconsistency of what caused me to crash. One second I would happily bump off a wall, and the next I would total my car against it despite there being no noticeable difference in my vehicle or speed. It is just a shame that the gameplay essentially boils down to your ability not to crash while distracted by the surrounding apocalyptic events.
The most positive aspect of Motorstorm: Apocalypse’s gameplay is the range of vehicles on offer, and that driving each one requires a different mindset. The big rigs are able to bruise their way to the front, whereas you will need a more deft touch to guide a bike to the finish. Unfortunately, my experience of online play was that these vehicles are in no way balanced. I found that the mid-range vehicles dominate; heavy rigs are far too slow and on a bike you find yourself getting clattered constantly no matter how adept you were at skilfully avoiding the opposing cars when they were controlled by AI.
Difficulty and Replayability
The way that the tracks change and new routes open up means that throughout a race each lap feels like a fresh experience. You will spend a lot of time searching out the best shortcuts, and flying ahead of the cars not clever enough to have taken them is a satisfying feeling. Sadly, there is a limit to this and with such a small number of tracks available you will eventually find yourself taking the same old routes and no longer marvelling at the spontaneous events. The satisfying feeling of criss-crossing cars also disappears to some extent in online play due to the fact everybody playing knows the best shortcuts and takes them. This is going to be a truth in any racing game, but a bit more randomness to the apocalyptic events and track manipulation would have reduced it.
Difficulty-wise, the game is far too easy due to the fact you can get away with constantly crashing and still win a race. The computer constantly crashing adds to the frantic and destructive nature of the game, but it also means you can put a half arsed effort in and still pass the finish line triumphant. Even if you don’t manage to win, you only need to place fifth to qualify for the next race and this means progression through the story is never a challenge.
How’s it Look and Sound?
In the looks department, Motorstorm: Apocalypse pretty much gets everything right. I wasn’t too keen on the visuals for the cutscenes, but during races there aren’t enough superlatives to do justice to just how spectacular the raging apocalypse is. Earthquakes cause foundations to crumble and the skyscrapers that they support collapse in a cloud of rubble and dust as they meet the already tarnished ground. Helicopters crash and explode alongside tanks and soldiers that are storming the beaches in scenes reminiscent of Normandy. Cars are frantically racing past, crashing into cliffs or exploding into balls of fire. Events like these are constantly occurring throughout the races, and it really brings the Apocalypse to life. The lighting is gorgeous as well; the movement of shadows and the blinding whiteness of jumping towards the sun all help to make Motorstorm: Apocalypse the showcase that it is.
If you were to choose a soundtrack for an Apocalyptic setting, what would you go for? Personally, I would stray away from the fast-paced rock/metal tracks that are so unoriginal as to be mundane. Sure they fit in with the setting, but sometimes you need to stand out. Sadly, Motorstorm: Apocalypse does not agree with my point of view and its soundtrack meekly blends in with the rest of the generic rock/metal soundtracks that already exist in the world.
Overall
The problem with Motorstorm: Apocalypse seems to be that it was designed primarily as something to be viewed, and the gameplay came as a mere afterthought. While it works to a degree, the sense of adrenaline coming from the racing does not match the adrenaline in the environment and this leads to an underwhelming experience. Maybe I missed the whole point and was supposed to just focus on the incredible environments and peripheral events instead of the gameplay.
Pro’s
- Wide variety of vehicles
- Set-pieces look fantastic
- Did I mention how good it looks?
Con’s
- Racing feels too simple and uninteresting
- Bold attempt at story, but it doesn’t work.
- Designed to be looked at instead of played.
6/10 — If you want a racing game with stunning visuals that brings the feel of a whole city falling to its knees around you, then Motorstorm: Apocalypse is definitely for you. However, if you want a racing game that actually delivers on the racing front and has you driving for hours, then you might be better sticking to a racer that isn’t set in the midst of the Apocalypse.
