MotorStorm was one of the first legitimate “next gen” titles of the current console cycle. Playstation 3’s launch lineup wasn’t terrible, and a wealth of fine 360 titles had come out over the past year, but Evolution Studio’s heavily anticipated racer was at the top of many new PS3’s owner’s lists. I bought it day one the following February and was absolutely astounded at what I was seeing. I had played plenty of arcade/rally racers in the past, but none featuring the devastating visuals of MotorStorm. The racing was competent and certainly unique, but I felt the game was defined by its grand, sweeping vistas. The graphics were out of this world, from the draw distance to the sheer amount of activity on screen. 2008’s Pacific Rift continued the franchise, but when Arctic Edge, Bigbig Studios (of Pursuit Force fame) PSP entry, was announced, I wasn’t so sure it could faithfully translate the MotorStorm feel. The hook was the aesthetic, and I didn’t think a visually challenged PSP entry could make the same sort of connection.
But you know what, it certainly feels like Bigbig studios squeezing every drop out of the PSP in order to do so. The Burning Man festival “feel” is certainly present, with fluorescent spotlights, crazy flags, and alternative music screeching through every race. Atmosphere has always been an important part of the MotorStorm franchise and, even though it was never in the spotlight, seeing and receiving that, for lack of a better word, extreme mood, helped make the transition to the PSP easier.
And while the visual fidelity will never be able to match the PS3’s muscle, Arctic Edge still looks pretty incredible alongside its peers. Tracks like The Chasm and Snowgod Canyon do well to forge incredible looking, wide open tracks. I don’t know what sort of tricks Bigbig used to fake (or possibly render in real time, I can’t tell) the grand sense of scale, but it’s certainly present and in fantastic detail. The resolution is lower and the textures get muddy up close, but watching nine other cars on screen at a fast (really fast) and fluid frame rate is indeed a feast for the eyes.
Oh, and the actual racing seems to be up to par as well. Aside from not getting my ass kicked quite as early (I won a majority of matches up until rank 4), the hectic melee was still in place. Few moments of interactive terror are as profound as blasting through a turn on a snow machine while a school bus looking big rig crashes into a wall and literally misses you by an inch as it flies over top. It was exhilarating, to say the least, and while such insane chaos didn’t happen often, when it did it was quite the treat.
From an interface standpoint, Arctic Edge features the usual prerequisites. Festival mode features a tiered series of races, with higher ranks indicating harder difficulty. The normal races are joined by specialties like Speed, where you have to take a specific path for the course and make it through 30 gates, each increasing your timer, and try to make it the end with time left on the clock. Time Ticker pits you against three other racers, with the first to 999 points winning. Points are accumulated at a constant rate, but faster or slower depending on your current place (so you don’t necessarily need to be in first the whole time to win).
Festival is joined by standard time attack and free race modes but, much to the satisfaction of MotorStorm fans, the infrastructure mode will probably be the most welcomed feature. Unlocks are also a big part of Arctic Edge, with vehicles, drivers, and fifty badges (think Trophies or Achievements) to earn.
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge drops September 29th for PSP and Playstation 2. Check back with us later in the month for a full review.
