Motorstorm 2 is coming and, having been big fans of the first game, we're really looking forward to it. But what new treats, new tropical island aside, will it bring to the PS3 series?
There's not much concrete information about the game yet other than that sun-baked island and the inclusion of a new vehicle class, Monster trucks, all of which showcase in the flashy announcement trailer.
But the trailer could be hiding more subtle hints to new features planned for the sequel. After having a good look through it (a few dozen times), we put together 10 features, upgrades and improvements we'd love to see in Motorstorm 2. And if none of them are in the final game we'll drive to developer Evolution Studios's building and throw human faeces at its windows. Maybe.
Optimised loading This, you'd like to think, is a given. Watching the original MotorStorm take 10 seconds just to load a single motor in the vehicle select screen was like being stuck on a staircase on the tube behind an eighty-year-old granny trying to haul a years worth of shopping with her.
Only this was one granny you couldn't kick in the back. It stopped you from having a nice browse through the cars in online games - where you were restricted to a time limit. Load times have improved loads in more recent PS3 games - even if some have forced overly-long install times (DMC4), but we wouldn't mind if Motorstorm 2 took five minutes to install and shave off those dreadful load pauses.
Interactive levels The new tropical island setting opens up a whole new world of gameplay opportunities over the baron wastelands of the first game.
One feature that we'd absolutely love to see in MotorStorm 2 is more interactive environmental hazards to spice up races, like an erupting volcano or a tsunami crashing in from the sea.
We're not asking for it to turn into Mario Kart (or Speed Devils on Dreamcast, if you remember it) - we wouldn't want the levels to be so crazy that they get in the way of the skill of driving - but a few falling boulders or the odd lava trail to dodge could make things more exciting, especially in multiplayer.
Hill climbs If you pause the trailer near the start as the camera zooms towards the island from above the clouds, your bird's-eye view of the scene shows a rocky area to the east.
It almost looks like a mountain to us - the perfect terrain for hill climb events. All of the races in the first game had you doing laps around a circuit. Maybe the sequel could have point-to-point races from the bottom of huge rocky hills right to top, like Colin McRae Dirt.
It would take some of the repetition out of the races and, if Evolution wants to be really harsh, it could see players who tumble over the edge of cliffs fall down to previous paths.
A takedown mode There was nothing more satisfying in the first game than shoving another racer face-first into a rock (and nothing more frustrating than when someone did it to you).
Having thoroughly enjoyed the Takedown events in Burnout Paradise, we reckon they'd make a great mode in MotorStorm 2, with the slow-motion crash sequences that follow the metal-grinding impacts.
More destructible scenery The first game had the odd billboard that you could smash through, but with mostly rock-filled environments (and computer opponents that like to push you into said rocks) the only thing that was breakable was your will to live.
In the trailer you see one of the monster trucks clash through a wooden tower, taking out one side of the tower's support and causing it to crash down onto the course, which then formed a new obstacle for the racers behind.
If you think back to FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage on 360 and the extremely destructible environments in that, it's brilliant fun. Plus, we males have in inherent fondness of destruction. It's nature. Slap in a few more of these wooden huts, towers bridges and whatnot, and the fun instantly goes up.
Stunts Stunts are all the rage nowadays - even Mario Kart is about to have a pop at pulling some fly tricks in the latest Wii edition. MotorStorm should get with the times.
Again, we're not talking about crazy SSX-style mega flips with fireworks, helicopters and over-exited blondes throwing their knickers at you. Just the ability to do a subtle 360 spin or barrel roll in mid-air would be cool, with a small speed boost as your reward upon a successful landing.
Physical surface deformation The original MotorStorm had amazing mud deformation as your tyres shredded through the soft, wet clay. But while it looked good, that's all it was - a visual effect.
Those big grooves that appeared in the course actually made no physical change to the surface of the ground, and thus had no effect on your car. The latest Sega Rally, however, pioneered a brilliant surface deformation system that physically changes the surface of the track as the cars scream round, and it would be brilliant if Evolution Studios were to get some of that action going on in Motorstorm 2.
More speed We weren't too sure about MotorStorm when we first saw it - it's arrival in the office was around the same time as our stint on Excite Truck, Nintendo's mental-fast Wii racer.
Compared to that, Motorstorm appeared worryingly slow. Even to this day, it's almost teeth-shatteringly frustrating to have your finger clamped down on the boost button so hard it hurts and still only be plodding along at a fairly sedate pace.
What we came to accept is that Motorstorm was all about managing your car and its interaction with the bumpy roads - making constant corrections to the steering as you plot your route ahead. But we'd like to see the sequel get a kick of adrenalin.
A slightly higher, more thrilling pace would lift the whole experience, and if the boost gives you a more significant kick of speed than it did in the original that'll be even better.
Less rubber-banding Did you ever notice in Motorstorm that even if you had a pretty serious smash-up you could usually catch up and pass the leaders, but then once you pass them they stick to you like No More Nails?
That's blatant rubber banding - a much-used process in which trailing cars are made faster so they can catch up with the front runners. It's a technique designed to keep racing games competitive and allow for mistakes without being overly punishing.
But when done wrong, your driving efforts no longer seem important. The earlier stages of the race are inconsequential because you know if you drive bad you'll catch up in the end, and if you drive extraordinarily well the CPU will be right behind you anyway.
And this is extra infuriating in later races of the first game, where CPU characters overtake and slam into you no matter how perfect you drive. You basically swing like a pendulum from third to first and back, hoping that that rubbish rubber band yanks you into first just before the finish line. That's rubbish, and needs fixing in the sequel.
Water events We're pitching it way out there on this one, but with all that water surrounding the new desert island setting, how cool would it be for the action to venture off-land completely and throw you on speed boats or Jetskis?
If Evolution Studios could work in a decent water physics model and throw in water races it would add a whole new layer to the series.
What's that? We're asking for too much? Okay, we'll stop here.
and I think having the stunt thing would be rubbish, MotorStorm is about skill, real-life (ish), punishing driving, beautiful scenery etc, not about how many points you can get
and I think having the stunt thing would be rubbish, MotorStorm is about skill, real-life (ish), punishing driving, beautiful scenery etc, not about how many points you can get
and I think having the stunt thing would be rubbish, MotorStorm is about skill, real-life (ish), punishing driving, beautiful scenery etc, not about how many points you can get
Think most people would settle for the full game in the box to start with, Motorstorm felt so incomplete... way too few features and options compared to other racers.
I agree with the whole list apart from the stunt thing. If they sped up the game then the gameplay would be focused on speed rather than style. Speed and carnage go well together (Burnout, Full Auto etc.) The destructible environments sound like fun, blocking paths and stuff... although they'd have to get the AI right so the computer isn't ridiculously good at smashing up the path.
i think stunts would be a bad idea. a tony hawk style button bash to roll or flip would turn the game into a bit of a joke. you could do a bit of a tail whip on the bikes or roll your cars anyhow if you got the take off right. i think tricks would detract from the racing, which is what the games about.
I agree on all (especially getting rid of rubber banding, load times and speed) but i disagree on stunts and water events. The hill climb also sounds good.
Think most people would settle for the full game in the box to start with, Motorstorm felt so incomplete... way too few features and options compared to other racers.
Completely agree, Motorstorm was very limited in Tracks and cars and didnt have a very long lasting appeal, also the loading times took the p**s. Not overly sure about this. M1 was ok but failed to keep the experience fresh, in other words it got quickly boring. Ill be getting Dirt soon which ive heard good things about, ill keep a watch on this game.
Hows about no rubber banding and a slit-screen mode. some of us still have friends who come round to our houses to play 2 player games. serious lack of split-screen in todays racers.
Having to sit through a slow motion replay of when you crash and explode was about the most annoying thing in the game, especially as the crash could last for up to 5 seconds or so. Most f**king annoying!!
Take it out of the game, show a real time crash and get it over with quickly, so you can get back into the race a bit quicker and not lose 10 places. If I want to watch replays of crashes, I should be able to save a replay of my race at the end, like most 360 racing games let you do.
After trying Motorstorm several times I'm not even going to give this the time of day. GT5, PGR4 among others will provide me with my racing thrills instead.
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