MotorStorm Apocalypse

The apocalypse. The horrendous event that will complete wipe out the place we live and all traces of human existence from the globe. Naturally, this is generally seen as a bad thing but if you were to say apocalypse to any of the drivers in MotorStorm Apocalypse, they'd probably say 'It's racing time!'. This is exactly the mindset that MotorStorm Apocalypse uses, viewing the end of the world not as a disaster, but as a means for driving in the craziest, earth-shattering (literally) racing events the planet Earth has ever seen.

Now is just me, or should that train not be flying?

If you're unfamiliar with the series, MotorStorm has traditionally been an off-road racing kind of driving simulator, involving quad bikes and all the traditional off-road vehicles. However, with this entry in the series the developers have instead decided that they wanted to do something different, taking off-road racing, turning it completely on its head and then dropping in a city currently in the grip of being ravaged by earthquakes and tornados for good measure. This is the setting of MotorStorm - insane racing in a city that is about to destroyed. The people at health and safety must be having a seizure.

This system, while offering a fresh perspective on an off-road racing game, can get a little too hectic at times for my tastes. Tracks will literally evolve before your very eyes as they are ravaged by the elements and the earth, often leading you to crash (rather spectacularly) into a raised piece of tarmac that has suddenly leapt out of the road when the latest earthquake struck. This, at times, leads to great frustrations as you'll suddenly find yourself crashing into pieces of the road and discarded cars with literally no time whatsoever to manouvere around them, resulting in a little time penalty that more often than not will result in you losing your place at the front of the crazy racing MotorStormers.

Driving - and more specifically - handling of cars is generally very good. There's a lot of different vehicles on offer here ranging from souped-up monster trucks to lowly dirt bikes, and each feels like it has the appropriate weight and handling ability they should have. However, sometimes you can find yourself struggling to turn corners because the game progresses at such a breakneck pace and the unpredictable nature of the tracks will more often than not throw a massive curveball right in your path. Incidentally, this curveball is usually in the shape of a wall which you will splat against very violently.

The speeds you can attain in these vehicles are generally very high due to the use of a boost button which will propel you forward like a speeding bullet stuck firmly in the backside of a bat out of hell. Utilzing this function is key to suceeding in races, as without it you'll simply be left behind and end up in last position. Be careful though - using it too much will overheat the engine, and you'll explode. Using puddles of water and elements such as rain will however cool down your engine, so it's best to always navigate through water if you can.

This is actually quite tame for MotorStorm.

Visually, MotorStorm is excellent. The way the streets and the tracks morph as they are ravaged by the elements looks absolutely top notch, filled with 'wow' moments tha will really make you think 'that's cool.' or alternatively make you feel nothing else but panic as you smash into a rockslide. One or the other. At key points in a track's transformation sometimes the game will actually slow down to showcase an event that is occuring, adding a stylistic approach to the topplings of skyscrapers or the massive explosion that comes from a damaged gas station. Some of these are prompted, some are not, but overall it works very well, showcasing the excellent locales and sprawling heights of MotorStorm to great effect.

Cars and the drivers themselves are also rendered very well, with cars showing realistic damage as they crash into things. Many a time my doors were ripped off, my bumper was smashed in and the car itself looked barely driveable by the end of the race (a thing you can either put down to the track design or my own skill). You'll hardly have time to notice these things however as there simply isn't time. There's too much going on in the tracks for you to care even slightly what your car looks like - I mean who worries about whether your sports car looks pristine when you're fleeing a massive earthquake, right?

Indispersed throughout the game are also mini-motion comics which add a touch of flair to the game's story mode. Each of these is drawn and animated very well, creating some amusing scenes that - despite the overly daft and confusing plot - help flesh out the time spent between races and give your character a smattering of personality. It's the personality possessed only by most kitchen utensils however, i.e. none.

Just another day in earthquake city...

Whether it be from the crunch of the road as it groans under the pressure of seismic activity, the swirling winds of a tornado that is ravaging the beach or simply the screech of tires over the tarmac, MotorStorm's sound design is pretty good.  Sound effects relating to track damaging activity is all appropriate and sounds every bit as damaging as it looks, really helping to immerse you in the completely over-the-top experience that is taking place.

The soundtrack that accompanies the races is also rather swell as well. Consisting of a soaring and fast-paced collection of tracks, the sounds pumping in the background really help to get the blood flowing and the adrenaline pumping, prompting you to seize the power of your vehicle and push firmly forwards (is it me or does that just sound wrong) to victory.

Voice acting, sadly, is not on the same par. It's alright, functional enough for a racing game, but none of these actors will be going home with Emmy's for their performances. None of the characters are particularly memorable and simply seem like filler fodder. I can guarantee you won't give a monkey's what happens in the story, as this game's enjoyment comes firmly from the actual gameplay itself.

End of the world? Nonsense, superbike playground I say!

Races themelves within MotorStorm are often very varied, but often you'll see the same track repeated with a slightly different layout. This generally isn't a problem as there's some variations thrown into the mix but it can get tricky to win some of the races as you progress through the story and the ranks of MotorStorm, meaning you'll sometimes end up having to repeat the same race over and over again simply because you didn't qualify. This generally happens because, right at the last minute, you'll end up crashing into something that is inconveniently right in your way and your opponents will then overtake you, giving you the middle finger for good measure as they pass your car.

However, retribution can be easily at hand as Motorstorm also includes a system for bashing into your opponents, executed by pressing the respective face buttons on the controller. It really is quite thrilling to crush an opponent on a dirtbike beneath the wheels of a monster truck...I don't have a sadistic streak - honest!

If playing MotorStorm solidly, I'd say you'd probably get about seven hours worth or story mode. On top of that there's also free play options and online multiplayer to tinker around with, so overall if you like your crazy racing games, you're probably getting a lot for your money here. The story mode however is pretty forgettable and overly pointless, feeling as if they just threw together a pretty nonsensical tale just for the sake of it being there (which I suppose it is).

Difficulty levels within the game fluctuate from ridiculously easy to unfairly difficult, represented by different characters in the story mode. You must play as each of these in order to unlock the next, and there's three varying difficulty settings. By the end on the later races you'll probably hate them because the computer is simply far too good - without boosting constantly and a near perfect run there is often little hope of winning.

Overall MotorStorm Apocalypse succeeds from a visual and gameplay standpoint, but the races rapidly becoming repetitive and little replayability means this can often put you off wanting to race again and again, particularly if you're only doing it because you can't qualify for the next race. A vailiant effort though, and if I ever wanted to escape the end of the world, I'd probably hop into a supercar like one of these guys and boost my way to safety.

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