Hands-on: MotorStorm Arctic Edge (PSP)
It's a rare thing for a portable game to best its console predecessor, but that's what might be happening in MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. BigBig, the team behind the cult PSP Pursuit Force games, know how to work the handheld and they've crafted an experience that handles far better than the console games. MotorStorm is known for its visceral races, but the juxtaposition of more "sim-like" controls in such an arcadey game didn't jive with us fully. Arctic Edge adopts the game a bit, by tweaking the controls to be a bit more responsive.
The end result is a game that's a bit more accessible, but no less fun and intense. Obviously, the PSP isn't capable of producing the visuals of a PS3, but BigBig has developed a brand new engine for Arctic Edge and it shows. This new generation engine far surpasses the last Pursuit Force game, by throwing an impressive amount of particles in fast, detailed levels. The animation on the vehicles is particularly terrific as each of the wheels respond to the various bumps on the ground.
While the controls are slightly tweaked, the overall gameplay should remain largely familiar to those that have played the previous two games. Once again, players will want to effectively manage boost and navigate a dynamic branching race course. Racing against a multitude of vehicle types is one of the highlights of the console games, and we're glad to see BigBig has expanded the garage with two new vehicles: the Snow Cat and the Snow Plow. Those of you that like the Monster Truck will get a blast out of this. The monstrous vehicle races at a surprising speed, and it's quite the intimidating vehicle to race against.
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The tracks we played at E3 featured the same massive jumps and crashing opportunities as the console games. However, we're intrigued by BigBig's promise to offer some unique features made possible by the Alaskan setting. For example, racers will be able to honk a horn, triggering an avalanche. A heavy vehicle can drive across an ice bridge, collapsing it under its weight. These kinds of changes to the environment should keep the various races interesting.
It's clear that a lot of effort went into Arctic Edge, as evidenced by its impressive production values. The experience is very much "MotorStorm," including its love-it-or-hate-it soundtrack. (Thankfully, PSP owners will be able to use music stored on their Memory Sticks.) We didn't have a chance to try out the game's promised Infrastructure online mode, but we're glad to see yet another PSP game expand the platform's online offerings.
The build we played at E3 felt very polished, but a producer explained a few tweaks that were needed on some of the courses in the game. What we saw at the trade show felt like a very complete game, and adds even more ammunition to PSP's rebirth.
