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MotorStorm Online First Impressions
We get our hands dirty with the much-coveted multiplayer mode of Evolution's highly-anticipated PS3 off-road racer.
by Alex Simmons, IGN UK
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UK, January 23, 2007 - If you've been following IGN's extensive coverage of MotorStorm over the past few months, you'll already know how it's one of the must-have games for PlayStation 3, thanks to its cocktail of intricately-designed dirt tracks, turbo-charged cars and mud-spattered gameplay. You'll doubtless also know it topped the charts when it was released in Japan, even though it was missing any kind of multiplayer mode. And while Evolution Studios has been busy squeezing the online option into the PAL and US versions of the game in time for its March release, no one has managed to get down 'n' dirty with multiplayer MotorStorm - until now.
Before we get stuck into the nitty-gritty of MotorStorm's multiplayer mode, it's worth noting that the game's servers have yet to be fully populated - the game isn't out yet, after all - so, at this point, our impressions are based on racing against a handful of other players rather than a packed-out track. As such, racing around bigger circuits didn't have quite the same intensity as jostling for first place against a crowd of ultra-competitive AI cars, but that will all change when the players from Europe and the States are also competing online.
It's also worth pointing out there's no split-screen multiplayer mode in MotorStorm, only online play, with up to 12 vehicles competing in any one race. Available races are displayed in the lobby area; you can either join a game or host your own. All of the eight tracks - the Grizzly, Coyote Rage, Mudpool, Rock Hopper, Tenderizer, Dust Devil, Sidewinder Gulch and Raingod Mesa - are available right from the start, along with all the different types of vehicles. These can be restricted to allow for all-bike races, big-rig blow-outs or any other combination of car class. Not all of the individual cars are available at the beginning of the game though, and are only accessible in multiplayer if you've unlocked them in the single-player game first.
Races lasts up to five laps and the host player has the option of choosing the time of day at which the race takes place: either in the morning, midday, the afternoon, evening, dusk and at night. Opt for a day race and the bright midday sun makes it easy for rookie racers to negotiate the multiple routes through each of the tracks. Choose dusk and the low sun means it's difficult to pick out corners and obstacles, while racing at night, with no headlights to light the track ahead, is best left to the pros - at least to begin with.
Last but not least, the other important pre-race option worth mentioning is catch-up. Without it switched on, every race really is a battle of skill, with more experienced drivers pulling away from novices with ease. While that's all well and good if you're a decent player who fancies a bit of an ego massage, it doesn't make for a particularly exciting race. Enable catch-up and players who are trailing are given a helping hand as their boost bar fills slowly and drains quicker, enabling them to use it more often and, ultimately, to drive faster. Of course, push the turbo too hard and your engine will explode, meaning the race leader edges out in front even further.
Out on the track, MotorStorm's multiplayer game looks and feels almost identical to the single-player game. It's by no means the fastest racing game around - that's always been the case so it's no surprise it's no different here - but, as ever, in the bonnet-cam view, with the turbo pressed down, it's still a total blast. More importantly, in all the multiplayer races we competed in, we never once experienced lag or slow-down. Although there's no guaranteeing this will be the case when the track is packed with bikes and buggies, all kicking up gobs of mud and dirt, it's a promising indication that the multiplayer experience will be every bit as exciting as the solo game.
One of the few visual differences between the single- and multiplayer game is the addition of rivals' gamer names, which appear over their vehicles. This allows you target specific players if you're feeling particularly nasty, or get out of their way if they have a habit of ramming you off the road. In that respect the game is the same in both on- and offline modes: a big-rig will always make mincemeat of lighter buggies and bikes in a collision, but faster vehicles have the advantage of being nimble enough to get out of the way. Coming out of a collision unscathed is no easy task though - even if you're behind the wheel of a heavyweight vehicle - because driving over the crumpled remains of an off-road bike can easily unbalance your mud-slapper, causing you to slip off course and into a rock.
Crashing is much more costly in multiplayer compared to single-player too - the extra time it seems to take your car to right itself enabling rival cars to race much further into the distance. Catching up can be a bit of an uphill struggle then, unless the front runners make a mistake and crash themselves, or if the catch-up mode is switched on - which is when online MotorStorm really is at its best.
Jostling for first place among a pack of racers from around the globe is what this game is about, especially when players of all different skill levels are competing on pretty much an even playing field. The best players still have the edge because they're less likely to total their car, which always costs precious seconds, but MotorStorm's multiplayer game promises to succeed because anyone can compete in any race and still be in with a chance of taking the chequered flag, and that's definitely a good thing in our book.
