Just to get it outs of the way, MotorStorm is the most impressive looking racing game created thus far. Overall, and for a number of reasons, nothing on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or PC can touch it at the moment. Evolution Studios is well known for their nice looking games, and they've really upped the ante with MotorStorm. The expansive racing locations (which are too large to be called "tracks" really) are insanely detailed and are bathed with one of the most realistic lighting engines ever seen in a racing title. Add in 12 to 15 destructible, extremely detailed mud-caked vehicles, deformable terrain, interactive structures, and heaps of ambient details and effects, and you've got some serious eye candy. The terrain deformation isn't as detailed as originally demoed and there are a few questionable textures every now and then, but it's really, really difficult to pick out anything to bitch about, especially while actually playing the game. While still a first generation PS3 product, the game engine itself is amazingly solid and throws around all the chaos with the greatest of ease. It's so competent that I'd expect Evo to probably lend part or all of the engine to other 2nd Party SCE studios. Needless to say, it's easy to go on and on about how nice the game looks, but you should have gotten that point by now.

The audio actually does a great job in keeping up with the high level of the game's visuals. The races in MotorStorm take place in wide-open environments and the various sounds effects and engine noises sound appropriately spatial, especially with a 5.1 surround sound system. Ripping through thick mud with a semi truck or sliding along the dusty mesa top with a dirtbike sounds both distinct and correct. The soundtrack is full of variety and progressive, with bands/songs ranging from Nirvana's Breed to Reverend Horton Heat's Big Red Rock of Love. There are 20+ music tracks in total which play at random throughout the races, though certain tracks seem to occasionally repeat a little more often then I'd prefer. Your ears will probably not complain.

In regards to gameplay, MotorStorm just about gets it right. The various races feature a mashup of offroad vehicles including massive semi-trucks, well rounded buggies and racing trucks, agile 4 wheeler and dirt bikes, and even some speedy rally cars. There's plenty of variety, and it's a lot of fun experimenting with the different types of vehicles in races that allow so. While not outlined within the game, the vehicles obviously have their strengths and weaknesses beyond the obvious ones mentioned above. The racing environments are full of multiple paths and shortcuts, and certain vehicles are better suited to certain racing lines. The bikes can squeeze through small passages and easily climb rocky inclines, while the heavier vehicles can power through the lower lying muddy areas and environmental objects with ease. The vehicles control nicely once you get used to the characteristics of each one, and become accustomed to driving on the assortment of dirt covered surfaces. Besides the typical control scheme, MotorStorm does also provide some fairly solid, and optional, Sixaxis motion controls. I have to say, after getting used to the touchiness of it, it's fun for a little while, although it makes what is an already challenging game even more difficult. Getting back to the environments - most of the designs border on being sadistic right from the get go. Cliffs, awkward ramps and drops, along with plenty of organic and irregularly shaped outcroppings and man-made structures dominate the courses. It takes a long while to really "learn" how to efficiently work your way around each course without launching into a canyon or exploding, especially when factoring in the various vehicles. MotorStorm actually borders on being frustrating the first handful of times around a new course and it pays to take your time and explore first before blindly attacking it full-on. In MotorStorm, you race as much against the track as you do against other racers.

Sounds great so far, right? Well, when we move onto the game structure, that's where the problem begins. The single player experience, while not short, is very skimpy. There are more than enough races, which are grouped into "Tickets" of various difficulty, to keep you busy for several hours at the very least. The issue is, it takes a very short amount of time to see all of the environments and race as all of the vehicles. Unlike most racing games, neither need to really be unlocked in MotorStorm. Even though you aren't close to "beating" the game at that point, you still feel as if you've seen and done everything. In other words, there's no further progression or payoff after a few hours. You continue to take part in races featuring the same vehicles and courses, with increased difficulty of course, but you never really reach something new or exciting like new parts, a super-charged vehicle, or insanely difficult special track, for example. It's fun for a while, thanks to the initial variety, but Evolution could have done a much better job in organizing the tickets and races in such a way to keep it fresher throughout. Beyond the straight-up ticket/race system, and a few bonus videos/trailers, that's all there is to do. No practice/free run mode, battle mode, multiplayer split screen racing, or anything else to do. If past interviews and promises with Sony hold true, we could definitely be seeing new content for the game via the PlayStation Network, so all hope is not lost. Thankfully, at this point in time, the game's saving grace comes in the form of a well put-together online multiplayer mode.

Unlike the original Japanese version of MotorStorm (which is said to be patched at one point), the U.S. and Euro release of the game includes online multiplayer functionality. The game supports up to 12 racers simultaneously online, and features a decent amount of customization along with voice chat. One thing that it is (ridiculously) missing is proper XMB Friends List integration. Ridge Racer 7, as a 3rd party launch title, has a perfect implementation of it, and it's rather confusing that a 2nd party game a few months later somehow is missing it. It doesn't make or break the game, but Sony needs to take a cue from Microsoft and help standardize the online experience a bit more than it is. Regardless, the online play is awesome, fast and frantic. Racing against a pack of user controlled vehicles (of assorted or alike types) along those sprawling, branching and dangerous environments is what the game was made for. Lag is non-existent or not noticeable even with a full pack of racers and voice chat works well both in the lobby and within the game itself. On the negative side, the lobby/player grid is lacking some important strategic details, for example, what vehicles your competition have chosen. It's a small detail and hopefully something we'll see patched later on.

One other issue that irks me a bit about the game is the sometimes weird loading scheme. I've already been spoiled with the inclusion of the "HDD install" feature of many PS3 games, so that's something I would have liked to have an option of doing. After selecting a race, and when needing to choose a vehicle, the game needs to individually load up a fully detailed model + textures for each respective car/bike/truck/whatever you want to see. This process takes way too long (several seconds sometimes), and a piece of high resolution static art would have been more than satisfactory if it sped things up. The general load times within the game are on the long side, but pretty standard these days.

Lack of single-player content notwithstanding, MotorStorm is still among the must-haves for PlayStation 3 owners, especially those who are starved for something new and original. While it's not a killer app, the gorgeous visuals, chaotic off-road racing action and 12-player online multiplayer support are definitely worth it.