The Motorstorm series is well known for its brutal off-road racing. So when I first heard about the nature of Motorstorm RC I can admit I was a little uncertain about the new approach. In fact it even caused me to hesitate whether to purchase the game or not. In the end though I am very glad I did.
It’s a game which really grasps the element of fun.
As you can tell from the title this new Motorstorm title is all about remote controlled racing. Something that is completely new to the Motorstorm franchise. When I first saw the early gameplay videos I was a little unsure to whether I would like this new take on the franchise. The gameplay now consists of a new top down view of the track and car, however, the usual Motorstorm controls remain. I really like the new camera angle for the game. It allows you to see what turns and manoeuvres coming up next along the track and it also allows you to keep a better eye on your competitors. Still there are little moments along the track where the camera makes it unable to see the next part of the track. Shortly after learning this part of the track it doesn’t become a problem from then onwards.
The festival returns in RC and there are four sections to enter, each with a handful of different events. The different sections are actually past Motorstorm games. These are: Monument valley, Pacific Rift, Arctic Edge and Apocalypse. The tracks within each of these sections represent the previous title. In each section there are 36 stars to gain, with 12 events in each. This means there is an overall of 48 different events to participate in.
There are 4 different types of events you can enter. Firstly there is the usual race, with yourself gaining 3 stars for first place, 2 stars for second and of course only 1 for third. Secondly there is a hot lap event. This requires you to set your fastest lap on a given track. There are 3 given times which need to beat in order to gain all 3 stars. Thirdly we have the pursuit event. For this mode you need to overtake a certain amount of drivers whilst racing against the clock. Similarly to hot lap you need to beat 3 given times in order to gain all stars on offer. Lastly is the drift event, personally my least favourite. In this event you need to gain 5000 drift points within a certain amount of time to gain stars. Most the events require you battling against the clock more than competitors, which is not something of the norm in a Motorstorm title.
I like this new approach of beating times more than competitors. The hot lap and pursuit events are the most enjoyable out of the 4 events on the game. As mentioned above I am not a lover of the drift challenge. The tracks don’t seem wide enough to drift and I just cannot get to grips with it. Mind you on any previous racing game drifting has not been my forte. So my general dislike for the event can be mainly down to my poor skills at it.
Moving on from the events there is a wide variety of remote controlled cars to choose from. They are exactly the same as the classes we usually see on Motorstorm but with 2 new additions and replacements. The bike and ATV have been understandably removed from the game. However, as a replacement a new muscle car has been introduced for the drift challenges and the super car (which is unlocked late in the game).
Although I like the wide range of classes to choose from there are handful of problems which arise. For example the buggy class is just terrible on the game; it becomes a real disadvantage to have to control one. The handling of it is brutal, it’s difficult to turn and generally keep control of it. I usually regard fine handling with the buggy on previous titles but in RC I hate the vehicle. The rally car which is associated with difficult handling is much faster than the buggy on RC but turns corners like a dream in comparison. I believe a few tweaks should be made to the buggy soon. Another issue I find is loss of size comparison between the vehicles. The big rig and buggy are exactly the same size and power. In a collision a buggy comes out better off than the big rig in most cases. This baffles me as in Motorstorm the rule is that basically the bigger car always wins in a collision. I can understand that they are only RC cars but I still think an element of aggressive driving towards competitors should still be in the game.
Unfortunately there is no direct multiplayer racing. There are global leaderboards and ghost times though. The leaderboards also contain your PSN friends times which you aspire to beat. The ghost times are also a nice addition as they appear in most events and can help you do better as you try to beat them. They can also help reveal the best racing lines on certain tracks. Also you can send out challenges to your friends to beat your time on a particular event. These are a bit pointless though as there is no reward for actually beating the challenge. It would be great if multiplayer racing was implemented further down the line.
Wreckreation also returns. On the PS3 version this allows you to play offline/local multiplayer with up to 3 other players including yourself. Also there is the time attack mode which is similar to the hot lap event, but you can choose the track and vehicle you want to set times on. A new welcomed feature is the playground. The playground is a large area which consists of skate ramps, basketball courts and a football pitch. The playground also has each different vehicle dotted around the area. This feature allows you to get used to the handling of each vehicle class and Motorstorm RC in general. There are a few hidden challenges within the playground which unlock a secret trophy in the game as well.
I really enjoy playing Motorstorm RC – its great fun. I would even go further and say that it is the best PSN game that I have played. The amount of playtime that can be had with the game for its small price tag is wonderful. It’s a great new approach in the Motorstorm series, and I hope to see more events released shortly for it (two new DLC packs are on their way). I am looking forward to playing it on my Vita too, on which I feel it will be even better.
9/10
Tested on PlayStation 3
