IGN Motostorm review:

[wco81]

It seems their primary focus was on the graphics and physics. As they touted, they spent good money to have a helicopter capture the whole area in 1080p so that they could create the environment with some fidelity.

The modes and little details like online features were probably afterthoughts.

No reason they can't patch something like that though.

Is there some place to give them feedback?

You'd think they're monitoring the online activities and someone must complain about this situation.

 

[Todd33]

As for why they didn't give the option to mute, likely the same reason they didn't give the option to change the track between races or even the vehicle class selection or the time of day; sheer stupidity, and the fact that they are talking about adding more tracks and cars and stuff without any word of fixing such basic functionality issues only further confirms that speculation.

I was bumped to the lobby leader last night. You can change the track, time of day, vehicle classes, etc. between each race. Don't let the facts get in your way though...

MS is a great game, it's not the umpteenth iteration of Burnout, it's a new IP. It always easier to pump out a new sequel, you just have to improve last years version.

 

[Crayon]

To elaborate:

I sent this PM to Patsu after he asked me to elaborate.

Do you remember the very first PS1 games? Especially the awesome ones like Destruction Derby and Wipeout?

Motorstorm is like a 12 year throwback to those days. The actual game concept and design is awesome, but there is just nothing supporting it. For example: the game boots up with the options; start game, online, setup. Hit start game and you a pickue of a ticket with text on it describing your first race. If you defeat that you will get another ticket, maybe two. Races seem to progress in a linear way like this. No context, and no options. It immediatly brought to mind the old PS1 racing games.

The load times don't help either. Again, it's like 12 years ago. 20 seconds to load car selections, 5 seconds to looks at each car (no joke) and a full minute to get into a race. Thanks god you can restart the race with no loading!

The online play may have saved it, but I have never seen a frontend so horribly designed. Here's the whole thing: choose "online" fromthe title screen. Choose a server. Now browse rooms using only the following information: Room name, track played and number of players. No sorting, no searching, no communication, no refference to the progress of the race you are looking at. I seriously attempted to get into onlie races for about 25 minutes. As far I could tell the best way to do it was to "join" a game and then get up and do something else untill the game started.

Overall the game is an unfinished mess. I'm massivly dissapointed.

On the other hand, F1 delivers big time. It is both the most accessable F1 simulator and the most demanding F1 game. For me it's a perfect balance. If you are pretty hard-core about your racing games, F1 will thrill you.

The gameplay itself is the off-raod racing game I always dreamed of. Unfortunatly, the shell renders it pretty much junk, imo. Games are 60 bucks now because they have supposedly evolved. You've heard the complaints about lack of "modes". I just think it goes much farther than that.

As far as selling it on the same nite and taking the forty dollar hit... I had one friend A there that was telling me to get F1 instead of Motorstorm for months. He comes from a motorsports family and really wanted to play the game. Me and friend B were Positive that Motorstorm was a sure thing, even making some condescending comments to friend A! . Meanwhile, he is making what would become earily accurate predictions about the potential failings of Motorstorm. Mainly; "this game is going to get old quick".

So after 90 minutes, even tho we where having some fun with the game, we where already raining down criticism left and right, and decided that this game would indeed get old quick. Taking the game back so quickly was partially a gesture to friend A serving us a huge helping of "I told you so". Me and friend B drove it back to the store and I expected to take maybe a 15 dollar hit on the trade in. When they told me the difference was forty bucks I nearly choked. Friend B kindly paid the difference, since he felt he was eating just as much crow on Motorstorm dissapointment.

Me and Friend B have been eagerly anticipating MS since E3 2005. In fact, I found this site while feverishly searching on info about that infamous trailer's feasability. So marching the game back to the store and kickign it to the curb was a kind of vindication. =D In fact, there was a kid there while I was making the trade that asked the clerk about Motorstorm coming to 360. I butted in and told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't missing anything!

 

[[maven]]

It seems their primary focus was on the graphics and physics. As they touted, they spent good money to have a helicopter capture the whole area in 1080p so that they could create the environment with some fidelity.

There is some of the footage on the disc (but "only" in 720p IIRC) and it looks really great.

I enjoy Motorstorm, especially the "barely in control" rush (which would've been majorly enhanced by rumble); but the online side of PS3 titles is a joke so far. So thank you Sony for letting the developers have free reign to fuck their online components up. More choice is always better, right?

 

[DemoCoder]

I rented it from blockbuster.

Here's my review:

1) Once you manage to actually get INTO a race, the game rocks.
2) Outside the race, the game sucks.

The online most is fun as hell, but as pointed out, you must spent like 40 minutes finding a race. Here's what you do:

1) choose a hosted game
a) game full, back to 1
b) game not full, but too few players, wait wait wait....quit in frustration...back to 1
c) game has 10-11 players. Opps. Race in progress. Wait...wait...wait...5 mins go by...quit...go back to 1

The UI is TERRIBLE. No indication a race is in progress before you join. No indication of *how much time is left before that race is over* All information delivered in a stupid side-scrolling ticker in white overlaid on animated background so half the time you can't read it.

Oh, and did I mention that whenever it does network stuff the UI freezes? Yep, they never heard of asynchronous IO. I mean, if you look up a player's stats while waiting for them to finish, the background animation, ticker, everything, momentarily freezes!

They need to completely redesign the lobby system. Why not let people observe racers while waiting for them to finish?

Oh, and the load times remind me of my commodore 64! Why does choosing a vehicle take so friggin long?

 

[Todd33]

It does not take 40 minutes to get into a game.

1. Pick a lobby with 6+ players.
2. Wait until race is over if started.
3. Race.

Then you stay in the same lobby and race as much as you like with minimal downtime. If you are the lobby leader you get to pcik all the options and minimize the time between races.


I find the single player more compelling than online. The computer is ruthless and can help you find the best route for your vehicle. I'm starting the level 3 races and they are getting hard.

 

[phat]

It seems to be a common trend with British games: great core engine, lousy, low-production value shell. Even SCEE's F1, which has a much better shell, pales in comparison to the shells of American brands like EA, or Japanese houses like Polyphony.

Phat

 

[-tkf-]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamepreview?cid=1951076562&tab=previews&page=0&eid=508325

Clearly, much of this new downloadable content offers much-needed longevity to the original release, so the only downside is the likelihood that we will have to pay for it once it hits the PlayStation store. The new eliminator and time trial modes look likely to match the original race mode in terms of popularity, while the new Coyote Revenge track will hopefully pave the way for some completely new tracks in the future.

Sorry if its old.. (i dont like the pay thingy though)

 

[archangelmorph]

It seems to be a common trend with British games: great core engine, lousy, low-production value shell. Even SCEE's F1, which has a much better shell, pales in comparison to the shells of American brands like EA, or Japanese houses like Polyphony.

Phat

I hope you're talking only about racing games here..?

 

[hey69]

BuddyStorm for MotorStorm
March 21, 2007 - Though Evolution Studios' off-road racer MotorStorm has only been out for a couple of weeks, there are already plans to make additions to it. Starting Friday, March 23, Sony will release a brand new in-game Buddy List to coincide with the European launch date.

The list itself will be available as a downloadable patch that's activated automatically when users log in (followed by a quick reboot). Once installed, the update will add a "Buddies" line to the boot screen located underneath the "Play" icon. Your online friends and their current status will be viewable from this hub, and if your friends are online, they can be directly linked through the MotorStorm list.

Causing accidents like these with your friends should be a little easier.

Sony has also confirmed that the Buddy List has a built-in filter that prevents people from infiltrating a set game list -- users will need to be connected to a buddy to get in.

Thanks to IGN.com for sharing the news

 

[Arwin]

I have to say this game is absolutely brilliant. Just completely awesome. Easily one of the most impressive and fun games I've ever played.

We all know about the awesome lighting (when you get mud on your windscreen and that is lit up, it really works great - though props to PGR3 for showing a similar effect).

Playing this game in first person view is just the absolute sweetest thing. The experience is three times as intense as when you look from above.

I have to make a special mention of the sixaxis implementation. It's downright superb. I used it from day one and never looked back. Now I play single handed ... ! (I strained my left wrist, so this is very useful to be able to do )

And I convinced my girlfriend to have a go ... She got it immediately! Driving a buggy (in first person view), she only crashed 3 times in a whole race. Not that she was in a hurry, but by the third lap she was fast enough to keep up. And she enjoyed it.

(Note that she is 39 ... not 19. )

Also nice to see that one and later two motorbikes kept her company even when she was trailing behind significantly.

 

[pipo]

Playing this game in first person view is just the absolute sweetest thing. The experience is three times as intense as when you look from above.

I always play racers in FPR style.

Except for OutRun, because it didn't have one, but that one didn't bother me...

Played some MS the other day, it does feel good. Shame I won't have a PS3 for some time.

 

[-tkf-]

I got the F1 game, seemed very easy to get online and play with it (click click etc.. online and racing).

Note: It´s not incredible hardcore even if you disable aids, it´s seems very easy to get into and it portrays speed very well

A friend of mine has MS, first time he went online there was patch, i talked him about the "problems" he says he haven´t seen them and i guess has no problem playing online either.. maybe the patch helped.