Killzone 2

While Guerrilla Games has become well-known for the Horizon series, remastering Killzone 2 for the PS5 seems a given. It’s the game that put the company on the map and its excellent visual fidelity, attention to detail, fun gun play and solid multiplayer would make a smooth transition over to the console. If a new sequel on PS5 isn’t coming any time soon, then it makes sense to revisit Killzone 2 in some capacity.

So, it’s always unfortunate to see racing franchises go away, such as the once-popular Twisted Metal series. Another such series whose activity has dropped off is the MotorStorm series. While each racing franchise is distinguished by the particular “flavor” of racing that they offer, the MotorStorm games are unique because they are offroad racers. The franchise is exclusive to PlayStation consoles, but sadly, the main development studio behind the MotorStorm games – Evolution Studios, based in England, shuttered by Sony, who took ownership of the company in 2007. Prior to Sony acquiring them, Evolution Studios worked on the World Rally Championship series. Sony acquired Evolution Studios and Bigbig Studios, a satellite company to Evolution Studios, in 2007, after the release of the first MotorStorm game.

That first MotorStorm game (alternatively known as MotorStorm: Monument Valley) was released for the PlayStation 3 in December 2006 in Japan and March 2007 in North America and Europe. The game was first announced in E3 2005 – the same conference which saw the reveal of the PlayStation 3, and the promotional trailer of which was one of several that drew skepticism regarding whether or not trailer footage was in-game footage from a PS3. As it would turn out, the video wasn’t made by Evolution Studios. Nevertheless, MotorStorm would release to great acclaim, and its debut would enjoy significant commercial success – by October 2011, the first MotorStorm game has more than 3.5 million sales to its name.

Notable about this game is how it introduced offroad racing with a variety of vehicles: bikes, all terrain vehicles, trucks, big rigs, rally cars, buggies, Mud Pluggers, and buggies, with even more vehicle classes being introduced in later games. What’s great about the MotorStorm experience are all of the real-time effects displayed by vehicles and on the racing environment. Tracks and indentations left on the race course remain for the rest of the race – the same thing for stray vehicle pieces. Each vehicle class responds differently to course obstacles or indentations – some classes handle mud well, while others struggle.

Additionally, tracks feature different routes – designed for different classes and meant to maximize vehicle classes such that despite different abilities, all racers are still on an even playing field. Additionally, MotorStorm games incorporate a boost gauge that must be managed so as to prevent overheating. After the greatly successful debut of the first MotorStorm game and the acquisition of Evolution Studios by Sony, it’s not hard to imagine that a sequel to MotorStorm would be in demand, or would be expected. And in the autumn of 2008, Evolution Studios would deliver the second MotorStorm title for the PS3 – MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. While the first MotorStorm’s tracks were heavily focused around rugged deserts, and rocky terrain, Pacific Rift has an entirely different theme – that of tropical islands, with greenery and trees, bluer skies, and blue water from rivers, beaches, waterfalls, more dynamic and vibrant than the monotony of the previous game.

All of this, in addition to an interesting sugar cane-themed track. And that water can be driven through to help manage your boost gaugeWhile the first MotorStorm game had 21 licensed songs, this one ratchets that total up more than twice over, with 46 songs. All vehicles from the previous game return, while introducing the new monster truck class along with other new vehicles. As a testament to the power of the brand, before the year 2008 ended, the game had already sold more than one million copies. Additionally, Pacific Rift would see a separate version called MotorStorm: 3D Rift released on PSN in August 2010, strange considering that this would follow the release of the third game. And this third game is MotorStorm: Arctic Edge.

Each MotorStorm game so far has been designed around specific environmental themes, and the subtitle Arctic Edge certainly tells you what to expect from this new MotorStorm game. Alaskan white and coldness all over – with snow and ice defining the world you drive on. Avalanches can be triggered by horns or vehicle explosions, and can be used to hinder your opponents. There are ice bridges that will crumble under the weight of too-heavy vehicles. Releasing in 2009, Arctic Edge is interesting in that it released first for the PSP and then for the PS2 shortly afterwards. While the previous two games were developed by Evolution Studios, this game was handled by Bigbig Studios. The game features 20 licensed songs, and brings back six vehicle classes while introducing the Snow Cat and the Snow Machine – statistical and design variations on the Big Rig and the ATV, respectively.

Notably, this game introduces Vehicle Customization, which allows you to personally design your vehicle’s appearance with paint jobs and stickers, and while choosing the parts used for the vehicle. Most everything is unlocked in the story mode, with the exception of some stickers that are unlocked via online racing. The next MotorStorm game, MotorStorm: Apocalypse, would see the franchise returning to the PS3, and would release in 2011. While each of the previous games had different environmental themes, this game has a different concept altogether – a fictional urban landscape called the City, based off of the Bay Area in California. Destructible environments have always been important to MotorStorm, and that gets ramped up significantly in this game, where the environments are besieged by natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes, though unlike previous games, the land you drive on isn’t deformed after passing on it.

And uniquely, the game’s vehicles don’t have horns, and customization parts are all unlocked online. But when you’re not dealing with the dangers of road environment, you may be having to suffer hindrances by the Crazies and DuskLite. The Crazies are a flock of antiestablishment citizens who see themselves as trying to protect The City, while DuskLite want to enforce order, employed by corporations to bring stability in the absence of a police force. But both of them in pursuing their goals will use weapons against you.

The story mode is unique in that it features three different named protagonists, each with a different difficulty level assigned to them, and with the plot evolving differently based on which character you play. While this game introduced more new vehicle classes, its commercial performance was notably troubled. 2011 was the year of the Tohoku Earthquake in Japan, and this game’s release was cancelled in Japan altogether. The timing of the release also affected retail orders for the game across the world – the commercial performance was so troubling that it prompted Matt Southern of Evolution Studios to fear for the future of the company. However, Evolution would make one more MotorStorm title – MotorStorm RC, considered a spinoff for the franchise, centered around radio-controlled cars. It released early in 2012 for the Vita and PS3, and via digital distribution. Some the vehicle classes from previous games have been replaced with different class choices – and some vehicles have their class vehicle class changed altogether.

Uniquely, RC features four tracks from each of the four MotorStorm games that release prior, in addition to the ten that comprise the game and were added via DLC for a total of 26 tracks. RC forgoes the longstanding boost feature, and also uniquely introduces cross-platform play – a feature frequently in demand for online competitive gaming. However, this game would mark the last title in the MotorStorm series, following the DLC releases and a Complete Edition that was put online in December 2012 Speaking of DLC, with the exception of 3D Rift, all games were supported by DLC, which included new modes, new tracks, and new vehicles depending on the game.

The online racing servers are now shut down for the games. Evolution Studios is now defunct – following the last MotorStorm game, they would work on DriveClub, a game that released in 2014 to tepid reception despite some initial hype. About half of the studio’s employees would be let go in 2015, and in 2016, the name Evolution Studios would cease to exist completely, with the independent British studio Codemasters taking on many of the company’s employees.

Suffice it to say, were a new MotorStorm game to be released, it’s not clear who would be working on it. Sony still holds the IP, but since MotorStorm RC, they seem content to simply sit on it. It’s not as if the franchise doesn’t have something to offer, as a unique style of racer that easily stands out compared to racing games. Why do you think MotorStorm as a franchise is now dormant? Reportedly, it’s not just the poor timing of Apocalypse that hurt its sales, but the gameplay and game content provided issues for fans. What would it take for a new MotorStorm game to sell well – would a new MotorStorm just need to be more of the same that fans are used to? Should the next MotorStorm take place underwater, or in outer space? Let us know in the comments section below.

Evolution studios that created the off-road racer, Motorstorm was in tatters after the Japan earthquake, revealed game director, Matt Southern. He feared that it could have been the end of the studio, as the sales were poor.

Earlier the Japanese earthquake resulted in the game being cancelled in Japan, due to the game having a similar theme.

He said to Eurogamer that Sony allowed them to experiment and defended them.

“[It has] defended us and protected us and allowed us to experiment”, Southern revealed.

We made a game we’re really proud of and for some really heartbreaking reasons things didn’t go so well. In perspective we’ve got nothing to complain about. I was worried it might be the end of Evolution,” he added.

“Racing has had a very tough time, even without extraordinary circumstances like the ones we went through.”

We reviewed the game and gave it a 8.5 out of 10. You can check out our video review below.

We have reviewed the game and you can check it here.

Sony have announced that Motorstorm: Apocalypse’s UK release will be delayed, following the earthquake disaster in Japan this weekend.

The PS3 exclusive racer, which places players in a post-apocalyptic city rocked by natural disasters, will not be released in Japan on March 17 as planned. The date has been changed to ‘TBA’.

It has been confirmed that the UK release will be in the same vein, with SCE saying it’s “very conscious of the parallels between these events and the underlying theme in Motorstorm”.

An SCE statement reads:

“Although we have shipped the game into the channel last week, given that we are able to do so, we have chosen to postpone the launch in the UK. In the meantime we will continue to monitor the situation very closely.

“We are shocked and saddened to see the impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and our thoughts are with all those affected, including our colleagues within the Sony family, living and working throughout Japan.

“We are very conscious of the parallels between these events and the underlying theme in Motorstorm and are doing everything we can to be as sensitive as possible to the situation. Although the game itself is already in distribution, we are ceasing any further shipments and removing as much of the marketing materials as possible.”

Motorstorm was originally due to be released in the UK this Friday. No new ETA was given.

I’m all for political sensitivity regarding the matter, but it seems a shame that a game like this will be held up indefinitely so close to launch.

Thanks to CVG for the info.

Motorstorm is one franchise that Sony has not seen a lot of fan following compared to other games like Uncharted and inFamous. The first couple of games cannot be termed as premium PlayStation 3 titles even though they were pretty good and also did ok commercially.  The next game in the somewhat underrated franchise will change that. Let me be honest here, when I first started playing this game I thought this will be just another Burnout rip off, but I am glad to report that it is one of most action filled racing games I have played in recent times.

Apocalypse features a solid and a more streamlined single player campaign called as the Festival. Here you will take on the role of three characters which are nothing but a representation of three difficulty levels that are Rookie, Pro and Veteran. So basically you will have to go through the festival three times in order to finish off the campaign. As I mentioned before the campaign is more streamlined with a story attached to each of these three characters represented by a not so non sense comic style cutscenes between each race. Although these cutscenes are really not at all related to the mayhem you will be facing on the streets it does give the player a moment or two to catch their breath and take a closer look at the lives of these insane racers.

INSANE

The biggest feature of every Motorstorm game has been the track deformation and Evolution Studios have taken their game higher in Apocalypse. As a race develops you will come across flying debris, planes and ship crashing towards you, massive earthquakes, towers coming crashing down and ground getting deformed. Not only that, the tribes of this absolutely chaotic world will throw grenades at you and private military helicopters will fire missiles which will create more obstacles and challenges for the player. The environments are harsh and you have to keep your eyes open since you will have no idea what will hit you next. However I would have loved if Evolution Studios have scripted these events randomly. Most of the deformation takes place in the later stages of the race which means the player already has enough idea what to expect from the a particular event provided he/she has gone through it once. This may take out some of the surprising moments and may reduce the fun factor for some players but it is one of the points that I really wanted to see in Apocalypse.

The basic gameplay of Apocalypse is divided in to four racing types. The Eliminator is where you need to be ahead of the field in order to avoid elimination. Again just like Burnout, there is a timer for each elimination, so you have to make sure you don’t crash it to any unseen objects.  Next up is the Chase mode where you have to keep the pace up with the race leader. There are a number of rounds given in this mode and depending on the position you finish you will be given points and the top scorer across the rounds will win the event. Next up is my favourite, the “Time Till Carrier” event where you have to race against time and the environments to reach the carrier so that you can escape the city. The exciting thing about this mode is that the deformation events happen more frequently hence keeping the players glued to the seat. To finish it off, the “Race” mode which is your basic carnage filled Motorstorm style races.

This brings me to the great variety of tracks that are to be found in the game. You will be racing across roof tops amidst falling buildings, towards beach side facing tsunami and the hazardous environment conditions, underneath subways while avoiding the oncoming trains and the absolutely destroyed downtown streets. There is so much variety to be found in the tracks and Evolution Studios have done a great job of making each one of them different and challenging at the same time.

The eliminator mode is a ton of fun

Vehicles play a large role in the game. Let me put it this way. The vehicle you select will go a long way in deciding how long you are going to tick in a race.  The developers have added some new vehicles in the game which are Supercars, Superbikes and Muscle cars with each of them having their own set of advantages. For example a Superbike may be real fast but it is of no match if it tries to a challenge a racing Truck and a Buggy may be more useful in tracks which  have more runaways. So it really all depends on the type of track you are racing on. You can also use the booster so that you can cover up some ground in races but beware, use it for too long and your vehicle will blast. The good thing is that you can also cool down your boost by running over water or releasing the accelerator while you are in the middle of a large jump. Although this might seem a small addition but it may eventually decide the result of a close race. Customization in racing games is a rage these days and Apocalypse is no exception. Players can customize various parts of the vehicles like livery, packages and stickers, again nothing out of the box, but still a nice to touch to get the player involved. In addition, players can also collect cool Motorstorm cards, modify the way your vehicle handles and earn more techniques through perk points.

Motostorm is not a graphically stellar game because it does not need to be. More than being a technical showcase for the PlayStation 3, Apocalypse excels in the artistic department. The first thing that will catch your eyes when you start a race are the breathtaking environments and how evil it can be.  Bridges coming down and grounds getting unsettled have been wonderfully represented by the game’s engine. The comic cutscenes that I talked about earlier have been done pretty well with smooth animations and great lip syncing, though the real time character models and vehicles look blurry up close. Sound is a very important element for action games and for most part it works for Motorstorm. Just like with any other racing games this generation you can change the music track on the fly with the press of a button.

What? Tsunami?

The online element is pretty solid in Apocalypse, although it has the same modes from the single player campaign (Chase, Eliminator and Race). The one good addition is the Time Trial mode where you have to just zip across the track of your choice, record your best time and upload it to the leaderboards. I can see myself easily putting hours in to it since I found it to be one of the most addictive modes online. You can also unlock chips which are nothing but XP points which will earn you medals and help unlock more customization options for your vehicles. You can also bet on results of a particular online game and if you are lucky you can earn some big time money which will help you to bring in more stuff without actually competing with someone.

The much hyped feature when Apocalypse was first shown was that the players can make their own race rules and scoring systems but I am utterly disappointed that this has not made it to the final cut. Having said that, Apocalypse is still a pretty solid entry in to the series with major improvements compared to its predecessors. With a solid single player mode and an addictive multiplayer component, Motorstorm Apocalypse should be great addition to your library.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 3.

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Examiner’s got details regarding a planned PS3 bundle for Evolution’s upcoming racer, Motorstorm: Apocalypse.

The bundle, which can be seen on Amazon France’s website will contain a Black Playstation 3 System (320 GB) and a copy of the game.

The bundle will cost you 349.95 euros and will be released on March 16, 2011.

Although, there’s no official word on this yet, you can expect Sony do unveil it soon.

The package includes a black Playstation 3 system in addition to the upcoming Playstation 3 exclusive arcade racing game. The MotorStorm Apocalypse Playstation 3 system bundle retails for 349.95 euros

Sony’s finally revealed the 3D trailer for Motorstorm: Apocalypse in 2D format.

Here’s what they have to say:

The culmination of that work can be seen in MotorStorm Apocalypse. It is now regularly described as the best example of 3D gaming you can get, so all that research and development looks like it was well worth it. Hopefully most of you will at least get to see the 3D, but even more than that I hope you get to play it. This video is one we’ve made to showcase the tech – it’s 2D on the blog but you’ll be able to grab the 3D version from the PSN store to view on a 3DTV.

Enjoy the video, looks awesome.

The game’s out on March 16 in UK and April 12 in US for PS3.