MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)

Spin your wheels again, but this time in a tropical paradise
10/30/2008 7:17 PM | 0 Comments | Page 3 of 3

The multiplayer works well, with a convenient system for grouping and matchmaking based on rank. Evolution deserves credit for not neglecting split screen, either. This is one of the few recent high-profile racers that lets multiple people play each other in the same living room. Multiplayer races have an elimination mode that drops the last-place racer, which is a great way to do away with having to sit through multiple laps of a losing race.

But the biggest problem with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is that racing games have come a long way in terms of being accessible and rewarding. For many players, building up a skill, whether it's mastering the handling of a particular car or learning the nuances of a particular track, is secondary to the thrill of driving fast and the gratification of getting newer and better stuff. Because Pacific Rift doesn't understand this, for all its fancy graphics, top-notch physics, and labyrinthine tracks, it still feels like MotorStorm: Take Two: We Didn't Get the Memo.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.