Developers: Evolution Studios
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Racing (Arcade)
Game Engine: MotorStorm Engine
3D Support: Yes
Cross Platform: No
Price: Rs. 2,499
Like any MotorStorm release, I approached MotorStorm: Apocalypse with the same scepticism and for good reason too. The original MotorStorm games were a great leap in technology, bringing unprecedented level of graphical detail to the PS3, but the gameplay couldn't quite match up to the graphics. If you've read our feature on physics and arcade racers, you know exactly why the MotorStorm games faltered.
Like all modern arcade racers that try to blend physics into the handling model, the original MotorStorm games also sport disastrously boring gameplay - one that neither appeals to the simulation junkies, nor the arcade freaks. So when we received the review code for MotorStorm: Apocalypse, I tried out a quick race to see where the graphics stand.
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift wasn't much of an improvement over the original, graphics wise, but Apocalypse had surprisingly changed a lot. Unfortunately, change isn't always for the good, and MotorStorm: Apocalypse appeared to be the gaming equivalent of Britney Spears with a shorn head. The textures look degraded, 3D models seem to have low polygon meshes when compared to the previous games, and the damage/deformation physics have been downscaled greatly. But unlike Britney, Apocalypse has got loads of talent up its sleeve.
The franchise has received a radical revamp with MotorStrom: Apocalypse. Just like its name suggests, the third instalment to the MotortStorm series puts you right in the midst of an Apocalypse of epic proportions. The game takes place in a fictional city that's being evacuated before nature lays a colossal smackdown in the form of a mother of all earthquakes. Fortunately for the developers, if we didn't know any better, we would've been offended with their tasteless PR campaign going around in Japan and New Zealand.
Unfortunately for them, not everyone knows better, so expect Fox news to pull another feature vilifying the video game industry. Jokes apart, the plot is laid out in a series of comic book styled cutscenes, which essentially lay down the gameplay intricacies in the form of weird, non sequitur filled sequences. They're much like adverts for Bingo chips, many of you will be put off by their wtf quotient, but I loved them exactly for that. Plus the cutscenes do feature some pretty cool art, so props to the weird creativity of the folks at Evolution Studios.
Plot and Gameplay
The City, as it is imaginatively named, plays the backdrop for the Festival mode, which is the story mode with a campaign spread over 33 races divided between Rookie, Pro and Veteran segments. The premise is simple, you and a bunch of adrenaline junkies race around the crumbling city, as it literally implodes upon itself - while Mother Nature deals the spades in the form of earthquakes, tornadoes and total all round bedlam.
No prizes for guessing that this brand of track altering calamities is clearly inspired from Split Second: Velocity, but unlike the original, where you could unleash doom upon your enemies with power-ups, MotorStrom: Apocalypse simply has the world crumbling around you. The calamities aren't an active gameplay element, but they radically alter the track and add an extra layer of challenge and unpredictability to the races.
Expect bridges to collapse and form multiple and multi-tiered pathways after an earthquake. Tornadoes will rip through the tarmac and throw debris and other cars at you like shrapnel. Architectural elements will collapse to mostly block your path or crush you outright, but at other times they will make speed boosting and engine cooling ramps. Toppled chimneys may sound like trouble, but get your timing right and you'll pass through them in a spiralling 360-degree glory. The hazards here are dynamic, so your timing and presence of mind decides whether they turn out to screw over your happiness or provide a tactical edge over your opponents.
The game may not look good, but all that is forgotten with the level architectural detail the developers have put in the massive tracks. Yes, we all expected Evolution Studios to optimise the engine to include the same complexity, at least without losing any graphical detail. But not everyone is John Carmack. And I'm not complaining because these guys sacrificed graphics to soup up gameplay, and they have succeeded rather spectacularly at that, so it'd be unfair to blame them for the relatively poor graphics.
The city may have been evacuated, but it still retains the crazies and the criminal elements that are stubborn enough to go down with the city. These antisocial elements add another layer of challenge with their Molotov cocktails. That had me looking forward to get my fix of wanton pedestrian slaughter, after what seems to be an eternity since I've played Carmageddon.
As expected, MotorStorm didn't have enough balls to let us splatter pedestrians around. What you have here are indestructible ragdolls that continue to move around even after you've run them over repeatedly. Quite lame, but equally predictable.
Sound, Difficulty and Vehicles
The major source of complaint against Apocalypse has to be the flawed difficulty curve. The initial rookie phase of the campaign is a breeze and you'll invariably stand first in all races, but the latter difficulty segments are incredibly tough. Expect to crash frequently, thanks to the mad-aggressive AI, which is quite cruel considering the fact that crashing even once will cause you to screw the pooch on the races in the advanced difficulties.
What the game does get right is the sound, which is an eclectic blend of dubstep with genres as diverse as guitar rock and full blooded orchestral arrangements. The end result is quite catchy, and this is one of the few racing games where I didn't turn the music off. The foley work is pretty much up to the mark, as explosions, engine sounds, and the world of destruction going around you are captured with satisfying aural detail.
Just like the last two MotorStrom games, Apocalypse lets you choose between a wide assortment of rally cars, motorcycles, ATVs, trucks, baja racers, mud pluggers, monster trucks among many others, but unlike the previous games, you have no liberty of choice this time around. The game chooses your vehicle, so let's just say that you're in a world of hurt if your motorcycle goes up against a monster truck.
Thankfully, the three vehicles that each class offers (two of which have to be unlocked) includes base vehicles that do not suck like they did in the previous games. So races are interesting right from the beginning. It's a good thing that the vehicles are a lot more durable, so you can crash, bang and have loads of sadistic fun before any real danger, which equals more fun.
If all this sounds confusing to you, and you'd rather take it easy, you always have the option of hosting a private match with your own band of gentlemanly racers. Totally suck at competitive racing? Well, you can bet on other racers and still rack up the points needed to customise your ride. The multiplayer mode in Apocalypse is all inclusive and just as enjoyable as the single player campaign. The only difference is that you just have to be in the lead or somewhere near to witness the environmental fury unfold around you.
Verdict
To come right down to the point, MotorStorm: Apocalypse may look worst of the three PS3 games in the franchise, but it's undoubtedly the most fun of the lot. Evolution Studios has hit pay dirt this time by getting the elusive mix of physics and handling just right with Apocalypse. The result is a frenetic experience that's as deep as it is addictive. I can safely say that this is one racing game I wouldn't mind putting Rs. 2,499 down for. Just make sure you scour the online Indian game retail portals to save around Rs. 100 to Rs. 250 on the MRP.
Gameplay: 4
Design/Innovation: 4
Graphics: 3.5
Sound: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Racing (Arcade)
Game Engine: MotorStorm Engine
3D Support: Yes
Cross Platform: No
Price: Rs. 2,499
Like any MotorStorm release, I approached MotorStorm: Apocalypse with the same scepticism and for good reason too. The original MotorStorm games were a great leap in technology, bringing unprecedented level of graphical detail to the PS3, but the gameplay couldn't quite match up to the graphics. If you've read our feature on physics and arcade racers, you know exactly why the MotorStorm games faltered.
Like all modern arcade racers that try to blend physics into the handling model, the original MotorStorm games also sport disastrously boring gameplay - one that neither appeals to the simulation junkies, nor the arcade freaks. So when we received the review code for MotorStorm: Apocalypse, I tried out a quick race to see where the graphics stand.
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift wasn't much of an improvement over the original, graphics wise, but Apocalypse had surprisingly changed a lot. Unfortunately, change isn't always for the good, and MotorStorm: Apocalypse appeared to be the gaming equivalent of Britney Spears with a shorn head. The textures look degraded, 3D models seem to have low polygon meshes when compared to the previous games, and the damage/deformation physics have been downscaled greatly. But unlike Britney, Apocalypse has got loads of talent up its sleeve.
The franchise has received a radical revamp with MotorStrom: Apocalypse. Just like its name suggests, the third instalment to the MotortStorm series puts you right in the midst of an Apocalypse of epic proportions. The game takes place in a fictional city that's being evacuated before nature lays a colossal smackdown in the form of a mother of all earthquakes. Fortunately for the developers, if we didn't know any better, we would've been offended with their tasteless PR campaign going around in Japan and New Zealand.
Unfortunately for them, not everyone knows better, so expect Fox news to pull another feature vilifying the video game industry. Jokes apart, the plot is laid out in a series of comic book styled cutscenes, which essentially lay down the gameplay intricacies in the form of weird, non sequitur filled sequences. They're much like adverts for Bingo chips, many of you will be put off by their wtf quotient, but I loved them exactly for that. Plus the cutscenes do feature some pretty cool art, so props to the weird creativity of the folks at Evolution Studios.
Plot and Gameplay
The City, as it is imaginatively named, plays the backdrop for the Festival mode, which is the story mode with a campaign spread over 33 races divided between Rookie, Pro and Veteran segments. The premise is simple, you and a bunch of adrenaline junkies race around the crumbling city, as it literally implodes upon itself - while Mother Nature deals the spades in the form of earthquakes, tornadoes and total all round bedlam.
No prizes for guessing that this brand of track altering calamities is clearly inspired from Split Second: Velocity, but unlike the original, where you could unleash doom upon your enemies with power-ups, MotorStrom: Apocalypse simply has the world crumbling around you. The calamities aren't an active gameplay element, but they radically alter the track and add an extra layer of challenge and unpredictability to the races.
Expect bridges to collapse and form multiple and multi-tiered pathways after an earthquake. Tornadoes will rip through the tarmac and throw debris and other cars at you like shrapnel. Architectural elements will collapse to mostly block your path or crush you outright, but at other times they will make speed boosting and engine cooling ramps. Toppled chimneys may sound like trouble, but get your timing right and you'll pass through them in a spiralling 360-degree glory. The hazards here are dynamic, so your timing and presence of mind decides whether they turn out to screw over your happiness or provide a tactical edge over your opponents.
Tracks, Graphics and Design
The tracks are massive, colorful and chock-full of alternate pathways that will require multiple play-throughs to savor all different approaches. Factor in the environmental alterations to the tracks and the surrounding architecture, and you have even more scope for variation that ensures you won't get bored of your favorite track any sooner.
The tracks are massive, colorful and chock-full of alternate pathways that will require multiple play-throughs to savor all different approaches. Factor in the environmental alterations to the tracks and the surrounding architecture, and you have even more scope for variation that ensures you won't get bored of your favorite track any sooner.
The game may not look good, but all that is forgotten with the level architectural detail the developers have put in the massive tracks. Yes, we all expected Evolution Studios to optimise the engine to include the same complexity, at least without losing any graphical detail. But not everyone is John Carmack. And I'm not complaining because these guys sacrificed graphics to soup up gameplay, and they have succeeded rather spectacularly at that, so it'd be unfair to blame them for the relatively poor graphics.
The city may have been evacuated, but it still retains the crazies and the criminal elements that are stubborn enough to go down with the city. These antisocial elements add another layer of challenge with their Molotov cocktails. That had me looking forward to get my fix of wanton pedestrian slaughter, after what seems to be an eternity since I've played Carmageddon.
As expected, MotorStorm didn't have enough balls to let us splatter pedestrians around. What you have here are indestructible ragdolls that continue to move around even after you've run them over repeatedly. Quite lame, but equally predictable.
Sound, Difficulty and Vehicles
The major source of complaint against Apocalypse has to be the flawed difficulty curve. The initial rookie phase of the campaign is a breeze and you'll invariably stand first in all races, but the latter difficulty segments are incredibly tough. Expect to crash frequently, thanks to the mad-aggressive AI, which is quite cruel considering the fact that crashing even once will cause you to screw the pooch on the races in the advanced difficulties.
What the game does get right is the sound, which is an eclectic blend of dubstep with genres as diverse as guitar rock and full blooded orchestral arrangements. The end result is quite catchy, and this is one of the few racing games where I didn't turn the music off. The foley work is pretty much up to the mark, as explosions, engine sounds, and the world of destruction going around you are captured with satisfying aural detail.
Just like the last two MotorStrom games, Apocalypse lets you choose between a wide assortment of rally cars, motorcycles, ATVs, trucks, baja racers, mud pluggers, monster trucks among many others, but unlike the previous games, you have no liberty of choice this time around. The game chooses your vehicle, so let's just say that you're in a world of hurt if your motorcycle goes up against a monster truck.
Thankfully, the three vehicles that each class offers (two of which have to be unlocked) includes base vehicles that do not suck like they did in the previous games. So races are interesting right from the beginning. It's a good thing that the vehicles are a lot more durable, so you can crash, bang and have loads of sadistic fun before any real danger, which equals more fun.
Multiplayer
Apocalypse delights with its split-screen offline multiplayer mode, which thankfully allows you to choose between horizontal and vertical orientations. Online multiplayer mode allows 16 players and feature private as well as public matches. Expect CoD like power-ups and perks that are unlocked by garnering experience points awarded every time you wreck or overtake an opponent. These perks offer increased grip, boost and lowered respawn, engine cooldown times and such, which can then be used to your advantage in both offline and online modes. The unlocks also allow you to radically soup up your rides with custom paints and parts.
Apocalypse delights with its split-screen offline multiplayer mode, which thankfully allows you to choose between horizontal and vertical orientations. Online multiplayer mode allows 16 players and feature private as well as public matches. Expect CoD like power-ups and perks that are unlocked by garnering experience points awarded every time you wreck or overtake an opponent. These perks offer increased grip, boost and lowered respawn, engine cooldown times and such, which can then be used to your advantage in both offline and online modes. The unlocks also allow you to radically soup up your rides with custom paints and parts.
If all this sounds confusing to you, and you'd rather take it easy, you always have the option of hosting a private match with your own band of gentlemanly racers. Totally suck at competitive racing? Well, you can bet on other racers and still rack up the points needed to customise your ride. The multiplayer mode in Apocalypse is all inclusive and just as enjoyable as the single player campaign. The only difference is that you just have to be in the lead or somewhere near to witness the environmental fury unfold around you.
Verdict
To come right down to the point, MotorStorm: Apocalypse may look worst of the three PS3 games in the franchise, but it's undoubtedly the most fun of the lot. Evolution Studios has hit pay dirt this time by getting the elusive mix of physics and handling just right with Apocalypse. The result is a frenetic experience that's as deep as it is addictive. I can safely say that this is one racing game I wouldn't mind putting Rs. 2,499 down for. Just make sure you scour the online Indian game retail portals to save around Rs. 100 to Rs. 250 on the MRP.
Gameplay: 4
Design/Innovation: 4
Graphics: 3.5
Sound: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
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