Motorstorm Pacific Rift

It’s time to ditch the dusty canyons of Monument Valley and head to the jungles of the Pacific in Evolution’s new racer. Ben Parfitt puts the pedal to the metal…

Of all the launch titles that arrived at UK retail alongside the PS3 last year, MotorStorm is, for many, the game that still commands the most time in their console’s Blu-Ray drive. Evolution’s title was like a grown-up’s off-road racer, and the ongoing and high-quality DLC that has followed its release has ensured the game remains at the forefront of the PS3’s software offering.

“The DNA to MotorStorm has not changed,” Evolution Studios’ creative director Paul Hollywood tells MCV. “The attacks, the gestures, the ragdoll mangling is all still there, but now there is a brand new vehicle destruction technology, so no two crashes are the same. With a large selection of vehicles to choose from and race against, there’s the added bonus of the new class of vehicle known as the Monster Truck.

“Players will recognise the trademark racing circuits and, with this new title, having twice as many as the first game; there are a multitude of routes suiting the differing vehicle classes. The game is still wrapped in the festival experience, for the attitude and kick-ass music selection, but with the added function that you can play the gamer’s own music through the XMB.”

Throughout the summer, Sony embarked on a sampling tour at a number of festivals and UK attractions, including the Leeds Festival, London’s RedBull Air Race, Alton Towers and the Newquay Boardmaster festival, as well as a four-week shopping centre tour. A huge launch spend is also planned, which began with a cinema ad using in-game footage running with the majority of movie releases between October 10th-31st.

From November 7th a national press campaign kicks off in a number of newspapers and magazines. This will run through to December in conjunction with further press and online campaigns targeting both casual and hardcore gamers. Topping it all off, Sony’s largest ever outdoor spend sees a 48-sheet ad in both the London Underground and across cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester.

“Our expectations at retail are very positive because the original title sold over 350,000 units in the UK and we are seeing pre-orders in line with what we had hoped for,” Fenner adds. “The huge success of the original title, and our online downloads since launch, mean we have high hopes that those who bought into the original will be blown away by the new release.”