Distributed by
Sony

Price: £24.99 Players: 1-online Widescreen: Yes Vote and comment on this game: View Comments MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is a racing game, and the first in the series for the Sony PSP, which at first didn't feel like it had gripped me in any particular way... but then, after a few hours of gameplay in total, I realised it was one of those games to which I am very highly addicted! Set in the Arctic Circle, this is an off-road racer in locations where you certainly wouldn't predict. As such, you think that people would act responsibly when it came to driving. Well, they might in real life, especially when you're travelling across unpredictable terrain, but this is a console game and driving normally doesn't apply. I think what initially might have put me off is that early in the game is very easy. You can be way behind at the back of the pack and then all of a sudden, one lap further, you're close to the lead as all the other cars and bikes are bunched together and you're in front for the rest of the race - even if you crash a few times. As the races progress, however, some of them can be insanely difficult like The Chasm, as proved by the footage shown here. What sets this apart from the average racing game is that there are several ways to complete each track so that does give plenty of variety for replay. All vehicles have their strengths and weaknesses so, for example, huge dumper trucks aren't always going to be better than quad bikes because while it hurts when they land on you, they're actually slower in general. That said, when they're belting along they do so at such a pace that you can barge lesser opponents out of your way.

Motorstorm: Arctic Edge The Chasm on Wasabi Katana MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is great arcade fun and you can find yourself taking the different paths without even realising it, such is its frenetic nature. The aim is to rise through the ranks but the tracks do tend to repeat fairly often - which stands to reason since there's only 12, but what retains your interest is that they play both ways and you can't help but to be swept along with the adrenaline. A fantastic rock soundtrack also plays throughout and this title also has custom soundtracks, plus online play which features 6-player online multiplayer. One further interesting edition is the Photo Mode, which not just takes a picture of the current screen but also allows you to turn the 'camera' around in 360 degrees through all three axes. By the way, when you come first in a race, you win 100 points, but the reason I haven't in the videos featured is because I've already come first and claimed the top prize. Okay, that's the main way to play the game, known as "Festival", explained. The next section, "Wreckreaction", has these features: Time Attack : Log on to your PSN account, if you have one and upload ghost tracks. Choose your race, car, a ghost opponent (either built-in or download from PSN) and get going. These aren't as much fun as there's no-one else to actually crash into and score some leverage off. Free-Play : Like a normal race but with no point-scoring or progression elements, so more of a practice option. Multiplayer : I haven't tried this option but it's basically playing any of the tracks online against other people. Beyond that there's the Garage option where you can customise vehicles, badges and your driver; View unlocked videos and check your stats so far. In this review, I've uploaded a number of clips which are as follows: Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - Snowgod Canyon on Molotov Sickle Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - The Chasm on Wasabi Katana Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - Gold Rush on Atlas Journeyman Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - Wolfpack Mountain on Snow Machine Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - Northern Face on Jester BB-XS Visit my DVDfeverGames Youtube channel.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2009.