Gaming Trend

Gaming Trend Review

Motorstorm Arctic Edge

1. Official Site
2. Platform: PSP
3. Publisher: Sony America
4. Developer: Bigbig Studios
5. Release Date: 09/29/09
6. Genre: Driving

by Mike Repella

Sony’s PSP may be the most powerful handheld gaming machine on the planet, but it usually can’t hold a candle to the graphics, sound and gameplay that are possible on the much more powerful PS3. It’s only natural to assume that a game like Motorstorm, which debuted on the PS3, will suffer a lot when being made for the PSP. Well, I am very happy to report that Motorstorm: Arctic Edge for the PSP is not only a great racer, but it also has everything that made the two PS3 versions so great and it throws in some new features as well.

I played the heck out of the original Motorstorm and I reviewed its sequel, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, giving it a 92%. Prior to playing Arctic Edge I thought for sure the developer (Bigbig Studios) would have to cut some corners and trim the game down in order to fit it onto the PSP. Amazingly enough they did not. There is a debate going on in my mind about whether or not Arctic Edge is the best looking PSP game to date. God of War: Chains of Olympus was a superb looking portable game that was visually on par with its PS2 counterparts. Square Enix has also been able to produce some great looking games with Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Dissidea Final Fantasy. Prior to Motorstorm those were the hands down best looking PSP games. I’m not going to lie and say that Arctic Edge looks as good as the PS3 Motorstorm games, but it does look damn good for a PSP game and it enters the argument over the best looking PSP game.

Take the visuals in the PS3 versions of Motorstorm and shrink them down a bit, add a little bit less detail and shine and you have Arctic Edge. There’s not a lot of mud in Arctic Edge, but there is a ton of snow. Gone are the tracks in the mud that stay throughout a race, and instead we have tracks in the snow. I don’t point this out because tracks are anything new, but in this case they actually stay there throughout the course of an entire race. This is something that I thought for sure would be cut from the portable version, but it’s there. 

Another truly impressive aspect of the visuals is the draw distance. I literally studied every track multiple times, to try and find some pop up, but I never saw it. These aren’t shrunken-down tracks with close up walls either. The tracks are just as big and varied, with long jumps and grandiose views as previous tracks in the series. The fact that you never see pop up is truly impressive. On top of that the game has moving clouds, steam, snow, water, etc., all adding to the impressive graphics in Arctic Edge.  I’m not sure what frame rate the game runs at, but I can say that I never once experienced the frame rate visibly slowing down.

The next area I thought for sure would suffer in this portable version, is the control. Motorstorm is an arcade racer with exaggerated controls, speed boosts, and the ability to tilt your vehicle in the air to try and achieve smooth landings after a jump. I’m happy to report if you played any of the previous Motorstorm games you will be able to jump right into this one and race away. The controls are a carbon copy of the other versions. The analog stick does a good job of controlling the vehicles, with the right shoulder used for the gas, and the X button is once again used for the boost. There is literally zero learning curve if you have played prior versions of the game.

If you have never played a previous Motorstorm game, you can expect looser controls than in a simulation racing game, but to me, the controls are still fairly tight. This version features a little bit more drifting around corners, due largely to the snow and slippery conditions. Luckily the designers did this on purpose and through strategic use of the boost button, gamers will learn how to slide into a turn and come out of it fast. This technique was present in previous Motorstorm games, but it seems much more necessary in this version. 

The Motorstorm festival makes its return in Arctic Edge. Once again there are eight different racing skill levels to progress through, with over 100 racing events to compete in. I found the first two racing levels extremely easy and I was earning gold medals on my first time through each race. But by the time you hit level four, the A.I. competition gets much fiercer and your skills will be put to the test.  Aside from the typical race sections, Arctic Edge offers two other challenge modes as you work your way through the festival.  One mode is a single vehicle event where you must progress through a series of check points, prior to time running out. The goal is to make it to the final check point with at least 15 seconds left on the clock. The second event is a four vehicle event where points are constantly given out based on your current position in the race. The first car to reach 999 points wins. Both events are fun and are a nice change of pace from the standard race event.

Apart from the festival mode, there is also an online multiplayer mode available. As of press time I wasn’t able to join an online multiplayer game. I assume this is because the servers aren’t live yet. However, Sony promises eight player online races, complete with an online global leaderboard that will show off the top racers in each online mode. Ad-hoc play is also present if you have friends with a PSP and a copy of Arctic Edge.

Motorstorm has always had an impressive variety of vehicle types that all have different top speeds, acceleration, handling, and durability. Arctic Edge is no exception and in fact adds two new vehicle types for a total of eight different classes. New this time around are the snow mobile and snow plow vehicles. The snow mobile is very small and delicate, but corners extremely well and handles the deep snow better than most vehicles. The snow plow is a large vehicle that will literally destroy or push to the side every other vehicle that gets in its way.

The garage feature makes a return. This time each vehicle is much more customizable. Every vehicle in the game can be customized and saved to your memory stick. You can customize and save paint jobs, sponsorship decals, tires, suspension, exhaust, roll cages, spoilers, head lights, and payload. More and more options are opened up as you play the festival mode, so you can potentially upgrade your vehicles continuously.

The tracks themselves are once again the star of the show. Arctic Edge packs in 12 tracks that all have a wet and snowy Alaskan theme to them. Each track features multiple routes to the finish line. Each route plays to the strengths of different vehicle types, so choosing the right path for your vehicle is a must. Like I mentioned above, the tracks are every bit as fantastic and fun as the tracks in previous Motorstorm games. You can expect ramps for grabbing big air, tight caves, wet canyons, manmade speed ramps, and more. The tracks also vary from about 1 minute lap times, all the way up to around 3 minute lap times.

If you have played a previous Motorstorm game then you know the speed boost power is the key to winning any race. Use it too much and the car will over heat and explode. Don’t use it enough and you will fall behind the other racers. Motorstorm: Pacific Rift introduced an accelerated cool down system for the boost meter by driving through water. Arctic Edge brings this system back, but in addition to water cooling down the boost meter, deep snow will also cause the meter to cool down. This definitely adds a layer of strategy, because both water and deep snow tend to slow down most vehicles. You have to decide if getting a fresh boost meter is worth the temporary slowdown.

The sound front is one area that doesn’t really stand up to the PS3 versions. The in game sound track isn’t quite as impressive as it was in past versions of the game. However, you can import songs from your memory stick and put them in the game’s playlist. This is a minor complaint that can be fixed by the gamer. The vehicle sounds themselves are a step down in Arctic Edge. They aren’t terrible, but the engines aren’t as loud and don’t produce the same rumble sound that the big brother console versions do.  I realize the PSP’s  two lonely little speakers can’t stand up to 5.1 surround sound, but if there is one area that doesn’t come close to the PS3 versions, then this is it.

The bottom line here is that somehow, someway, Bigbig Studios managed to create a Motorstorm game on a handheld system that stands up to the PS3 versions in almost every single way. The awesome tracks, arcade action, large variety of cars, and stunning visuals are all here. In all technical aspects Motorstorm: Arctic Edge is a truly impressive racer. To top it all off,  it is a really fun racing game, one that I think even non-race fans will enjoy. If you own a PSP then you just found another reason to keep it in your pocket at all times.

Gaming Trend Score

93

1. Graphics: 95
2. Audio: 90
3. Controls: 90
4. Gameplay: 95
5. Value/Replay: 95
6. OVERALL:93