MotorStorm: Arctic Edge

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
Developer(s)	Bigbig Studios Virtuos (PS2)
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Series	MotorStorm
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	PlayStation Portable AUS 17 September 2009[1] EU 18 September 2009 NA 29 September 2009 JP 1 November 2009 PlayStation 2 EU 9 October 2009 AUS 3 October 2009 NA 20 October 2009
Genre(s)	Off-road racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, online multiplayer, multiplayer
Distribution	UMD, DVD, download

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (released as MotorStorm Raging Ice in Japan) is the third entry in the MotorStorm series of video games, developed by Bigbig Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It was released on the PlayStation Portable on 18 September 2009 in Europe, 29 September 2009 in North America, on the PlayStation 2 in October 2009 and on 1 November 2009 in Japan. Unlike previous games in the series, the game was developed by Bigbig Studios and it's the first game in the series not to be released on the PlayStation 3.^[2]

Gameplay

A still from one of the MotorStorm: Arctic Edge trailers showing a Wulff Bolter rally car, one of the driveable rally cars in the game.

The game once again moves away from the desert environments of the original title and the lush island environment of the sequel and relocates itself to the harsh Arctic climate of Alaska on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Gameplay is similar to that of previous titles in the series such as Nitrous Boosts, environmental hazards and destructible environments. Vehicles will also have the ability to cool down the boost by driving through deep snow or under waterfalls, the same technique used for driving through the water in MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Unlike the previous titles in the series, the game will only feature up to a maximum of ten racers in each race.^[3]

New hazards include avalanches, which can be triggered by vehicle explosion or blowing the vehicle's horn, which causes a large amount of snow to rumble down the track and will strike away opponents, including the player, no matter the vehicles' strengths. Icy bridges can also be dangerous for heavy vehicles. While small vehicles can get over ice bridges, heavier vehicles can cause them to disintegrate and break, making the short-cut impossible to cross.

There will also be differences between PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 edition of the game in order to make use of each systems specific capabilities. Such as the PlayStation Portable version featuring a Photo Mode, custom soundtracks and online play which features 6-player online multiplayer. On the other hand, the PlayStation 2 version will feature a split-screen multiplayer mode like the one present in the previous game, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. The Time Attack game mode will only record the player's timings from the leaderboard in the PlayStation Portable version of the game though the mode itself has been confirmed for both consoles.^[4]

Game modes

As with the previous MotorStorm title, the core game mode of MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is the Festival, where the player participates in over 100 events spanning across

The other gameplay mode of the game is known as the Wreckreation Mode which consists of various game modes, such as:

• Free Play, is the classic racing mode in most racing games where players select a track followed by a track and race with computer controlled opponents.
• Time-Attack, is where players are timed as to how long they take to navigate through the curves and turns one lap at the time, on later laps the ghost of the best recorded time by the player can be seen racing alongside the player on the course which allows the player to try and beat his previous set record.^[5]

Vehicles

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge features a total of 24 vehicles from 8 vehicle classes, most of which are specially designed to suit the Arctic climate: Bikes, Snow machine, ATV, Buggy, Rally Car, Snowplugger, Big Rig, and Snowcats. Each vehicle is all fully customisable with examples such as liveries, spoilers, exhaust, and sponsor stickers.^[3][6]

New additions include the return of the "cooldown" technique by driving through deep snow, and vehicles can be customized with body kits, liveries, spoilers, exhausts and sponsor stickers, though its performance cannot be enhanced.

Tracks

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge features a total of 12 tracks, alongside the reverse variants of each track. Some tracks also include numerous hazards within.

Icy bridges are seen during races in each track, and these will pose as a hazard for drivers below. While small vehicles can easily navigate through, larger and heavy vehicles can easily disintegrate the bridge, thus causing the opponents or the player to tumble down the track, and will either become wrecked or receive some damage and drive off, if one of the heavy vehicles drives through while the other one behind falls down as the bridge gives way. Another new hazard, known as the avalanche, can be triggered by blowing the vehicles' horns, or by explosions from vehicles. The avalanche will then strike away opponents, along with the player, if not evaded in time. The amount of snow also increases as the player drives up the mountain which would cause the surface to become more slippery for players.^[3][7]

Development

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 was first officially announced on 24 February 2009 by Sony Computer Entertainment and would not be developed by Evolution Studios who had previously developed the past two titles but instead by Bigbig Studios. Prior to that rumours of a PlayStation Portable edition of the previously PlayStation 3 Exclusive Motorstorm had been swirling due to a tip by a staff member of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in November 2008.^[6]

The first gameplay video was unveiled on 29 April 2009 showcasing the new gameplay mechanics of the game while an official trailer was released on 3 June 2009 which include a computer generated cinematic of the game. A second official trailer was released during Gamescom 2009 in Germany showcasing more gameplay as well as new content.^[8]

Soundtrack

List of songs featured on the soundtrack of MotorStorm: Arctic Edge.

Reception

The game received generally positive reviews. IGN listed it as one of the 25 essential PSP games to play.

References

External links

• Official MotorStorm: Arctic Edge website