My MOTORSTORM (Japanese import) Impressions + possible NA fixes

[BlackMamba]

I got Motorstorm in the mail yesturday from Play-Asia and thought I'd give you guys my thoughts on it. I'm also going to suggest numerous things the developers can do to make this game into a "killer-app" because it definetely has the potential. Note that I am only about 2 hours into the game so these impressions are just that...impressions.

The Looks
First thing you'll notice is that this game is gorgeous. The "wow" factor is on par with seeing GoW in action for the first time. The game really does a great job of immersing the player (which unfortunatly is your name all the way through it seems) in the rough and tumble style of racing they're aiming for. Racing "in the pack" is truly a site to behold. Even when you're not, it's cool to see bikes whizzing over your head and trucks ramming into buggies in front of you. The earth effects are quite cool with mud constantly being flung at your windshield and dirt being kicked at you (especially evident when racing in a pack - sometimes you can barely see which leads to some interesting "accidents" especially if you don't know the course well). I highly recommend First Person Racing as Motorstorm does an exceptional job with this. A zoomed in view also works quite well and may be necessary at times (if you hood gets knocked up or if you want a better view of the course). The courses themselves look downright amazing. I often find myself starring into the distance marveling at the canyons and how they look under that picturesque blue sky. Finally, the game runs without a hitch if any of you were worrying about framerate/slowdown problems.

The Sound
I'm not going to spend much time here but the game sounds good. The engine sounds combined with vehicles tearing through the dirt (and into each other) come together quite well. The music is personal preference. If you're into rock then it's a decent soundtrack, if not it's still not bad.

The Feel
The vehicles in Motorstorm control like a dream (well a dirt devil's dream anyway) and there are subtle differences with the various vehicles which make each a unique experience. In addition these differences can affect the path you take in each level with bikes preferring a non-confrontational high-road/jumpfest and big rigs being content with the "shortest path to the target" approach crushing all obstacles (and opponents) in their way. The boost system is basic but solid and I have no complaints with the physics system. From a gameplay standpoint I can't see anyone being unhappy with the way the game plays but unfortunatly...

The Flaws
Motorstorm seems to be a very shallow game. Sure, there are a lot of races in "Festival" mode (the only playable mode), but there's no story that I can see (not even a lame one) and no sense of achievement for beating certain races. I don't believe you unlock any vehicles within each subclass (but if I'm wrong please someone correct me). I seriously hope the developers add some sort of story and things to strive for along the way for the NA version. Even a generic story would have made this game feel like it had SUBSTANCE. Add maybe a gang with "elite racers" that you periodically face off in races to add a little drama in the mix. Give the player a sense of achievement for completing races besides just "getting to the next race". Maybe only have 2-3 vehicles for each subclass available at the start of the game with the ability to unlock the other 4-6 as you progress. At least it seems like you're earning something instead of giving you everything at the start. You can't just spoil someone at the beginning and starve them from then on. You have to "tease" people with little prizes so they have something cool to work for and don't get spoiled. That's game development folks and that's the way real life works too (think about it). These adjustments would bump my score up AT LEAST a full point if not 2.

The Online
At first I thought I could deal without online (some of my favorite racing games don't have online - GT, RRT4, Sega Rally, RAGE RACER, Crash Team Racing) but due to the nature of the game and the lack of features I feel that good online is a MUST with this game. This game needs online because of the physical nature of the gameplay (or escapist nature if you're a bike). I really hope they add more substance (modes/features/distractions) to the game but the most important part is probably online as I see it now. Do that and this game could border on "killer-app".

The Final Word
Great "core" game but extremely shallow. If you do decide to import the game, it's very easy to navigate with 1/2 the text coming in in English. Three priorities for the development team IMO are:
1) good online mode (already working on)
2) adding substance to Festival mode - a)story, b) sense of achievement through unlockables, fleshed out characters, etc.
3) more "modes" even stupid ones like "time trial" or "last car standing" (crash and you're out of the race) would go a long way in making the game seem deeper.

Summary:
Graphics - 10/10
Audio - 8/10
Gameplay - 10/10
Depth/Value - 3/10
Tilt - 8/10