So now that Adam’s had his turn, it’s time for my turn in ranting about a game, and I have just the game to dig into..
MotorStorm
I confess, racing has never been my ‘thing’ when it came to gaming. I enjoyed my bouts of Gran Turismo and am a fan of WipEout, but it’s never appealed to me enough to turn me into a psychotic completionist hell bent on unlocking every conceivable thing in the game. That only ever happened with World of Warcraft but that’s a long, long story we’re not getting into. Ever.
But then along came MotorStorm, one of the PlayStation 3’s launch titles and an off-road, arcade based racer that blew my mind. It was fast paced, challenging and maddeningly addictive, with chaos and carnage popping their ugly heads out every corner, creating massive and spectacular crashes. Being a graphics junkie and an adrenaline seeker, MotorStorm was the fling that went the extra step and turned things into a full blown relationship. Much love was conjured.
But eventually, MotorStorm became moody, or maybe it was just me. It started to frustrate me the more I played, with some bouts going well, others turning into an utter catastrophe. Eventually, things started to go downhill at a rapid rate, with constant expletives thrown at my beloved game and slightly damaging Sixaxis controllers. The physics engine, while great, was incredibly schizophrenic, with sudden crashes happening because the side of your wheel tapped the edge of a pebble and sent you flying into the side of a cliff. The AI was also good, but a little too good, rarely ever crashing and me usually playing as a biker, got picked on by them, a lot. However I persevered and kept playing, telling myself they were just a few minor things which I can live through, and the rest of the game was still fun.
Then came the final few races. Suddenly, the AI wasn’t just too good, they were also borderline psychotic. So much as breathe within their direction, and forever within that race you are their primary target. Like a homing missile, vehicles will actively attack you with brute force, ramming you into and off cliffs, or just plain crushing you under their wheels, particularly if you’re me, who is almost always a bikey.
But that’s not all. Regardless of how much time the AI spent trying to crush your hopes and dreams, they always seemed to still retain the lead and keep up. You could probably use a freaking jet against these guys, and they’ll find ways to keep up and most likely overtake you, while simultaneously knocking you into a tree shrub which forces you to explode. I mean let’s face it, good AI is always nice to see, but Evolution Studios made them a little too damn good. Maybe that was their plan all along, to make us all snap and go on some kind of killing spree from sheer frustration.
Of course, this could be just me, and perhaps there are some people out there who have no problem with the AI or the physics and breeze through MotorStorm. Those driving game aficionados that scoff at my words and drive their muddy cars across the finish line first, all the while smoking Cuban cigars with their attractive Spanish wives in the passenger seat. Kudos to you people for being so persistent, but the point still stands: the AI in MotorStorm is an arse.
So much of my addiction to MotorStorm has now faded, and the love has turned more into a love/hate relationship, where time to time, I can play the game and enjoy, then on a bad day, I play it and end up denting a wall with my face (or the other way around). Then along came MotorStorm's younger and hotter sister, Pacific Rift, and that spark was there all over again.
Double the amount of tracks. Monster trucks. Four player split-screen. It had more, and still retained that awesome and chaotic gameplay that made me break a sweat so long ago. It was love all over again, and so I lunged back in with welcoming arms.
And what was this? The AI was suddenly a bit dumber. Things seemed easier. It was still challenging, but long gone were the times when AI latched onto your backside like glue with their wheels. I was a free (bikey) bird! Fun was had, and addiction was restored. That is, until I crashed because I bounced slightly off the road because of a pebble or something like that again. Gah, you’re just like your damn big sister, and yet I still play you. Addiction remains, need for cold showers rising though...
That concludes episode 2 of Love to Hate! As we always say, hate makes you powerful! Unlimited power!
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