As most have already heard, Pacific Rift is now based in the jungle as opposed to the original desert setting, and we were given the opportunity to play-test two levels, one in dense forests with narrow tracks, and another in an open vista which heads onto a beach. Both tracks played similarly to many of the original game's offerings, only the control is more refined. Moving your vehicle around is now tight and easy, and with such breakneck speeds it's certainly a relief. Boost has the same rules as the original, where if you overuse it you'll end up exploding, so it's to be used wisely. It's made even deeper now though with the inclusion of water, where when you drive over shallow waters, your engine cools down, giving you more time to keep boosting and keeping you from being blown into pieces. It's a clever system (stolen straight from Nintendo's Excite Truck), and the placement of the water (which is usually in the form of a shallow creek or shoreline) never felt out of place.
I wonder if there's a car wash around..
Pacific Rift also introduces a new vehicle class, the Monster Truck. The Monster Truck towers over almost every class and plows through smaller vehicles with hilarious (but painful) results. It easily loses control however due to its large wheels, so it's well balanced and in tight spots it's tough to maintain. It's a welcome addition to the already diverse roster of vehicle classes, and one that many players will take a liking to.
Evolution Studios have also finally answered gamers prayers, and brought split-screen to the game. Though it supports up to four players, we were only given the opportunity for two, but even at two, it played exceptionally well. Neither the framerate or visuals dropped even at this stage in development, and gameplay was smooth and fun as ever. It's an excellent addition to the game that will come as a godsend to those lacking online access.
You know how you can tell it's next-gen? It's brown.
Pacific Rift has been brought up a notch technically since the original Motorstorm, with higher resolution textures, a smoother frame rate, and even more dirt being kicked up in spectacular fashion. Vehicle models are very highly detailed, and almost resemble the original Motorstorm (*cough*) 'target trailer' revealed by Sony back in 2005. That being said, there were a few issues, namely in the shadows. Though a large number of shadows were present, it was all of lower resolution, making things look a little ugly at points.
It's also got motion blur. Yep, definitely next-gen!
With not long to go until Pacific Rift hits store shelves, fans and newcomers alike have something to look forward to. Though much like the original, it will ultimately succeed of fail on content. But with more than double the number of tracks, split-screen mutliplayer, a new vehicle class and many game modes to select from, Pacific Rift is shaping up to be a solid game and one worth having a look come release this Summer.
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