PS3 Informer

Motorstorm Apocalypse Is One to Watch at E3

One of the biggest Sony exclusive games to be revealed at this year's E3 event is undoubtedly Motorstorm: Apocalypse. Building upon the action-forward racing formula established in the previous two console (and one handheld) games, Apocalypse benefits from enough pedigree to have racing fans take notice. But, with releases coming little more than a year apart, are PS3 owners starting to tire of the franchise? Hopefully not, but to make sure they keep things as fresh as possible, the developers at Evolution Studios have taken the racing festival in an unexpected new direction.

Set in California's Bay Area during an apocalyptic earthquake, the new Motorstorm turns the notion of urban racing on its head. This is definitely not your older brother's Need For Speed. Rather than be confined to the streets and overpasses of this fictionalized San Francisco, the Motorstorm racers are able to take advantage of the mayhem caused by the massive earthquake to carve their own paths through the rapidly disintegrating city's infrastructure.

Players will be able to drive through the carcasses of abandoned office buildings, finding shortcuts and catching big air off of upturned office desks. Others will find it more advantageous to head to the rooftops, jumping between buildings -- but they must take care not to choose a landing spot that is about to fall down in a crater of rubble. The underground subway system will also be available to intrepid racers as they weave through darkened tunnels only to pop up above ground and hopefully ahead of the pack.

Adding to the mayhem are two new groups, comprised of criminal elements and the authorities. With their own vehicles and destructive firepower, these factions won't take kindly to the frivolity of the Motorstorm festival. But maybe players will get the chance to sit behind the wheel of a Hum-Vee or a Mad-Max style cruiser? Just wait until the game is officially revealed at E3 to find out.

The developers say that track deformation will be more permanent than in previous games. When a building comes down it stays down. When you race a track again, the buildings will still be destroyed, providing even more routes through the ruined landscape.