Truly an underhyped gem of a racing game.
Speaking of competition, there are albeit, over 50 cars to choose from. All of them varying from one another and all of them detailed to the maximum extent that it makes you sorry that you made them dirty. Yes, there is damage and dirt effects, both of which are done very well and are just icing to an already beautiful game. In addition, you can also pick your driver. As with the vehicles, they vary from one another. Going back to the vehicles, they are divided into classes, namely Bike, ATV, Buggy, Rally Car, Racing Truck, Mudplugger, Big Rig and Monster Truck. Each class has several vehicle shells to choose from. They aren't wholly aesthetic because the size, weight, width and height of a certain car affects the way it drives. There are some vehicle shells that just surpass every aspect of another vehicle shell. The stats of each shell aren't visible though, so you'll have to experiment which shell floats your boat. Each class also has a strength and a weakness. For example, the Rally Car is just godly in Colossus Canyon while the Big Rig can't hold a candle to it there. However, in Badlands, the Big Rig just crushes the competition while the Rally Car is left to eat dust. There is balance, every vehicle class can win, you just need to know where to use it and what routes to take in each track. Route-making is an essential thing in MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Pick the right routes, and you're in for a sure win, or a close one. Pick the wrong ones and you'll be struggling in the pack. That's the beauty of the tracks here, each vehicle class has its own best route, so taking the route of, say a Monster Truck isn't going to do you any good in a Buggy.
Festival is the game's career mode. It's where you unlock most of the vehicle shells and drivers. Each race here is restricted to certain vehicles classes so it is best to learn each classes' route. The races are divided into Ranks. As you progress through the ranks, difficulty gets harder and harder. It may not be noticeable at the early ranks, but once you reach rank 6, you'll be having a harder time overtaking and isolating. This game also being a competitive racer, dirty racing is allowed. The AI will try their best to try and take you out of commission just so they could claim the lead. There are also some times wherein they just push you to a wall, them included, just to get you out of first place. It's a bit frustrating, but it's challenging and gets your blood pumping, just to get the gold. There are also several race modes in Festival. There are the normal races which pits you against 12-16 opponents, all gunning for the win. There is Eliminator wherein you are up against 10 other racers. The twist here is that in a set amount of time, the racer in last place will be blown up and is therefore eliminated. There is no margin for error in this type of race, for the AI is very aggressive, especially in the later ranks. There are Speed races, which are basically you against the clock. It's isn't Time Trial per se, because you have to go through checkpoints, through different routes rather than just go around the track and beat the designated time. Both the Eliminator and the Speed races can only be unlocked through races with a set quota. There are some races which are rigged with a wreck limit. These wreck limits tell how many times you are allowed to wreck your car. If you go over, you won't be unlocking the race it is supposed to be unlocked. Lastly, there are the races which have a set time for you to finish, all while fending off your opponents for the lead. As with the wreck limit races, if you go over the time,you won't be unlocking the next race.
Wreckreation is the single/multiplayer mode of the game. In here, you'll find Online, Time Attack, Single Race and Split-Screen. Single race lets you set up your own races, including the cars you are going to race against. Split-screen can cater to up to 4 players. Time Attack is how it is always known and loved. However, you can assign a ghost for you to either practice with or try to beat. Online is where you can race people all over the world. It's divided into three modes. Ranked, Casual and Custom. Ranked is the most picked out of them for it gives out ranking points to level up. Think of it as the competitive mode of Online, where everybody brings their A-game because they want to rank up and not lose ranking points. Speaking of ranks, there are 5 ranks which are Grunt, Rookie, Veteran, Hero and Legend, and each are divided into three sections which are Bronze, Silver and Gold. As you go higher up the ranks, less and less ranking points will be given to you and the chance of losing ranking points is increased. Casual is, self-explanatory. It's basically a single race. You don't lose or gain ranking points in this mode. Lastly, Custom lets you customize which track you're going to race into and which vehicle classes are going be available. It's like Casual, except you get to pick the stuff you want. On to Online play itself. It's lagless and it just takes a while to find a game, that is if you're looking for one in Ranked. There are times though that you will get disconnected and the game will freeze. I don't know if this is normal, but it happens quite occasionally.
The gameplay is what you expect from an off-road, combat racer: Fun, competitive and downright adrenalin filling. Just picture it, there are 12-16 cars in one track, each being different classes, ranging from a puny little Bike to a monstrous Monster Truck, and all of you have one goal: to win. There will be lots of grinding, crushing, flying and crashing. Racing is just fast and furious and has a very nice sense of speed to it, especially if you're using the bumper view. There is a boosting system in the game, but it is unique. Instead of getting boost for doing some daring stunts and driving clean and whatnot, you are given an unlimited amount of it and is free to use it anytime you want. Always keep an eye on the Boost meter, there is a consequence if you boost too much. There is a chance that you will explode. When you hear beeping, that is the time you stop and let your engine cool. Once you think you're ready again, boost away. There are several things that affect your boost meter. Driving on water cools your boost meter down and is while driving near lava heats it up and speeds up the heating of your engine.
The soundtrack is pretty decent. Lots of rock, a bit of house music, a bit of techno and a bit of trance. It's a pretty big setlist so you won't be repeating a song for quite sometime. If the soundtrack isn't your type, you can play your own playlist through the XMB. Yes, it will support your playlist and play that instead of the supposed soundtrack of the game. However, this is disabled when you go online. The sound effects are awesome. Your car's engine roaring as it flies through the air, the grungy sound of your car crumpling into a piece of scrap metal when bumped or thrashed, the sound of your suspension being tortured as you land jump after jump, the sound of the boost which is just exhilarating and the environmental backdrops to even add more feel to it. They are just all done perfectly.
Overall, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is an excellent racer in every respect, blending adrenalin pumping racing action with lush environments that just have you wishing you were on a deserted tropical island with nothing but lunatics racing everyday.