MOTORSTORM RC (PS3)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Evolution Studios. Released: 2012. Genre: Racing. Formats: PS3; PSV. © 2013 |
The writers:
Tom Clare Alan Passingham Posted: 10th January 2013 |
This will come as a massive surprise to almost none of you, but The Pixel Empire's Game of 2012 is MotorStorm RC. This rip-roaring top-down PlayStation Network racer won us over with a mix of outstanding gameplay and unrivalled value for money, and to celebrate, we've bagged ourselves an exclusive chat with none other than MSRC's Game Director, Paul Rustchynsky. Additionally, Alan and Tom summarise what made the game their standard-bearer amongst a strong field of games to land in 2012.
Staff Call: Alan Passingham
Back in the day when I was a half-decent footballer, a former manager provided me with some sound advice on how to be an accomplished player – “simple things, done well”. That was all. So, it comes as no surprise that my Game of 2012 follows those ideals closely. MotorStorm RC doesn’t immediately stand out from the crowd like a flashy Carlos Fandango doing as many step-overs as possible (with little discernible effect). Instead it goes about its business quietly and with little fuss, doing what it does so well that the Carlos Fandango’s of the gaming world can only blush with embarrassment.
Playing like a Micro Machines and Super Skidmarks hybrid, RC is one of those modern games that very much has its roots in the old-school. For once there’s none of that multiple play-through PS3 trophy nonsense. Here, there is one difficulty level that gets gradually more challenging as you progress through each race. It makes reaching the platinum attainable without wasting months of your life attempting to do so, yet remains a constant bane to one's gaming skills as it speeds into a relentless, insane burnout. The short punchy races (which last anything between 10 seconds to a few minutes) provide an insatiable ‘just one more go’ factor that hardly ever falters and once you’ve cracked a track (not at all easy) it provides a real sense of achievement, especially when surpassing the times of friends and colleagues on the online leaderboard. Everything from the simple presentation style, to the instant pick up and play hookability and the wonderful gameplay is poised, purposeful, efficient and so wonderfully masterful. A little bit like Dietmar Hamann.
And to top it off you get all of this for a little under a fiver. An absolute bargain for a hugely enjoyable game!
Playing like a Micro Machines and Super Skidmarks hybrid, RC is one of those modern games that very much has its roots in the old-school. For once there’s none of that multiple play-through PS3 trophy nonsense. Here, there is one difficulty level that gets gradually more challenging as you progress through each race. It makes reaching the platinum attainable without wasting months of your life attempting to do so, yet remains a constant bane to one's gaming skills as it speeds into a relentless, insane burnout. The short punchy races (which last anything between 10 seconds to a few minutes) provide an insatiable ‘just one more go’ factor that hardly ever falters and once you’ve cracked a track (not at all easy) it provides a real sense of achievement, especially when surpassing the times of friends and colleagues on the online leaderboard. Everything from the simple presentation style, to the instant pick up and play hookability and the wonderful gameplay is poised, purposeful, efficient and so wonderfully masterful. A little bit like Dietmar Hamann.
And to top it off you get all of this for a little under a fiver. An absolute bargain for a hugely enjoyable game!
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Q&A with Paul Rustchynsky, Game Director on MotorStorm RC
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What games were the chief inspiration behind RC's distinctive look and gameplay?
MotorStorm RC was inspired by games like Micro Machines, RC de GO, Rock 'n' Roll Racing and Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road. I used to play all of those top down racers as a kid and I loved them, but in many ways the chief influence was real RC racing. The project's Technical Director's passion for it is what inspired the game to get made in the first place! Are there any plans for a direct follow-up to RC, or more DLC? More DLC is unlikely to be honest but we never rule any possible titles out. We're working on something else right now...but you'll have to wait a little while before I can talk to you about it. |
What were the greatest challenges you faced in developing the game?
Working with new hardware is always challenging, the learning curve for Vita wasn't as steep as other platforms but still took time to fathom out, and it was more challenging because we were creating a game on a home AND handheld system. We actually made it harder for ourselves by sticking to our golden rule: that we must never compromise the quality of the experience on either. I'm really pleased that we stuck to that rule and that the game is seamless across both platforms as a result.
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Favourite vehicle class & track setting in RC?
I'd have to choose Pacific Rift as my favourite setting due to the huge diversity it offers. My favourite vehicle is the Racing Truck as it's a great all-rounder. Is there anything you would have done differently, or any additional features you would have liked to have seen in the game? 4 player split-screen on the PS3 proves how much fun it is to race wheel-to-wheel with your friends, so I would have loved to have included online multiplayer. Building and maintaining same-time online multiplayer is very costly, and we were passionate about releasing MotorStorm RC at a great price, so it wasn't something we could pursue. This passion for competitive multiplayer did lead to the discovery of just how much fun it can be to compete with your friends while they're not there, and I'm very proud of what my small team has achieved. |
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5 Things That Made RC Rock+ Incredible Value
It costs less than a fiver! Big DLC track packs are around £2 + Crossplay Benefits Buy it on PS3, get the VITA edit free. Same for the vehicles and DLC + Perfect Handling Was any crash ever the game's fault? No, you just needed to improve! + Best of the Old... Accessible, immediate, challenging, moreish and fun to play + Best of the New... Slick visuals, quick retry function, online leaderboards |
Staff Call: Tom Clare
It takes a special game to keep you coming back days, weeks and months after you've already finished it - particularly as a reviewer with an ever-growing mountain of other games to cover! MotorStorm RC proved what a lot of us already suspected: amidst a generation of flashy visual effects, menus full of tech-specs and aspirations for realer than real gameplay, the best racers are the ones that know fundamentally addictive gameplay still counts for everything. And boy, is it addictive. Stupendously good handling and fiendish yet rewarding course design set the scene for a tough but compelling campaign that will please fans of new and old games a like.
Owing a lot to the likes of Micro Machines and more implicitly (at least from the view I played it from) Super Off-Road, Evolution Studios have surpassed these great top-down racers because, as well as matching them blow-for-blow in the playability stakes, RC utilises a few small but significant contemporary tricks in order to really round things off. The Retry function, common as it may be, proves a life (and time) saving extravagance here, massively reducing the frustration incurred by mistakes and ensuring you'll manage hours of play without ever throwing a pad-breaking wobbler. The Online leaderboard offers the satisfaction of beating the times of friends or rivals you've never met, and it's this oh-so-simple scoring feature that proves the driving force behind RC's formidable lifespan. Al's mentioned it already, but it can't be stressed enough: it's less than a fiver, and I'd wager that pound-for-pound, RC is one of the best value video games of its era.
Owing a lot to the likes of Micro Machines and more implicitly (at least from the view I played it from) Super Off-Road, Evolution Studios have surpassed these great top-down racers because, as well as matching them blow-for-blow in the playability stakes, RC utilises a few small but significant contemporary tricks in order to really round things off. The Retry function, common as it may be, proves a life (and time) saving extravagance here, massively reducing the frustration incurred by mistakes and ensuring you'll manage hours of play without ever throwing a pad-breaking wobbler. The Online leaderboard offers the satisfaction of beating the times of friends or rivals you've never met, and it's this oh-so-simple scoring feature that proves the driving force behind RC's formidable lifespan. Al's mentioned it already, but it can't be stressed enough: it's less than a fiver, and I'd wager that pound-for-pound, RC is one of the best value video games of its era.
Racers (and indeed network titles) this good don't come along very often, and that's why MotorStorm RC is our Game of 2012. What was your favourite game to emerge in 2012? Let us know in the comments box below!
Lastly, we at The Pixel Empire would like to thank Paul Rustchynsky for taking the time to answer our questions, the insider knowledge was gratefully received. Whilst a second RC may not be on the immediate horizon, we wish Evolution Studios all the best for their current and future endeavours.
Lastly, we at The Pixel Empire would like to thank Paul Rustchynsky for taking the time to answer our questions, the insider knowledge was gratefully received. Whilst a second RC may not be on the immediate horizon, we wish Evolution Studios all the best for their current and future endeavours.
MORE-TORSTORM RC
MotorStorm RC (PS3) review
Read Tom's review and Alan's second opinion on RC here, written in May. Er, don't want to give away any spoilers, but we liked it quite a lot... |
Pixel Hi-Score Duel #1 - MotorStorm RC
...and in November, RC played host to the inaugural Pixel Hi-Score Duel, as Tom and Alan took part in an exciting battle on the Lane Changer event. Find out how it unfolded... |