MotorStorm Apocalypse Updated Impressions
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No, MotorStorm Apocalypse is not stealing ideas from other recent racers.
As other editors at IGN have said, MotorStorm Apocalypse looks great in 3D. But since most of us won't be playing it this way, that only means so much. Besides, I can tell you how great something looks in 3D, but you probably won't put much stock into that until you see it yourself. What people can see, however, when they read about, and look at screens and online videos, of Apocalypse is that it seems similar to recent racing releases Blur and Split/Second. And yeah, sure, I suppose you could say that, but let's take a closer look and see how these comparisons are a little disingenuous.
Blur
Blur's a competitive online racer just like Motorstorm Apocalypse, and both feature systems that allow you to customize your car via a sort of "perks" system (think Modern Warfare), but that's where the similarities end. The perks in Apocalypse aren't about arming your car with the best defensive and offensive capabilities so that you can defeat others in brutal battles (though you can outfit your car with perks to make it better at harming other vehicles), but instead are about customizing the vehicle so that it fits your playstyle. You see, Apocalypse doesn't have car combat in a shoot-em-up sort of sense, instead focusing on the racing and keeping combat in more of a bumper car sort of fashion. The focus of Apocalypse is racing, so if you're looking for a Mario Kart-esque game such as Blur you better keep on truckin'.
Split/Second
OK, OK, both Split/Second and Motorstorm Apocalypse have destroyed buildings, lots of dust, and plenty of explosions, but the setting and how these actions play out are completely different from one another. In Split/Second it's a fantastical setting wherein you're a racer participating in a game show, whereas in Apocalypse you're following a short story that tells about horrific events that are destroying a city. The tone of the game isn't treating what's going on you so nonchalantly, and as you race through the decaying world of Split/Second you won't be listening to any laughing announcers, but instead seeing people fleeing for their lives as they get nailed by the racers flying across the "tracks."
The tracks are also very different between Split/Second and Motorstorm Apocalypse. In Split/Second the destruction of the track was triggered by players so that they could ? other racers, but in Apocalypse the events happen thanks to the A.I. -- with some of them occurring in different ways each time you play so as to keep everyone on their toes. The whole point of Apocalypse isn't to give you the ability to destroy the world yourself, but to make tracks that are evolving and can take place in environments that people wouldn't otherwise expect; from sinking suburbs to the rooftops of falling buildings.
Motorstorm Apocalypse releases sometime in the first quarter of 2011.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/111/1114403p1.html
As other editors at IGN have said, MotorStorm Apocalypse looks great in 3D. But since most of us won't be playing it this way, that only means so much. Besides, I can tell you how great something looks in 3D, but you probably won't put much stock into that until you see it yourself. What people can see, however, when they read about, and look at screens and online videos, of Apocalypse is that it seems similar to recent racing releases Blur and Split/Second. And yeah, sure, I suppose you could say that, but let's take a closer look and see how these comparisons are a little disingenuous.
Blur
Blur's a competitive online racer just like Motorstorm Apocalypse, and both feature systems that allow you to customize your car via a sort of "perks" system (think Modern Warfare), but that's where the similarities end. The perks in Apocalypse aren't about arming your car with the best defensive and offensive capabilities so that you can defeat others in brutal battles (though you can outfit your car with perks to make it better at harming other vehicles), but instead are about customizing the vehicle so that it fits your playstyle. You see, Apocalypse doesn't have car combat in a shoot-em-up sort of sense, instead focusing on the racing and keeping combat in more of a bumper car sort of fashion. The focus of Apocalypse is racing, so if you're looking for a Mario Kart-esque game such as Blur you better keep on truckin'.
Split/Second
OK, OK, both Split/Second and Motorstorm Apocalypse have destroyed buildings, lots of dust, and plenty of explosions, but the setting and how these actions play out are completely different from one another. In Split/Second it's a fantastical setting wherein you're a racer participating in a game show, whereas in Apocalypse you're following a short story that tells about horrific events that are destroying a city. The tone of the game isn't treating what's going on you so nonchalantly, and as you race through the decaying world of Split/Second you won't be listening to any laughing announcers, but instead seeing people fleeing for their lives as they get nailed by the racers flying across the "tracks."
The tracks are also very different between Split/Second and Motorstorm Apocalypse. In Split/Second the destruction of the track was triggered by players so that they could ? other racers, but in Apocalypse the events happen thanks to the A.I. -- with some of them occurring in different ways each time you play so as to keep everyone on their toes. The whole point of Apocalypse isn't to give you the ability to destroy the world yourself, but to make tracks that are evolving and can take place in environments that people wouldn't otherwise expect; from sinking suburbs to the rooftops of falling buildings.
Motorstorm Apocalypse releases sometime in the first quarter of 2011.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/111/1114403p1.html