Publisher: Evolution Studios / Sony Online Entertainment
Cert: 3+
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
Although there has been quite a number of racers in the opening salvo from the Vita, at least one can’t say they are all carbon copies. From the more traditional Ridge Racer, to the futuristic hovercrafts of Wipeout and the customisable attack vehicles from ModNation, there has, at least, been variety. This time round is MotorStorm RC which gives an (effectively) overhead outing with remote control racers. Considering the rather low price attached to this, buying MotorStorm RC, is frankly, a no brainer.
Getting the problems out of the way first, MotorStorm surprisingly does not offer a multiplayer experience. This is unfortunate, but I did not find myself missing it as much as I did with ModNation Racing's lack of online play. Outside of that, the only other issue is how quickly you adjust to the controls. The default option uses a layout similar to a number of real world remote controls with the left analogue stick assigned for turning your vehicle and the right for accelerating and reversing. Not being an aficionado of actual remote control cars, I initially found this layout to be confusing and in hectic moments of races I would sometimes have difficulty regaining control of my car when I got into difficulty. My control issues, though, always felt like a challenge rather than a frustration and each time I started a course with a new vehicle, it would create an extra layer of gameplay as I learnt the new timing needed to take corners with my new car.
As the game progresses more challenges, races and cars become available (or you can purchase an unlock for all features from the PS Store) but I actually found the expansion of the hub area to be the most pleasantly surprising. Initially starting out as a small dirt track in a playground, it expands to include areas like a drained swimming pool and football pitch. On a number of occasions, I found myself messing around in this section for a worryingly large amount of time when I had intended to play 'just one quick race'.
MotorStorm does little to demonstrate any of the Vitas extra control features but to be honest that is somewhat of a relief at this stage. Instead, MotorStorm highlights the interconnected nature of the Vita and the PS3 - with your progress shared between the systems. In fact, buying the Vita version unlocks the PS3 version for those who own both consoles. Or I should say according to what I have read it does, I had some issues with my PS3s downloading capabilities this week so I was not actually able to test this myself. Even without this feature the game is an exceptionally good bargain but with it, only a die hard racing sim / remote control car hater should miss out on this game.
Buy or Rent: Buy
Graphics: 3/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replay: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Reviewed by: JP Gallagher