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Platform: PS3

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is an upcoming racing video game in development by Evolution Studios and to be published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the best selling PlayStation 3 exclusive MotorStorm. It was announced by Sony after their acquisition of Evolution Studios and is scheduled for release on 28 October 2008 in North America. The release date for Australia at this stage is 13 November 2008 It has been confirmed that a modified version of the original MotorStorm game engine will be used for this title.

A demonstration version of the game was made available in Europe and North America on 11 September 2008. In Europe the demo was made available to randomly selected users. Access to the North American demo required users to purchase episode 4 of Qore. The demo will be available to all users on the PlayStation Store in October 2008.

History
The first target render teaser trailer of the game was released on 12 March 2008 and showed pre-rendered cut scene featuring destructible environments and realistic character modelling along with the song "Tarantula" by Pendulum who appeared in the first game also with "Slam". The monster truck ploughs through a biker and the running down a yellow buggy, whilst the black monster truck (a van, perhaps) crashing through an old building, causing it to collapse and then trapping a rally car. One biker ducked through a collapsed platform, while the other one takes a direct hit. She tries to get up, but is met by a monster truck erupting through the platform. The scene ends, which remains unknown whether the monster truck landed right into the path of the biker.


Gameplay
The game will move away from the desert environments of the original title and relocate itself in "a lush island environment, full of interactive vegetation"; also included will be monster trucks and four-player split-screen capability. Monster trucks will be able to ride over cars, break most vegetation, and destroy structures. Custom music tracks using a player's own music stored on their PS3 hard drive will be available, and camera angles will be improved for crashes; vehicle damage will also be improved. Confirmed race terrains are volcanic mountain sides, beaches, jungle, caves, and a run-down sugar factory.


Tracks

Screenshot from pre-rendered teaser trailerThe 16 tracks (compared to eight tracks originally available in the first game) will contain "thick mud, tangled undergrowth, swift flowing rivers, choking volcanic clouds and searing lava pools". Another new feature in Motorstorm: Pacific Rift is the presence of water in the form of rivers and pools. Water also cools down the car's engine, which presents a whole line of new tactics; vehicles will slow down as they go through deep water, with buoyancy featuring for vehicles that venture into water too deep for that vehicle type. Vegetation will fight back against the smaller vehicles and only the bigger vehicles will be able to go through it.

There are three confirmed tracks :"Beach Comber", "Wildfire", "Rain God Spires", the latter being a tribute to the the original Motorstorm's Rain God Mesa. Beach Comber is mostly set on a beach (as the name suggests) but also in thick jungle. It features a swinging anti-aircraft gun above a large drop which proves to be a tough obstacle to negotiate, especially for lighter vehicles, whereas heavy-weight vehicles such as big rigs and monster trucks can swat the gun out of the way making it even harder for their opponents. It also features an exploding mine. Evolution Studios claim to have engineered the AI to drive towards the mine creating havoc without making it look staged. Raingod Spires on the other hand is set in mountain scenery. Another track which is supposedly called "Cascade Falls" is set in a jungle, the track weaving in and out behind large waterfalls and dense vegetation. Finally "Wildfire", as the name suggests, is set on a volcanic landscape with lava flowing in place of the water on the other tracks.

Also there is one track that passes through a sugar cane field. Whether this is the same track as the one with the sugar factory remains unknown. This track will make full use of the new destructible vegetation. On the first lap the field is full of sugar canes making the going tough for smaller vehicles, but after the first lap or two pathways are carved through the field by larger vehicles thus opening the track up to the light-weights.


Vehicles
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift features all 7 vehicle classes from the original game (Bikes, ATVs, Buggies, Rally Cars, Racing trucks, Mud Pluggers and Big Rigs) as well as a new class, Monster Trucks. Monster trucks are relatively fast and capable of crushing opponents and vegetation, however because they are so big and high up, their center of gravity isn't that low, making them very easy to overturn.

All vehicles featured in the original MotorStorm will appear in the new game as well as a whole new array of vehicles. This includes vehicles downloaded as part of game packs such as Revenge Weekend and Devil's Weekend.


Multiplayer
The game will support 16-player online play and 4-player split-screen, offline play. Sony is also said to be "pushing" to make the game's web services integrated with the game in the same manner as SingStar.

A m8 of mine has played the closed beta, says its not that good compared to the first, the damage has been changed so you dont blow up and just have parts falling off, the mud splashes have been reduced.

im going ot get my code b4 practice tonight. so i will get it then.