The most brutal offroad racing festival is back, with players once again descending on the wild and alternative MotorStorm Festival. However, this time the location has changed dramatically, with players attempting to tackle the diversity and unpredictability of a remote Pacific island environment. Developed by Evolution Studios exclusively for PS3, MotorStorm Pacific Rift revisits the intense racing action introduced in last year’s MotorStorm, this time allowing players to navigate a radically different tropical environment chock full of lush jungle, towering peaks, and crystal-clear water.

The Island is divided into four separate racing zones: Earth Zone, Wind Zone, Water Zone and Fire Zone, each with four multi-route tracks. Each zone takes the world’s elements very seriously, boasting its own uniquely dangerous climate. Get right into the thick of the island’s dense jungles when you enter the Earth Zone. Difficult to judge what’s ahead of you, the island’s heavy undergrowth hides all sorts of hazards, and the vegetation won’t just get in your way – it’ll fight back! Then, leave the undergrowth beneath you for the dizzying heights above you when you enter the Air Zone. Hurtle downhill, teeter on cliff edges and get big air on huge-scale jumps as you soar through four adrenalin-pumped racetracks.

Details of the first update:

1. Restrictions to the copying of Saved Data have been removed. This will make it possible for Saved Data to be backed up and then restored to the User Account it was created under (whether that’s on the same PS3 or not).
2. Changes to the way the game handles data. These changes will help to prevent Saved Data corruption.
3. Visual notification of critical save progress has been added. A ‘MotorStorm Helmet’ icon will be displayed on-screen to warn users that critical data is being saved. This is in addition to the HDD Access light which currently flashes while the game makes a critical save.
4. The glitch which enables a player to exploit the Boost system has been removed. The development team are working to identify which times have been achieved using this glitch; Action will be taken to ensure that the Leaderboards become genuinely competitive again.
5. Time Attack times and Rank information will update correctly for all players. Any pending Time Attack times will begin to filter through systematically and the online Ranks should display correctly once the update is released.
6. Additional fixes and improvements to gameplay. Many thanks for your feedback on these and other issues so far; we are still investigating the other issues that have been brought to our attention.

Meanwhile, deep within The Island’s volcanic lava fields, the Fire Zone is full of red-hot dangers forged into nature’s crucible. Speed across four fiery racetracks characterised by rocky wastelands and creeping cascades of lava. The festival organisers have done their best to put up makeshift ramps and flags – but don’t expect any crash barriers! Finally – it’s time to cool off in the Water Zone – crashing across serene coastlines, through plunging waterfalls and across treacherous river canyons.

As in the original MotorStorm, tracks can only be accessed with tickets. Racers must obtain either a gold, silver or bronze medal in each track to increase their ranking and access more tickets to more tracks. Extra vehicles can be unlocked by competing in the MotorStorm Event- where you can throttle drivers all over the world as you play online via PlayStation Network. Compete with up to 16 mates or online players; and for the first time, racers in the same location can hit the gas in four-player split-screen mode.

Features:

• Stunning Tropical Environments – racing locations set amongst the lush jungle, emerald lagoons and towering peaks of a remote Pacific island.
• Robust Multiplayer Racing Action – For the first time, MotorStorm Pacific Rift offers players the opportunity to challenge friends offline with four player split screen racing. Additionally, players will be able to challenge others online in races of up to 20 vehicles.
• Additional Tracks – MotorStorm Pacific Rift introduces 16 diverse, multi-route tracks to challenge even the most seasoned racers.
• New Vehicles – As the biggest vehicles available yet, a new monster truck class is available in addition to ATVs, rally cars, buggies, motorbikes, race trucks, mudpluggers, and Big Rigs.
• Extensive PLAYSTATION® Network Options – Features include matchmaking, detailed stats and leaderboards, plus plans for comprehensive downloadable content including tracks, vehicles, tickets, game modes, and themes.
• Attacking and Offensive Driving – Players must not only try to win the race but survive against the other racers. Combat-like racing takes center stage as the vehicles are the weapons.
• Cutting-Edge Artificial Intelligence – A.I. analyzes the race and surroundings and reacts in the most realistic manner possible. Not only will the competition try to win the race at all costs, but the A.I. will react to situations realistically, such as locating the best routes and changing the level of driving aggression based on player actions.
• Real-time Track Deformation – Players will never experience the same lap twice as each vehicle will carve up the track in varying depths, making navigation of each lap different than the last.
• Physics-Based Car Damage – Players will break and destroy a vehicle’s parts and panels during collisions with other drivers as well as with objects in the environment.